期刊名称：ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences
印刷版ISSN：2194-9042
电子版ISSN：2194-9050
出版年度：2006
卷号：XXXVI Part 4
出版社：Copernicus Publications
摘要：The paper deals with the desertification status mapping of Stod valley of Zanskar region, District Kargil, Jammu & Kashmir State (India), located in the altitudinal belt of 3450m to 6200m asl. The valley, located in the rain shadow region of Tethys Himalaya, is studded by eight major glaciers and witnesses permafrost condition for nearly six months. The valley experiences semi-arid to arid type of cold climate designated as Bc. The temperature in the valley fluctuates between -48 0 C to -20 0 C in winters at different altitude levels. The permafrost conditions lead to solifluctuation and gelifluction process producing immature soils and triggering the natural geomorphic hazards, such as snow and rock avalanches, landslides, and fluvio-glacial erosion. The hazards have been largely responsible in the generation of mass movement and other catastrophic activities that result in high morpho-dynamic activity of weathering, breaking of ice, and damming and bursting of lakes causing the desertification of the region. Various thematic maps, such as maps of geomorphological features, soils, slope, drainage, and meteorology on the sacle of 1:50,000 on the basis of IRS data supplemented by field work. Besides, collateral data from Indian Meteorology Department, J & K State Revenue Department, J & K State Desert Development Authority and other state government agencies and NGOs have been consulted to authenticate the thematic maps. The field and satellite data compliment each other in understanding the degradation of land cover and its processes and further categorize the land degradation into slight, moderate and severe. Different layers of data are digitized and later synthesized for the entire valley (711.78 km 2 ). Three zones of high morpho-dynamic activities, namely glacial-peri-glacial (533.13km 2 ), barren (125.92km 2 ) and agriculture-grassland landscape (14.99 km 2 ) are identified. The limited and restricted agriculture, based on monoculture with a very low yield, compels the male population to migrate and make handsome earning from outside the region. A combat map, based on the data generated by filed work and study of IRS data, to mitigate and check the further spread of cold desert is under way
