Methodological and practical aspects of using satellite imagery to assess the military impact on soils

The military aggression of the Russian Federation has caused significant negative impacts on Ukraine’s natural ecosystems, including its soils. Comprehensive assessments of soil conditions, the extent, and the scale of damage caused by warfare are essential for documenting the resulting losses. However, the use of traditional field surveys of soil cover is hindered by the significant threat of landmines in areas liberated from occupation. This limitation necessitates the widespread adoption of remote sensing methods, such as satellite imagery. This study aimed to assess the condition of soils and the extent of their damage due to military activity within the Chkalovske territorial community of the Chuhuiv District in the Kharkiv Region. The study identified the optimal combinations of optical bands from Sentinel-2 satellites for monitoring the consequences of military impact on soil cover. A spatial layer of objects was developed to represent various types of military-induced soil degradation within the community, including damage from continuous shelling (craters from shells, rockets, and bombs); soil compaction from the movement of military vehicles (tracks and pathways); fortification structures (defensive fighting positions and dugouts); and fires caused by shelling. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, the number of craters and the soil mass loss caused by explosions, the areas of burned and compacted land, as well as the length of anti-tank ditches and defensive fighting positions with dugouts, were calculated at the test site. On the irrigated lands of the Chkalovske territorial community, the areas affected by shelling and those burned due to military-related fires were also estimated. The information derived from satellite imagery serves as a crucial step in developing measures for the restoration of the soil cover in the pilot area affected by military degradation. The study utilised satellite imagery of varying resolutions and geographic information systems to calculate the damage caused by military actions with sufficient accuracy. It also analysed the temporal and quantitative interrelations among different types of military impact. This research will serve as a basis for assessing the scale and spatial distribution of soil damage, calculating the loss of fertile soil layers, and conducting an economic evaluation of the damage inflicted on soil resources