Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2022 number 3

This article analyzes the structure of the economy of Russia along with its European and Asian macrozones by aggregates of types of economic activities (TEA). It substantiates the estimates of macrostructural consequences for the economy transitioning to an equilibrium strategy of making development priorities for TEA aggregates. We propose a scheme to prioritizing socio-economic development by the proportions of value added and people employed. Possible shifts in the value proportions of TEA aggregates during the transition to an equilibrium strategy of shaping employment have been assessed. Another objective has been to clarify the estimations of macrostructural development priorities based on indicators of regional economies' performance. The paper also examines the macrostructural priorities of using added value in the region (for investment, household incomes, and other expenses) and gives prospective assessments of macrostructural changes in the enlarged zones of the Russian Federation till 2030.

At the turn of2000-2010, all constituent entities of the Russian Federation established many regional development institutions (RDI). These are specialized organizations, aimed at increasing investment and creating a favorable regional business environment. However, the presence of a comprehensive support for their activities in terms of methodology, normative and legal regulation remains debatable. The issue, on the one hand, reduces the effectiveness of RDIs; on the other hand, this makes it difficult to develop a unified approach to assessing their contribution to the local economy. The analysis of the correlation between the investment dynamics for 2017-2020 in the Central Federal District with the number of development institutions created in Russian entities shows how multidirectional these characteristics are in the context of individual regions. Our research has been carried out based on practical data from Yaroslavl Oblast. The role and importance of RDIs for the social and economic development of territories are the reasons why we have chosen such institutions as its object. The subject of the study was the search for reserves to improve the effectiveness of RDIs in investment projects. Having analyzed the performance of development corporations, a type of institutions with the widest representation in the Russian constituent entities, and identified challenging conditions for RDIs ’ functioning, we are able to draw a conclusion about the need for significant modernization of regional institutions. Our suggestion is to conduct this toward reestablishing RDIs as a single infrastructure complex, coordinate the work of institutions, as well as to have a clearer distribution of functions performed by them. The results of the study contribute to improving the activities of RDIs and boosting their efficiency in task-solving.

Communities of living beings on our planet are striving to increase in numbers and expand the territory of their habitat. This helps to preserve them selves in the struggle for life, to survive in the process of natural selection. The above is true for human society as well. In it, increasing the population and improving the quality of life are both the goals and the critical resources for development. This article presents the results of the author’s research on the dynamics of the population of the Russian Federation and eighty-two of its administrative-territorial entities between 1990 and 2020. Another focal point is the interregional distribution of monetary incomes of citizens. The performed economic and statistical study has revealed some processes weakening the security of the Russian Federation, such as the depopulation of the country and its regions, the deepening of the territorial differentiation of the population distribution and its monetary income.

This article considers how household income, consumer demand, and savings form amid a crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and fall in prices for exports commodities. We analyze household income, consumer demand, and savings in the context of decile region groups, shaped according to the average income per capita and taking into account interregional price differentiation. We also assess the impact of social support measures as a factor of income stabilization. The article examines the way dynamics and structure of consumer spending depend on household income. Consumer spending is shown to decline even in the regions with an uprise in incomes. As parts of the consumer spending structure, the share of spending on goods increased while that on services decreased in every region. We remark a widespread growth in population savings: in rich regions, it mainly took a form of bank deposits, whereas regions with low incomes had cash money accumulated by the population. Household spending on real estate, including through home loans, went up. Despite fewer loans issued to the population in 2020, the credit burden on incomes grew. The changes in the structure of household expenditures can be viewed as a movement towards the household «survival model».

Studying the accessibility of tourism and recreation is taking on new relevance with stimulating tourist and recreational activities as an indicator of socio-economic development in Russian regions, on the one hand, and of the population’s needs to restore physical and emotional health, on the other. The observed inter-regional differentiation of Russian constituent entities in terms of recreation and tourism opportunities is determined by several factors. The economic one appears to be key, determining whether tourist travel is at all possible and what destinations are chosen by those living in regions. The purpose of this work is to classify regions in Russia, based on the effective demand level indicator, into typological groups by the accessibility of tourism and recreation to the population. We distinguish a total of five typological groups with regions differing in recreation and tourism opportunities. One-fifth of constituent entities in the Russian Federation show high or above-average potential in recreational activity and quality of destination choices. These territories can provide tourists to themselves and other regions, stimulating domestic tourism in Russia, as well as actively consume tourist services abroad. The dominant part of Russian regions (68.2%) belongs to the groups of low and below-average recreation and tourism opportunities. It puts forth the problem of domestic tourism accessibility. Further research will be aimed at identifying the accessibility of domestic tourism for the population residing in the regions from these typological groups, with due regard to price, infrastructure, and other territorial capabilities, across different types of tourism. The study applies the following methods: economic analysis, juxtaposition, comparison, generalization, induction, and deduction.

