Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2025 number S6

Based on the geographical approach and concept of cross-border geosystems integrating heterogeneous spatial data, the role of thematic cartography in the formation of a single transboundary geographic information space of the South Far East and Northeast China is considered. The methodology of creation and integration of digital thematic layers was demonstrated, including maps of modern land use and its dynamics (2000 - 2024) and a map of geoecological tensions in the research area. It used GIS technology (ArcGIS), remote sensing data (Landsat), open global data sets (Global Forest Change, Global Surface Water, LandScan Population Database, OpenStreetMap, VIIRS Nighttime Lights), national statistics of the Russian Federation and PRC. The key results show that over the study period, 12 % of the area experienced land-use changes, the most significant of which were deforestation and reforestation, and agricultural land expansion. Significant differences were identified between the Russian and Chinese parts of the geosystems: in the Chinese territory there is a higher proportion of land with medium and high geoecological stress, which is related to intensive agricultural use and high population density. It is shown that the thematic maps created during the study not only visualize spatial data, but also become an analytical basis for monitoring, forecasting and management decisions in the field of sustainable development of border areas. The work confirms that thematic mapping within the framework of the creation of a transboundary geoinformation space allows to overcome methodological fragmentation of approaches, heterogeneity and fragmentation of data, ensuring consistent analysis on both sides of the border.

By synthesizing and interpreting the data collected over many decades by a large number of teams from the Melnikov Permafrost Institute, a mapping methodology was developed and a geocryological map was compiled for the entire territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) at a scale of 1:1 500 000. The geocryological map is of great scientific and practical significance for several reasons. It covers a vast territory of Yakutia where permafrost underlies over 90 % of the land resulting in particularly severe environmental conditions, incomparable to any other region of Russia. For areas with no or little previous research, the map is the only tool for preliminary assessment of geocryological conditions, as well as for formulation of research tasks for development projects. The detailed geocryological map also provides a useful basis for environmental assessment and monitoring, geocryological prediction, and resource management. The new geocryological map of Yakutia is a comprehensive summary of current knowledge on the differentiation of geological and permafrost characteristics which are depicted as separate layers (ground ice content, permafrost temperature, active layer thickness, geocryological processes). The map legend shows 18 lithology classes, 11 mean annual ground temperature/active layer thickness ratios and 4 ice-content classes, as well as typical geocryological processes.

The article considers methodological issues and results of mapping complex physical and geographical studies of the south of Central Siberia at a scale of 1:1 000 000. Physical and geographical studies include a set of cartographic methods of study (landscape, physical and geographical, modern agricultural land use, agro-landscape and assessment of agro-natural potential). To display the research results, a methodology based on the synthesis of methods for mapping natural geosystems and agro-landscapes was used. The methodological basis was the principles of the doctrine of geosystems by V.B. Sochava. Landscape mapping was based on the principles of constructing a hierarchical structure of geomers. Based on the synthesis of the contour grid of the typological map of geosystems, a scheme of physical and geographical zoning of the study area was developed. As a result of landscape mapping and physical and geographical zoning, agro-landscape studies were carried out. Their methodology was compiled in accordance with the specifics of the work aimed at studying agro-landscapes and analyzing agro-natural potential. The initial stage of agro-landscape research was an assessment of the current state, nature and level of use of land resources, where, along with natural geosystems, agro-landscapes are reflected. The final stage, based on previous maps, was an assessment and mapping of the agro-natural potential of geosystems, with an exit to the development of recommendations and justification of ways to optimize the use of the agro-natural potential of the south of Central Siberia.

