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ISSN 2070-7401 (Print), ISSN 2411-0280 (Online)
Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN REMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH FROM SPACE

  

Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2025, V. 22, No. 6, pp. 193-203

The treeline in Central and Southeastern Altai Mountains based on satellite data

E.S. Derkach 1, 2 , A.I. Reznikov 3 , I.V. Volkov 1 , D.A. Ganyushkin 1 
1 Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2 Komarov Botanical Institute RAS, Saint Petersburg, Russia
3 Directorate of Specially Protected Natural Areas of St. Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Accepted: 29.08.2025
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2025-22-6-193-203
The distribution and features of the treeline (TL) in Central and Southeastern Altai Mountains are considered on the basis of remote sensing data. The regularities of TL position, its altitudinal and climatic characteristics, as well as the species composition in different parts of the study area are determined. Due to the inaccessibility of the region, which complicates traditional field work, it is important to use satellite data to identify patterns of TL distribution over a large area. The article uses data from the Global Forest Canopy Height project, the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model, high-resolution satellite images and meteorological data for 20 years. The results showed that the degree of forest cover of the territory decreases from west to east-southeast. The TL elevation increases from northwest to southeast: from 2100 to more than 2700 m above sea level. The maximum TL elevations are noted along the sides of the Southeastern Altai basins. The dominant tree species in the TL change in composition: from Pinus sibirica in the northwest to Larix sibirica in the southeast, through areas of their joint growth. Analysis of climate data showed that average July temperatures in the TL vary from 6.3 to 8.8°C, with the majority of TL points being in the range of 6.8–8.5°C. Minimum temperatures are typical of the central regions with the maximum TL elevations. The obtained results enable a more accurate assessment of the influence of climatic and orographic factors on the distribution of forests in the Altai mountainous regions and can be used to monitor global climate changes.
Keywords: Altai Mountains, tree line species composition, altitudinal temperature gradient, climatic conditions of the tree line
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