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This paper reports the results obtained using the systemic basin approach, geoinformation, and neurotechnology for modeling and forecasting of the humus spatial inhomogeneity and content variations in the steppe and dry steppe zones (Kherson oblast, Ukraine). The general trend of such variations has been determined in the 0-40 cm layer for 42 years. The intensive use of irrigation and drainage activities in 1970-1989 resulted in a significant humus depletion by 0.36% on average (from 2.56% to 2.2%). The analysis in 4450 observation points has yielded a decrease in the variability, the rising polynomial dependence of the humus enrichment from the west to the east, and the logarithmic dependence from the south to the north. The neurotechnological modeling has made it possible to develop the artificial neural network for the spatiotemporal modeling of the humus content in the soils. The humus is predicted to be subject to the irreversible process of gradual depletion in the 0-40 layer until 2025 upon the use of the existing agrotechnologies: rainfed land by 0.01%/year and irrigated land by 0.03%/year. This result defines the territorial priorities of the regional policy and suggests the differentiated efficiency evaluation of the soil-protective unit of the farming systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to identify long-term changes in the material composition of arable and fallow lands in the agricultural district of an ancient center in the Northern Black Sea region. Geochemical features of changes in the upper mineral soil horizon of different-aged arable and fallow lands near the ancient city of Kerkinitis were studied. The multitemporal boundary between arable lands of different ages was identified, and indicators to diagnose residual signs of former agricultural loads were revealed in the material composition of agrozems using geostatistical methods. The use of such unique objects of study as soils of ancient agricultural areas is related to the potential evaluation of risks of fertility loss because of slow but practically irreversible processes of pedogenesis and the opportunity to prevent or reduce their negative manifestations in arable land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation of changes in energy costs of soil formation during the period of irrigation reclamation in the steppe zone has been performed using Wavelets analysis. A method has been proposed for the evaluation of natural-anthropogenic soil-forming process with consideration for the contribution of irrigation water to the hydrothermal regime during the growing season and the prediction of soil evolution under the effect of changing climatic conditions for the area of irrigated agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presented are the development of the concept and projects of the basin nature management and the organization of their implementation in the whole region using the basin-administrative approach. Based on the multidimensional analysis and forecast of river runoff variations using the artificial neural networks, the typification of catchments is carried out mainly defined by such factors as its area, order of the river, and degree of anthropogenic load. Depending on the hydrological functioning type, the adapted complexes of Hydroecological activities are determined. The need in the integration of the geodata for each river basin with the inherent morphological and process characteristics as well as of the results of Hydroecological monitoring enables to recommend the structure of the database of the basin organization of nature management in the regions of Russia based on the European experience in the river network monitoring in the context of the EU Water Framework Directive and of the creation of the single infrastructure of the spatial data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]