METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF HYDROMORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ANTHROPOGENIC TRANSFORMATION OF RIVER LANDSCAPES (CASE STUDY OF THE CHEREMOSH RIVER)

Abstract

Integrated water resources management, particularly concerning rivers and their basins, is increasingly focused on entities such as river ecosystems, landscapes, and geosystems. The most pressing scientific and applied issue is the integration of basin and landscape planning. Specific landscape complexes are formed based on river channels and floodplains, representing the young river landscape (YRL), whose functioning is primarily driven by hydromorphological processes. Therefore, to assess the state of the YRL and corresponding river ecosystems, it is crucial to pay attention to hydromorphological parameters and indicators. This necessitates improving methods of hydromorphological analysisand the study of river landscapes. The accumulation of knowledge in this field is based on examples of specific objects and regions. The object of our research is the foothill section of the valley, channel, and floodplain of the Cheremosh River, a right tributary of the Prut River. Its stream-channel-floodplain system exhibits both individual and regionally characteristic features for the Pre-Carpathian area. At the same time, it is not fully covered by hydrological observations and remains underexplored in terms of channel studies, hydromorphology, and landscape research.The purpose of this study is to identify and characterize the territorial structure and hydromorphological patterns of the functioning of the young landscape of the Cheremosh River within its foothill section under natural and anthropogenically modified conditions, aiming to develop the foundationsof integrated management. An analysis of the territorial structure of the Cheremosh River valley landscapes was performed using the proposed methodology of sequential, hierarchically subordinate delineation of homogeneous area of the valley (HAV), homogeneous area of the valley bottom(HAVB), and homogeneous area of the riverbed and floodplain (HARF). Five homogeneous channel and floodplain areas were identified: Tyudiv-Vyzhnytsia, Vyzhnytsia-Milievo, Milievo-Banyliv, Banyliv-Vashkivtsi, and Vashkivtsi-Nepolokivtsi (former mouth area). Their main parameters were determined. Methodological issues of analyzing the structure and functioning of the stream-channel-floodplain system in these homogeneous areas under natural and anthropogenically modified conditions were examined in detail. In particular, a methodology for determining parameters of anthropogenic river incision usingGNSS surveying was tested. It was revealed that the main factors of anthropogenic changes inthe hydromorphology of the young landscape of the Cheremosh River in the studied section include riverbed alluvium extraction and the construction of embankment dams. The influence of these factors on the structure, composition, and functioning of the young river landscape, as well as the consequences they lead to, were demonstrated. As a result of this study, the hydromorphological information database regarding the Prut River system within Ukraine has been expanded. Recommendations for optimizing the management of the hydromorphological quality of the young landscape of the Cheremosh River were proposed.