Soil and Environmental Consequences of Spring Flooding in the Zhabay River Floodplain (Akmola Region)

Aitzhanova M. Zhaparova S. Zhamanbayeva M. Satimbekova A.
November 2025 Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

Sustainability (Switzerland)
2025 #17 Issue 22

Floods increasingly threaten semiarid regions, yet their long-term soil ecological impacts remain underdocumented. This study quantifies the hydrologic change and flood-induced soil transformation on the Zhabay River floodplain (Akmola, Kazakhstan) using integrated field, laboratory, and remote sensing data. Gauge records (2012–2024) were analyzed; inundation was mapped from a 0.30 m DEM (Digital Elevation Model) merging SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission), Landsat 8/Sentinel 2, and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) photogrammetry (NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index) > 0.28) and validated with 54 in situ depths (MAE (Mean Absolute Error) 0.17 m). Soil samples collected before and after floods were analyzed for texture, bulk density, pH, Eh, macronutrients, and heavy metals. Annual maxima increased by 0.08 m yr⁻¹, while extreme floods became more frequent. Thresholds of ≥0.5 m depth and >7 days duration marked compaction onset, whereas >1 m and ≥12 days produced maximum organic carbon loss and Zn/Ni enrichment. The combination of high-resolution DEMs, ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) analysis, and soil microbial monitoring provides new operational indicators of soil degradation for Central Asian steppe floodplains. Findings contribute to SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) by linking flood resilience assessment with sustainable land-use planning.

Central Asia , floodplain soils , NDWI , ROC analysis , semiarid steppe , sustainable land management , UAV photogrammetry , Zhabay River

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Smagul Sadvakasov Agrotechnical Institute, Department of Mining, Construction and Ecology, Shokan Ualikhanov Kokshetau University, Kokshetau, 020000, Kazakhstan
School of Geosciences, Daulet Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University, Ust-Kamenogorsk, 070000, Kazakhstan

Smagul Sadvakasov Agrotechnical Institute
School of Geosciences

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