High-tech business (HTB) drives new products and markets, as well as reshapes traditional industries and ways of doing business, which is one of the key factors in long-term economic development. This article analyzes the state of high-tech business development at the regional level in conjunction with the economic complexity of regional economies. The role of HTB varies significantly in the economies of individual regions. Furthermore, regions differ by their economic complexity. Such an index is calculated based on the local export basket and reflects the availability of special production opportunities for further expansion. The aim of the article is to classify Russian regions, bearing in mind the patterns of HTB evolution and regional economic complexity, in order to then identify leading and outsider regions. The results of our analysis suggest that high-tech business is more extensive and advanced in economically more complex regions. Thus, the economic complexity of regions may be a criterion for determining strategies for their economic development, including measures to support HTB. The article proposes regional economic development policy strategies for the selected groups of regions, which take into account the existing opportunities to make economies more complex.

The article analyzes the processes of human capital reproduction in the Karelian Arctic, one of the regions in the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF). Our research aims to identify the spatial differentiation of migration factors for people residing in this region. Migration attitudes of the population serve as the most important indicator that allows us to talk about spatially determined differences amid human capital reproduction. It has been established that the Karelian Arctic, as much as the whole AZRF, is characterized by a decrease in the population due to its normal aging and low rates of natural reproduction. A few indicators reflect the transition to positive dynamics in inter- and intra-regional migration, which is most likely associated with new large city-forming enterprises recently appeared in the Karelian Arctic. The revealed differentiation of the reasons determining the population’s migration attitudes reflects certain social and economic conditions critical for the reproduction of the regional socio-economic system. In the Karelian Arctic, the most prominent among them are the state of health care and education, prevailing economic underdevelopment, and uncertain general prospects for socio-economic development of the region and its municipalities. The pole of economic development and relative social well-being - Kostomuksha municipal district - is an exception to these rules. We uncover how the Karelian Arctic’s economic space differs in terms of human capital reproduction.

The article presents a study of how scientific center’s residents perceive new science and technology (S&T) infrastructure, based on the 2006 and 2021 mass surveys conducted in Novosibirsk Akademgorodok. This research is relevant due to the issues most scientific centers faced in post-Soviet Russia and the need to transform these unique metropolitan settlements. Various projects to transform their environment are implemented with the purpose of solving the problems, among them the creation of technoparks and other new objects of S&T infrastructure. Their success largely depends on social factors, including the public perception of innovations. We consider two projects for new S&T facilities in Novosibirsk Akademgorodok: Technopark (2006) and SKIF Shared Use Center (2021). The perception of these projects by the population was assessed in terms of the following parameters: awareness of the project, attitude towards the project, and negative and positive expectations from the project implementation. As a result, we reveal how these perception parameters differentiate, as well as describe their possible conflict points and dynamics.

Modern socio-political and economic problems have increased the urgency of agricultural development through modern innovation. Such development is only possible with the availability of highly qualified personnel. However, at present, the rural economy of Russia experiences a shortage of necessary personnel, which is one of the reasons for the slow introduction of innovations and insufficiently rapid advancement of agriculture. This situation is due to the reluctance of young and skilled people to lead a working life in rural areas caused by such problems as low wages, domestic inconveniences, etc. Hence the necessity to work on solving these, preserve and grow human capital in agricultural production, thus filling the agrarian sector with labor resources in the necessary quantity and high quality and fully ensuring the food security in Russia and its regions.

