Shoreline Displacement Rates and Volumes of Lost Lands within the Volgograd Reservoir Based on UAV Surveys and Historical Satellite Data

According to surveys of the Volgograd reservoir conducted in 2023 using UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and historical satellite imagery, an assessment of shoreline displacement rates and the volumes of lost land was performed. The assessment of shoreline displacement rates and the loss of lands in the water protection zone of the Volgograd reservoir was based on data obtained by Russian Research Institute for the Integrated Use and Protection of Water Resources in 2023. Remote sensing of the water protection zone section from the village of Rakhinka to the village of Verkhny Balykley in the Sredneakhtubinsky and Bykovsky districts was conducted using UAVs: Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 and Phantom 4 Pro Advanced. Archival satellite images from 2016 were also used. The survey results revealed significant shoreline displacement rates in the area from the northern outskirts of Rakhinka to 1 km south of Novonikolskoe village. On average, in this area, the shoreline displacement rate is 3 meters per year. Significant shoreline displacement was also observed in the area from the northern entrance of the bay, located 7 km north of the village of Lugovaya Proleyka, extending further north to the village of Nizhny Balykley. On average, in this area, the shoreline displacement rate is 2.1 meters per year. The estimated volume of ground collapse in the surveyed area during the period from 2016 to 2023 amounted to 3,813,760 m³.