Geoinformation analysis and mapping of ice hummocky formations of the Azov and Caspian seas in 2015–2025

DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2025-2-31-235-244

View or download the article (Rus)

About the Author

Anastasia A. Magaeva

Southern Scientific Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences,
41, Chekhova ave., Rostov-on-Don, 344006, Russia,
E-mail: a.magaeva@mail.ru

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the investigation of ice hummocky formations of the Azov and Caspian Seas in 2015–2025 based on the results of satellite monitoring and GIS. During this period, the ice cover of the Azov and Caspian Seas is decreasing, and the sea level of the Caspian Sea continues to decline. As a result, these changes affect the formation and localization of ice hummocky formations. The location of the ice hummocky formations was estimated using geoinformation analysis and digital elevation models. The results showed that the largest number of ice hummocky formations are concentrated at depths of 1–2 m, the maximum depth of distribution of some single ice objects is 9 m. Maps of the probability of formation of ice hummocky formations have been created for the period 2015–2025. The maps are presented in the electronic version of the “Atlas of dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena in the Azov and Caspian Seas in the 20th–21st centuries”, which contains the results of studies of dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena and their combinations, the combined impact on the coast and hydraulic structures. In the Sea of Azov, ice hummocky formations are located mainly in the Taganrog Bay, which is due to the small area of sea ice in recent years. However, in some winters with a larger ice area, ice hummocky formations can form in the open sea and at the entrance to the Kerch Strait (for example, in the winters of 1953/54, 1955/56, etc.). In the Northern Caspian, the zone of active ice hummocking covers a larger area. Ice hummock formations with a probability of 75–100 % are formed in the coastal area of the Volga Delta and in the shallow waters of the eastern part of the Northern Caspian from the mouth of the Ural to the Buzachi Peninsula and in the area of the Kulaly Islands.

Keywords

ice hummocky formations, sea ice, ice concentration, Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea, GIS

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For citation: Magaeva A.A. Geoinformation analysis and mapping of ice hummocky formations of the Azov and Caspian seas in 2015–2025. InterCarto. InterGIS. Moscow: MSU, Faculty of Geography, 2025. V. 31. Part 2. P. 235–244. DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2025-2-31-235-244 (in Russian)