The impact on labor markets of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 almost immediately became the subject of increased attention to researchers across the globe. Already in mid-2020, analytical materials emerged estimating the magnitude and consequences of pandemic shocks at both the national and subnational levels. In this paper we propose that the shocks that labor markets responded to in 2020 should include not only restrictive measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 but also shocks of independent significance to the fall of several commodity markets. The purpose of the article is to characterize the reactions of the labor markets in Russian resource-type regions to the crisis of2020. We used Rosstat data as empirical basis to present regional labor markets by months/quarters of2020 as compared with the corresponding period in 2019. This study confirms that the Russian labor market has responded with traditional adjustment mechanisms, primarily flexible working hours. Their regulation by the state, on the one hand, helped curb the decline in employment and the growth of ILO unemployment rate, while, on the other hand, registered unemployment rose. At the same time, regional labor markets reacted differently to the 2020 shocks. This was due to the different impact of various recession factors, as well as to the different impact of institutional changes in the regulation of employment. The study revealed differences in the response to the 2020 shocks in the labor markets of resource-type regions with different degrees of resource dependence.

The availability, transparency, and quality of environmental information largely determine the quality of decisions made in the environmental sector, including those related to preventing the negative impact of environmental pollution on human health. Therefore, environmental data should be mainly kept in an open information space. This article examines the current state of environmental information from the standpoint of its availability and transparency and then identifies the critical problems in providing regional studies with data on environmental protection. We analyze why and to what extent it is difficult to provide information on the state of the environment in general and applied regional studies in particular. With an assessment of current legislative provision of environmental information, it is shown that the Law No. 39-FZ adopted in March 2021, which regulates the relations on providing citizens and organizations with environmental information, did not live up to expectations and, according to experts, will not lead to a noticeable improvement in the situation. Its weaknesses are noted and areas requiring further elaboration and refinement are highlighted.

For a model of circadian oscillator represented in the form of 6-dimensional nonlinear dynamical system, conditions of uniqueness of an equilibrium point, and conditions of existence of a periodic trajectory (cycle) are established. One client-server application is elaborated in order to fulfill numerical experiments with this model on a cloud server, and to visualize results of these experiments.

The numerical algorithm without saturation for wave equation is considered. It is supposed that Laplace's operator has the discrete, valid range, and the corresponding matrix of the discrete operator Laplace has the complete set of eigenvectors. The technique speaks the example of the one-dimensional equation, but during statement is shown that the dimension is insignificant here.

This paper is devoted to constructing quadrature formulas for singular and hypersingular integrals evaluation. For evaluating the integrals with the weights (1- t )^γ₁(1+ t )^γ₂, γ₁, γ₂ > -1, defined on [-1,1], we have constructed quadrature formulas uniformly converging on [-1,1] to the original integral with the weights (1- t )^γ₁(1+ t )^γ₂, γ₁, γ₂ ≥ -1/2, and converging to the original integral for -1< t <1 with the weights (1- t )^γ₁(1+ t )^γ₂, γ₁, γ₂ > -1. In the latter case a sequence of quadrature formulas converges to evaluating integral uniformly on [-1+δ,1-δ], where δ > 0 is arbitrarily small. We propose a method for construction and error estimate of quadrature formulas for evaluating hypersingular integrals based on transformation of quadrature formulas for evaluation of singular integrals. We also propose a method of the error estimate for quadrature formulas for singular integrals evaluation based on the approximation theory methods. The results obtained were extended to hypersigular integrals.

The goal of this work is to highlight the advantages of using NonStandard Finite Differences (NSFD) numerical schemes for the resolution of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) and Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) of which some properties of the exact solution are a-priori known, such as positivity. The main reference considered is Mickens' work [14], in which the author derives NSFD schemes for ODEs and PDEs that describe real phenomena, and therefore widely used in applications. We rigorously demonstrate that NSFD methods can have a higher order of convergence than the related classical ones, deriving also the conditions that guarantee the stability of the analyzed schemes. Furthermore, we carry out in-depth numerical tests comparing the classical methods with the NSFD ones proposed by Mickens, evaluating when the latter are decidedly advantageous.

In this paper, optimum differential schemes for the solution of the Maxwell equations with the use of the Laquerre spectral transformation are considered. Additional parameters are introduced into the differential scheme of equations for harmonics. Numerical values of these parameters are obtained by minimization of an error of differential approximation of the Helmholtz equation. The optimum values of parameters thus obtained are used when constructing differential schemes - optimum differential schemes. Two versions of optimum differential schemes are considered. It is shown that the use of optimum differential schemes leads to an increase in the accuracy of the solution of the equations. A simple modification of the differential scheme gives an increase in the efficiency of the algorithm.

