Gusev S., Tishin V.
RJEE Vol. 11 (1). 2026 | DOI: 10.21685/2500-0578-2026-1-4
Abstract | PDF (Rus) | Additional files
Receipt date 17.01.2026 | Publication date 26.03.2026
TOPOGRAPHIC CONTROL OF THE DISTRIBUTION AND INTENSITY OF THERMAL ANOMALIES IN THE MOUNTAIN FORESTS OF THE SOUTHERN BAIKAL REGION
S.M. Gusev 1, V.T. Tishin 2
1, 2 Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kazan, Russia
1 SMGusev@kai.ru
Abstract. Against the background of global climate change, the problem of assessing the pyrogenic vulnerability of specially protected natural areas in the mountainous framing of Lake Baikal is of critical importance. The purpose of the study is to reveal the spatial and thermodynamic patterns of thermal anomalies localization depending on the topographic characteristics of the relief of the mountain-forest belt of the Southern Baikal region. A continuous 25-year database (2001–2025) of verified active thermal anomalies of the FIRMS system with a total volume of 2,485 hotspots was analyzed. The extraction of orographic characteristics was carried out on the basis of a digital elevation model with a 30 m resolution. Spatial analysis was performed using GIS algorithms in the Python environment. A pronounced nonlinear dependence of the hotspots localization on the slope steepness and aspect was established. A bimodal distribution pattern was revealed: both southern slopes (due to insolation drying) and northern macroslopes (due to the proximity to the anthropogenic infrastructure of the coast) are highly vulnerable to pyrogenic impact. The maximum of thermal anomalies is confined to the altitudinal belt of 1200–1500 m above sea level and slopes of medium steepness (5–20°). Slope steepness directly affects the fire radiative power: extreme energy emissions are recorded on slopes up to 30°, where a continuous forest canopy remains, and abruptly end on extremely steep sections due to the fragmentation of combustible materials.
Keywords: thermal anomalies, hotspots, remote sensing, topography, aspect, geographic information system, fire radiative power, Baikal Nature Reserve
Financing: the work was carried out at the expense of a subsidy allocated to Kazan Federal University as part of the state assignment in the field of scientific activity, project no. FZSM-2024-0004.
For citation: Gusev S.M., Tishin V.T. Topographic control of the distribution and intensity of thermal anomalies in the mountain forests of the southern Baikal Region. Russian Journal of Ecosystem Ecology. 2026;11(1). (In Russ.). Available from: https://doi.org/10.21685/2500-0578-2026-1-4