ABSTRACT
At the modern stage of knowledge, modeling cannot solve the problem of mapping salt-affected soils. In our study, an original methodology was applied to develop the map of salt-affected soils of the Tuva Republic on the basis of available soil maps on different scales, DEM, satellite images, and analytical data on 286 georeferenced soil pits. The map was created in the ArcInfo GIS. Overall, 203 polygons with salt-affected soils occupying 678 600 ha were delineated. The area of salt-affected soils proper was estimated at 269 090 ha. Among them, slightly saline soils of sulfate and chloride salinization with a shallow depth of the saline horizon predominate. The georeferenced vector map of salt-affected soils documented by synchronous remote sensing data (satellite images) is a practical tool for assessing and monitoring of soil salinization as one of the leading factors of soil degradation in the Tuva Republic.