This paper deals with Monte Carlo simulation of optical phenomena which appear in the lidar sensing of atmospheric clouds and water media. By numerical experiments we study peculiarities of the laser pulse propagation when the light forms expanding ring structures at the expense of multiple scattering.

In this manuscript, a new exponentially fitted operator strategy for solving a singularly perturbed parabolic partial differential equation with a right boundary layer is considered. We discretize the time variable using the implicit Euler approach and approximate the equation into first order delay differential equation with a small deviating argument using a Taylor series expansion. The two-point Gaussian quadrature formula and linear interpolation are implemented to obtain a tridiagonal system of equations. The tridiagonal system of equations is solved using the Thomas algorithm. Three numerical examples are considered to illustrate the efficiency of the present method and compared with the methods produced by different authors. Convergence of the method is analyzed. The absolute maximum error and rate of convergence are obtained for the model examples. The result shows that the present method is more accurate and ε-uniformly convergent for all ε ≤ h.

In this paper, we, first, using the reduction method in the narrow sense (the simple reduction method), have generalized the classical Gauss-Jordan method for solving finite systems of linear algebraic equations to inhomogeneous infinite systems. The generalization is based on a new theory of solutions to inhomogeneous infinite systems, proposed by us, which gives an exact analytical solution in the form of a series. Second, we have shown that the application of reduction in the narrow sense in the case of homogeneous systems gives only a trivial solution, therefore, in order to generalize the Gauss-Jordan method for solving infinite homogeneous systems, we used the reduction method in the wide sense. A numerical comparison is given that shows acceptable accuracy.

Detonation waves in gaseous two-fuel systems CH₄/H₂/O₂ and heterogeneous three-fuel systems CH₄/H₂/O₂/coal suspension are experimentally studied. The experiments are performed with coal particle sizes 0 < d ≤ 200 μm and mean-volume densities of 160 ÷ 400 g/m³. The velocities along the tube and the pressure profiles in incident detonation and reflected waves are measured. The influence of the fuel components on the wave parameters is analyzed. The experimental detonation parameters are compared with the predicted thermodynamic equilibrium detonation parameters.

The results of a comprehensive assessment of the characteristics of combustion of fuels based on coal sludge with the addition of (5 % wt.) waste turbine oil and wood biomass using the method of multivariate (multicriteria) analysis are presented. The results of experimental studies of the processes of ignition and combustion of fuels, data on the calorific value, ash content, cost, composition of flue gases were used. The mixtures were burned in the form of tablets, layers and drops of an aqueous suspension. A positive effect of the use of additives on the indicators of energy, environmental and complex efficiency of coal sludge combustion was noted. The group of fuels burned in the form of pellets is characterized by the minimum indicators of energy, environmental and complex efficiency. The greatest environmental potential was found in fuels burned in the form of droplets of aqueous suspensions. The results of the study confirm the prospects for energy utilization of a wide range of wastes of coal, oil and vegetable origin as part of mixed fuels.

This paper presents the results of computational and experimental studies of the spark plasma gasification of technogenic carbon-containing wastes in order to obtain high-calorific-value syngas (H₂ + CO) for power generating devices. The composition of the syngas obtained in the process of gasification of organic waste was experimentally determined. The change in the composition and calorific value of the syngas was studied depending on the time of gasification of organic materials. The change in the calorific value of the syngas during waste gasification is shown.

Technological approaches to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in energy production are considered. Three levels of carbon dioxide generation by fuel power plants are identified. Fuel power plants were analyzed in terms of the most sensitive parameters in carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies: pressure, purity, and the amount of generated carbon dioxide. Ranging the carbon dioxide outlet parameters makes it possible to divide power plants into three groups: A, B, and C. Using the screening analysis method developed within a life cycle analysis system, the integral characteristics of the main technologies for utilization CO₂ emissions from energy production are considered depending on the level of technological maturity and market attractiveness. The groups of geological recycling, mineralization, carbonization, and bioutilization that are promising for the Russian industrial and energy complex are identified.

