Spatiоtemporal analysis of the changes of the main habitats of the Kozachelaherska arena (Nyzhniodniprovsky sands, Kherson region, Ukraine) in the period of 1990–2020

Landsat satellite images (Landsat-5 for the period of 1990–2010 and Landsat-8 for the year of 2020) were used for the spatiotemporal analysis of the dynamics of the main habitats of the Kozachelaherska arena (Nyzhniodniprovsky sands, Kherson region, Ukraine). The algorithm of minimum distance of automatic k-mean clustering was used for the classification of the satellite images. Habitats were classified according to EUNIS classification principles. The analysis revealed a considerable decrease in a summary area of coniferous plantations in the period of 2000–2010. During the last two decades, the area of losses significantly exceeded the renewal area of coniferous plantations. The area of large permanent aquatic habitats in the north-east part of the arena decreased by 2.5 times in the last thirty years. The water supply of the territory is constantly decreasing, probably due to the reduction in precipitation and in the ground water level. At the same time, the area of territories under open sand doubled, the process of sand overgrowth with vegetation has slowed down, and its losses have increased. All these changes are most likely caused by the increasingly arid climate in southern Ukraine, which may, over time, lead to the replacement of habitats characteristic of sandy steppes with habitats of open sands.