The article notes that one of the serious environmental problems in the south of Siberia is associated with the widespread processes of soil erosion, causing a decrease in soil fertility and a reduction in the area of arable land. Its solution is possible through the introduction of zonal systems of anti-erosion agriculture based on the knowledge of the mechanisms of erosion processes, their intensity and territorial distribution. The source of such information is soil erosion maps. They assess the scale of the modern development of soil erosion and deflation processes, provide quantitative information on the average annual losses from erosion (t/ha per year). The basic foundation of modern mapping of erosion-hazardous lands are quantitative models of erosion processes. The possibility of using models for the territory under consideration has been verified by data from field experimental studies, which have shown a high correlation coefficient of measured and calculated values. The authors have compiled maps of the distribution of zones with different intensities of rain and melt washout, gully erosion and soil deflation in the main agricultural enclaves of Eastern Siberia. The maps serve as a basis for choosing a land use policy. They can be used to assess the sustainability of landscapes and to solve various environmental problems. Currently, the role of agricultural erosion is increasing as a factor in the redistribution of matter on the earth’s surface and the main supplier of sediments and chemical elements to rivers and reservoirs. Therefore, ecological-erosion maps are supplemented by mapping of litho-catchment basins. Such work is carried out by the V.B. Sochava Institute of Geography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and they have a great future.

Socio-economic and natural processes and phenomena, such as the existing land use and resource management system, existing biological diversity, dynamic natural processes, interaction of various socio-economic factors, investment efficiency and the current environmental situation stimulate the emergence of various economic activities, influence the functional distribution of land and in the future on regional economic and environmental policy formation. These features, taking into account the identified factors, are considered on the basis of an integrated (quantitative and qualitative) assessment of their relationship with the subsequent identification of socio-economic situations, calculation of investment performance indicators and mapping of regional and intraregional differences. The task of sharing, generating and cartographic interpretation of regional socio-economic statistics and data with spatial distribution not related to administrative boundaries is addressed. The Baikal region has been chosen as the model territory. Methods of geoinformation modelling, mathematical and comparative analysis of geographical and statistical spatial and temporal data and interpretation mapping are used. Areas with different types of environmental land use policies (legal environmental, natural and resource factors of environmental policy) are identified, which are then compared with the identified regional socio-economic features of the territory development, shown in the example of investment efficiency. As a result, a map-scheme of development of the regional environmental policy of land use in the Baikal region has been drawn up, which is part of the future atlas of Asian Russia.

An assessment of the spatiotemporal dynamics of air temperature over the territory of the Tyva Republic was carried out for a 64-year period (1961-2024). The data used were ERA5 reanalysis data with a spatial resolution of 0,25×0,25°. The maximum temperature increase rate of 1 °C per 10 years was observed in autumn (September-October). The highest warming intensity of 0,6 °C per 10 years was recorded at elevations of 500-1000 m a. s. l. At elevations of 2200 m and higher, the maximum winter temperature anomaly of 1.28 °C was recorded on northeastern slopes in the Verkhne-Khemchiksky District. Maps of winter and summer temperatures across forest-growing (natural) districts, considering elevation levels, were created using Google Earth Engine.

In Russia, the basis for implementing water management measures are the Schemes of Integrated Use and Protection of Water Bodies (SIUPW), involving the systematized materials on the state of water bodies and their use within the boundaries of river basins. In the framework of SIUPW, a set of situation, evaluation, executive and forecasting maps (scales: 1:1 000 000-1:100 000), generally complying with the methodology of the Atlas of Asian Russia, is developed. In 2025, the series of SIUPW evaluation maps for the Ob, Irtysh, Yenisei, Angara, Khatanga, Pyasina and Nizhnyaya Taimyr river basins was updated via using the integrated methodology. Based on cartographic analysis, these maps allow to identify the areas with specific water use problems and determine the causes of their origin and severity, and, as a result, to develop a prioritized list of address water management and water protection measures.

The article is of a scientific and methodological nature. It outlines the currently applied principles for mapping the thermal regime characteristics of rivers. The paper enumerates and analyzes the problems associated with the data from stationary monitoring used in mapping, proposes solutions to address these issues, and suggests methods for identifying the most up-to-date data under current climatic conditions. Additionally, it examines visualization techniques for thermal regime characteristics, existing challenges in drawing isolines and delineating thermally homogeneous zones, and offers various methods to improve the accuracy of such mapping. The discussion separately covers techniques for verifying the reliability of the resulting cartographic materials. As an example of the successful implementation of the authors’ proposed ideas - based on experience in constructing river thermal regime maps - new maps of mean monthly water temperatures and heat flux modulus are presented. These maps can serve as tools for estimating mean monthly water temperatures and assessing heat flux in hydrologically unstudied rivers.

