Medium-Scale Soil Map of the Crimea Southern Coast

Digital medium-scale (1 : 100 000) soil map of the Southern Coast from the Aia Cape on the west to the town of Feodosiya on the east was compiled on the basis of field data obtained by the authors. This map contains actual information on the soil cover of natural, humanly transformed landscapes, and urbanized territories. The map was created using GIS and remote sensing methods (multispectral Landsat images were applied). The legend to the map was based on the Classification and Diagnostic System of Russian Soils (2004). The map comprises 1053 polygons and 34 soil units, which are arranged in four groups: natural soils, soils of terraced slopes, agricultural soils, and soils of urbanized territories. There is also information about rock outcrops, soil erosion intensity, and share of natural soils in the areas of human-modified soils. The analysis of the map demonstrates that natural soils occupy 63% of the area. The main natural soils are Dystric Cambisols (they compose approximately 35% of all natural soils) and Eutric Cambisols (about 23%). Among human-modified soils, soils of urbanized areas make up about 15%; agricultural soils, 12%; and soils of terraced slopes (Escalic qualifier in the WRB) under forest plantations, 10%. The latter soils are widespread and may be named "Postturbozems"; this term is absent in the Classification and Diagnostic System of Russian Soils (2004). The new digital soil map reflects the features of the present-day soil cover of the Southern Coast of Crimea and may be used for agricultural and forest management purposes, as well as for geographical, pedological, and ecological studies.