| Abstract [eng] |
The increasing frequency of wildfires in Eastern European sandy coastal environments necessitates reliable approaches for assessing post-fire vegetation recovery under conditions of high soil reflectance and sparse vegetation cover. These conditions often limit the efficacy of conventional singleindex remote sensing methods. Comparative long-term assessments of post-fire recovery in sandy coastal systems under contrasting climatic conditions remain limited. This study evaluates post-fire vegetation dynamics in two geomorphologically similar but climatically contrasting coastal systems: the Curonian Spit (Lithuania) and the Kinburn Peninsula (Ukraine). A longterm, multi-index framework based on Landsat imagery (19842024) was applied using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index, Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index, Normalized Burn Ratio and Bare Soil Index to analyze vegetation recovery trajectories, recovery rates, and Normalized Recovery Index (NRI). The results indicated significant regional variations in post-fire succession. At the Smiltyne site, vegetation productivity exceeded pre-fire levels approximately 20-25 years after the 1995 wildfire, with NDVI increasing from ~0.165 to ~0.223 and NRI reaching 1.46. Conversely, recovery on the Kinburn Peninsula remained unfinished more than two decades following the 2001 fire (NRI = 0.38), indicating ongoing degradation of forest vegetation and transition toward less productive communities. The contrasting trajectories are primarily associated with climatic conditions and disturbance regimes. Recovery was faster and more complete in regions with higher humidity and managed reforestation, such as the Curonian Spit (650–750 mm/year). In contrast, ecosystem restoration on the Kinburn Peninsula (350–450 mm/year) was hindered by arid conditions, recurring disturbances, and limited regeneration capacity. The proposed multi-index framework provides a robust and transferable approach for long-term monitoring of post-fire vegetation recovery in sandy coastal environments affected by strong soil background effects. These findings underscore the significance of prolonged satellite This work received no external funding. Corresponding author: Oleksiy Davydov, e-mail: oleksiy.davydov@gamtc.lt. Author Contributions: Yuliia Shevchuk: Conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, formal analysis, resources, data curation, writing – original draft, editing, visualization, supervision, project administration. Oleksiy Davydov: Conceptualization, investigation, visualization, writing – original draft, writing – review & editing. Linas Bevainis: Validation, review & editing. validation, Author Information: Yuliia Shevchuk is a Ph.D. student with the Laboratory of Geoenvironmental Research, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania (e-mail: julija.shevchuk@gamtc.lt; ORCID: 0009-0004-8034-8046). monitoring for elucidating vegetation response processes and facilitating the development of management strategies in fireaffected coastal ecosystems. |