Water management mapping, as an independent direction in cartography, is being currently developed. The analysis of the related cartographic materials demonstrates a variety of the displayed information, its demand and relevance. Modern technical and technological means ensure the productive and high-quality implementation of geoinformation and cartographic modeling at different hierarchical levels (macroregional, regional and subregional) of water management organization when solving fundamental scientific and scientific-practical problems. In the article, the peculiarities of calculating and mapping the estimates of potential and actual water availability, anthropogenic load and inventory of water pollution sources are considered by the examples of macroregional and regional levels, i.e. the Ob-Irtysh basin and Kuzbass of the Kemerovo Region. Brief descriptions of building the cartographic models and structuring the thematic databases and initial information, as well as rating categories for decision-makers are presented.

This paper examines a methodology for creating a map of average water suspended sediment concentration (SSC) using rivers in the Lena River basin as an example. This method combines actual observation data from gauges, their spatial interpolation, and multivariate relationships with 69 catchment areas. The paper presents the results of a detailed analysis of the initial sediment runoff data, their consistency with long-term fluctuations in river water content, their reliability and completeness, anthropogenic disturbances in the homogeneity of the series, and other factors that affect the reliability of mapping, as well as the choice of the averaging period. In total, the Lena River basin has 96 stations with sediment runoff data for at least one year. Average water SSC characteristics are presented (on a traditional map) as point data in nine gradations. The modeled water SSC map is based on statistical relationships between average water SSC at 53 stations for the period 1978-2021 and 69 factors of its formation, assessed for their catchments in a GIS environment. Generalized for 697 small and medium-sized river catchments and based on six areal gradations of water SSC, the map represents a qualitatively new approach to water SSC mapping in terms of spatial detail. The maps reveal the main spatial patterns of average water SSC distribution and its key factors in the Lena River basin (mountainous areas and mining activities) and characterize the decrease in river SSC compared to maps from the second half of the 20th century.

The toponyms of the Lena River basin, represented by hydronyms and oikonyms, are considered. To conduct an analysis of the classification of toponyms, geographical toponymic dictionaries, special regional studies, popular science, reference, encyclopedic and educational literature, materials from the periodical press and the media were used. A database of geographical names of significant tributaries, large lakes and settlements was compiled based on the sources used. The analysis of the information entered the database was carried out according to the classification of toponyms. The following semantic classification was used for the etymology of the identified toponyms (names reflecting natural conditions and processes; anthropotoponyms; production toponyms; trade and transport; toponyms indicating types of settlements; ethnotoponyms; memorial toponyms; religious and cult toponyms, etc.). The language classification reflects the settlement of peoples along the Lena River basin, where Tungus (Evenki and Even) toponyms are more common in the upper and lower reaches of the river, Yakut names are present in the Middle Lena, Russian names are mainly in the territories of the Zabaikalski Krai, Irkutsk Oblast and Amur Oblast. Classification by objects of toponymic nomination showed the prevalence of hydronyms (limnonyms and potamonims). A series of thematic maps was compiled, displaying the spatial distribution of toponyms of the Lena River basin, toponymic information. The sources for compiling the maps were publicly available topographic maps of scale 1:100 000, 1:200 000. The created GIS database and toponymic maps made it possible to systematize different types of toponyms identified in the territory of the Lena River basin to visualize their spatial distribution.

Process-based estimates of the hydrological consequences of the natural and anthropogenic components of climate change in the Selenga River basin were obtained based on the ECOMAG hydrological model and data from the CMIP6 ensemble of Earth system models. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of anthropogenic climate change on the river runoff formation of during the long low-water period of 1996-2017 and to provide forecast estimates for the near future of the 21st century. For this purpose, calculations were carried out using a physically-based model of runoff formation, previously verified against observational data, using two implementations of Earth system models: considering only the natural oscillations of the climate system and external impacts of natural origin, and considering the impact of anthropogenic activity, expressed in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, including according to SSP scenarios for the future period. Warming in the summer period of 1996-2017 led to an increase in total evaporation, which, together with a decrease in the amount of precipitation and an increase in runoff losses due to infiltration, led to a long-term low water content of the Selenga. Under natural climatic conditions, the annual runoff of the Selenga in 1996-2017 should have been 28 % greater, including the spring flood runoff by 10 % and the summer-autumn runoff by 30 %. In the near future, on average by 2040, under scenarios SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, a decrease in the annual runoff of the Selenga by 9-25 % is likely, especially in the summer-autumn period.

