Iskakov (2026) Data for: The Environmental Cost of Rapid Urbanization: Residential Construction and Lake Depletion in Astana, Kazakhstan

Identification

• Journal: Mendeley Data
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-14
• Authors: Serik Iskakov
• DOI: 10.17632/5hbrh7vrhn

Research Groups

Not explicitly stated in the provided text, but Serik Iskakov is listed as the contributor.

Short Summary

This study investigates whether rapid urbanization in Astana, Kazakhstan, contributed to the depletion of Bolshoy Taldykol Lake. The analysis reveals a 70% reduction in the lake's surface area between 2017 and 2024, coinciding with a residential construction boom, after controlling for climatic variables.

Objective

• To test whether rapid urbanization in Astana, Kazakhstan, specifically through groundwater extraction and land use changes associated with residential construction, contributed to the depletion of Bolshoy Taldykol Lake. The principal hypothesis is that increased construction activity correlates with decreased lake surface area, even when controlling for climatic variables.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Bolshoy Taldykol Lake and its 500 m buffer zone in Astana, Kazakhstan. Satellite imagery resolution is 30 m.
• Temporal Scale:
  • Lake surface area: Annual observations for 2015, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2024 (summer composites, June-September).
  • Residential construction: Monthly data from January 2015 to December 2024.
  • Weather data: Monthly data from March 2001 to December 2024.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) for water body detection.
• Data sources:
  • Satellite imagery: Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 (Collection 2 Level-2 surface reflectance) via Google Earth Engine.
  • Observation data: Monthly weather indicators (maximum, average, minimum temperatures, dew point, precipitation sum, snow depth sum, wind, gust wind, sea level pressure) from Weather Underground (Astana/UACC station).
  • Statistical data: Monthly residential construction data ("Total area of commissioned residential buildings" in square meters) from the Bureau of National Statistics Kazakhstan.

Main Results

• Bolshoy Taldykol Lake experienced a significant reduction in its surface area.
• The lake's surface area decreased by 70% from its 2017 peak of 0.856 square kilometers to 0.260 square kilometers in 2024.
• This observed lake depletion coincided with a period of rapid residential construction in Astana.
• The analysis suggests a correlation between increased construction activity and decreased lake surface area, after accounting for climatic variables.

Contributions

• Provides a data-driven investigation into the environmental impact of rapid urbanization on a specific lake in a transitional economy context (Astana, Kazakhstan).
• Integrates diverse datasets (satellite imagery, meteorological observations, and national construction statistics) to analyze complex human-environment interactions.
• Offers a methodology for assessing lake depletion using open-source satellite data and publicly available statistics, which can be replicated for similar studies.
• Highlights the potential role of groundwater extraction and land use changes associated with construction as drivers of lake depletion, providing insights for urban planning and water management.

Funding

• Not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Iskakov2026Data,
  author = {Iskakov, Serik},
  title = {Data for: The Environmental Cost of Rapid Urbanization: Residential Construction and Lake Depletion in Astana, Kazakhstan},
  journal = {Mendeley Data},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.17632/5hbrh7vrhn},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.17632/5hbrh7vrhn}
}