The article examines the specifics of demographic processes in the Irkutsk agglomeration against the background of the regional situation. In the context of the theories of the second demographic transition and the second stage of the epidemiological transition, authors analyze the features of fertility and mortality in large and small cities and the suburbanized zone of the agglomeration. Based on the features of the age composition of fertility and mortality, the authors show the existence of three types of population reproduction in the onesomes space of the agglomeration: in a small town, large cities and suburbia. The first type was formed during the period of mass Soviet urbanization in the mid-20th century, the second - at the turn of the 21st century as part of the second demographic transition. The latter combines two oppositely processes: a decrease in mortality and an increase in life expectancy as part of the second stage of the epidemiological transition and an increase in the birth rate of migrants from the city while maintaining in general its urban age structure.

The article describes the development of an online cartographic service for the rapid assessment of the quality of the urban environment within urban agglomerations. The server being created allows users to obtain information about the quality of the urban environment at a selected point based on a customizable set of criteria. The paper describes a methodology for forming an index of the quality of the urban environment, which includes an assessment by various groups of criteria, such as climatic, social, environmental conditions, transport infrastructure, etc. For each criterion, a rating method is used, which allows forming a final index. The territory of the Irkutsk urban agglomeration was chosen as the object of the study. The work describes the stages of creating a service, including collecting and processing data, developing algorithms for calculating indices, creating a website based on a geoportal. As an example, the calculation of the index of accessibility of comprehensive schools and proximity of industrial enterprises is considered. The created system will make up for the lack of services for rapid assessment of the quality of the urban environment and will become available to a wide range of users, including professionals and ordinary citizens, will make it possible to use extensive data for assessment.

Various factors affecting the housing market in the Irkutsk urban agglomeration, both for urban areas and for peri-urban area are evaluated and systematized. The research was based on the open data of the site CIAN 2024. Evaluated the statistical relationship between housing prices and factors of density of greenery, density of social infrastructure, transport accessibility and the presence of factors of negative and positive neighborhood in suburban and urban areas. It was found that for large Siberian agglomerations center-peripheral and coastal price differentiation is characteristic. Irkutsk agglomeration is characterized by higher population growth due to suburbia and the imbalance of housing affordability in the city: the largest population growth was recorded not only in the most attractive urban areas with high housing prices, but also in areas with low, middle-price areas are growing noticeably slower. The study showed fundamental differences in the differentiation of housing prices in urban and suburban areas. It was concluded that for urban areas the most important is the density of social infrastructure and transport accessibility, the criminal environment and the least - ecology and greening. In the peri-urban area, the most important factors are the type of permitted use of land (which is primarily related to the availability of engineering infrastructure), transport accessibility, natural and environmental factors (proximity of objects of negative neighborhood).

Landscape-hydrological zoning and mapping of the Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Territory has been performed in accordance with the runoff-regulating functions of landscapes, which determine the transformation of precipitation into surface and groundwater runoff, conditions for the redistribution of runoff seasonally, reduction of peaks of floods and improvement of water quality. The runoff-regulating level of landscapes is determined by the structure of the vegetation cover, the structure of the soil-ground layer and morphological characteristics. These structural parameters determine the environmental protection and water-ecological functions of the natural complex, which are expressed in water protection, soil protection, anti-erosion, anti-avalanche and other properties of the territory. Orographic elements and types of landscapes play a leading role in the spatial landscape-hydrological differentiation of the territory. The individual landscape-hydrological characteristics of the natural complexes of the districts are substantiated by a comprehensive analysis of forest-growing and geo-morphological features, structural and typological characteristics of soils. The purpose of zoning is identify natural complexes with various landscape and hydrological functions that reflect the intensity of drainage, water-ecological potential and environmental conditions of the territory. The performed zoning of the Central Ecological Zone of the BNT is based on the analysis of cartographic, analytical and expedition materials, as well as the results of previously performed landscape-hydrological, geo-morphological and soil studies within the boundaries of the Baikal natural territory. The constructed landscape-hydrological map shows areas with different morphological, soil-vegetation and hydrological conditions. These natural conditions characterize the level of runoff regulation, the intensity of soil migration of matter, the danger of erosion and mudflow processes, and, as a result, show areas with different environmental protection and water-ecological properties.

The work is based on field landscape-geochemical and office analytical studies conducted in 2015-2024 on the coast of Lake Baikal and the adjacent territory. Samples of surface water and soil were collected at key sites, and chemical and physicochemical analyses were carried out in the field and laboratory conditions of the V.B. Sochava Institute of Geography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IG SB RAS) using standard methods. Increased contents of F^-, NH₄⁺, PO₄^3-, Pb, Ni and oil products were found in surface waters near populated areas on the coast of Lake Baikal, exceeding the MAC values. The main anthropogenic sources of environmental pollution are: construction and road enterprises, thermal power plants, boiler houses, railway and motor transport, waste dumps. The sources of surface water pollution with phosphates and ammonium are housing and communal facilities. In the soils of the coast of Lake Baikal, local high content of Mn, Pb, Ni, Co, Cr, Zn, Cu was found, exceeding the MAC near the settlements of Listvyanka, Baikalsk, Bolshoe Goloustnoe, Sarma, Kabansk, Turka, Ust-Barguzin, Severobaikalsk and Nizhneangarsk. The maximum concentrations of chemical elements in soils in relation to the background also have: Ba, Sr, V and oil products, but do not exceed sanitary and hygienic standards. High concentrations of HM in coastal soils are possibly associated not only with anthropogenic sources, but also with deposits of rare metals.

The problems of mapping the relief of deep-sea surfaces are mainly associated with the impossibility of obtaining data on the geological structure of the discovered forms, which often makes it difficult to unambiguously determine their genesis. The paper provides examples of using additional information to increase the reliability of conclusions about the relief of the bottom surface of a deep-sea basin. To clarify the genesis of the bottom forms of the Baikal Basin, published data from seismic and geophysical studies of the bottom surface, and core drilling materials were widely used. As a result of the analysis of the obtained material, the genesis of the remnants on the underwater slope of South Baikal was established, and it was found that the sharp turns of the valleys of some canyons are explained by the lithological, structural and textural features of the slope deposits.

To study the adaptive capacity of crop production under changing climatic conditions, a database of spatiotemporal characteristics of hazardous and adverse natural-climatic events during the warm season has created at the Laboratory of Geoecology and Geosystem Dynamics at the Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy, for the southern taiga of Western Siberia. The components of the database, its structural features, and its capabilities of spatial assessment and cartographic visualization of the studied phenomena which it allows are shown. Based on the analysis of meteorological data from 32 stations over the last 20-year period, a series of thematic and integrated maps illustrating the territorial and temporal patterns of hazardous and adverse natural-climatic events have been created within a GIS environment. Intra-regional patterns in the intensity, frequency, and duration of these events were identified. Statistical assessment and mapping have revealed that climate-induced risks to the local crop production system are not decreasing and that their spatiotemporal patterns are heterogeneous. The highest risks for plant growing occur during the spring season and are associated with the hazardous phenomenon of late spring frosts. During the summer, climatic hazards in the northeast of the region are associated with intensive precipitation, while in the southwestern they are caused by hot weather. It has been noted that adverse events occur more frequently than hazardous ones and, in combination, create a high risk-forming potential. A detailed analysis of the spatiotemporal characteristics of the studied phenomena and the cartographic visualization of the results enable monitoring of developing hazardous situations, risk forecasting, and the formulation of recommendations for minimizing losses in crop production.