We examine the basic prerequisites for the formation of green development and green economy embedded in the documents of the Club of Rome in the 1970s as well as in a number of publications of Russian and foreign authors. The various aspects of the green economy and green development identified by them, including geographical, economic, social, and environmental ones and their interconnections, are given. Green development is considered as such an economic development or development of a certain territory, in which the technogenic and anthropogenic impacts on the environment are minimized, and the biodiversity of its landscapes and, in general, its green vegetation is preserved. It is suggested that green development should be treated as the first stages in achieving the sustainable development. In order to implement certain incentives and governance, it is proposed to identify territories for green development. It is thought that one of their most important components is the existence of specially protected natural areas and their combinations, such as nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, protected areas as well as significant areas of wildlife. A green economy should become predominant, which ensures a rise in production with a reduction in energy consumption, and an improvement of the standard of living with a reduction in resources used and in technogenic pressure on ecosystems and biodiversity. Taking into consideration these criteria as well as approaches to the natural and economic zoning on the territory of Primorskii krai, five territories (zones) were identified, which hold promise for green development. The characteristic of the natural resource potential of the selected territories and of their existing specialization is provided, and the priority types of economic activities are determined, which are compatible with green development. The establishment of a special status - “the territory of green development” - is suggested.

We examine the evolution of the nature management systems in the historical context. An analysis is made of the crisis of the existing nature management models, an aggravation of contradictions and an increase in threats and risks at the beginning of the 21^st century. The modern trends in the development of effective nature management are discussed, namely low-waste technologies, technoecopolises, agroecopolises and green clusterization. We generalize and suggest conceptual prospects in the realm of effective nature management: the concept of a New Ecological Policy, and a new “ecopolicy of containment”. We explore the possibility of introducting the culture of nature management contributing to reinforcing the necessary rules and regulations - the binding force of the system of restrictions and prohibitions for humans in nature management, with due regard for the sustainability of natural systems. Emphasis is placed on a crucial need for changes in the mass-scale consumer stereotypes, for an increase of the number of green technologies and production, the furthering of ecological education and medical-ecological tourism; the importance of reorientation of the attitudes of the population from ecological-consumer to social-spiritual values, in accordance with the “Code of the Culture of Nature Management”. We substantiate the need for the integration of the economic determinism of nature management and the ecological-economic imperative of sustainable development on the basis of the noosphere approach.

The characteristics of the basic principles for solving the problems of interstate cooperation in transboundary river basins are presented. It is shown that in order to solve problems, it is necessary to have an idea of the patterns of functioning of these complexes under different economic policies of the states engaged in water use. Based on the long-term practices of interstate interaction, it was noted that the larger is the number of states intersecting a transboundary watercourse, the more difficult is the process of implementing measures of integrated water resources management. The main factors of development and exacerbation of water use conflicts in transboundary river basins are identified. An analysis of institutional and legal formats of interaction between states - water users has been carried out. The predominance of bilateral agreements and the lack of interest in the development of universal multilateral treaties were noted. From the standpoint of structural and functional integrity, the expediency of considering transboundary river basins from the standpoint of the basin principle is substantiated. It is concluded that under conditions of significant anthropogenic fragmentation of transboundary river basins, a quasi-integral natural-social geosystem of the regional level is formed. It is noted that taking into account the complexity and inconsistency of the “transboundary river basin” category, a universal approach is needed to solving the problems of interstate interaction, which makes it possible to combine the basic principles (limnological, institutional-legal and basin principle) into a single conceptual model. Such tasks can be successfully solved through the implementation of the main provisions of a systematic approach, the application of which will make it possible to determine the individual characteristics of a transboundary basin and synthesize them into a single whole, develop integrated water resource management schemes, coordinate joint actions of water-user states and move from private solutions of problems of interstate interaction to complex problems.

It has been defined that the clear spatial differentiation in the Far East is characteristic of the manifestation of the continentality and oceanicity interaction: minimal in the central areas of the continents and oceans and maximal in the transboundary ones. It has been established that the probability of origin and development of the related anomalous processes and disasters was included in the relation of continentality and oceanicity. Many peculiarities of the dynamic of the geosystems and anomalous processes were clarified. So, for example, the number and intensity of anomalous processes increase: the frequency of storms and storm surges grows up as well as the washway of the sea shores and submarine nearshore slope etc. intensifies. As a result, the strip of active interpenetation of the continentality and oceanicity emphasized currently by mottled alternation of the “strange” by origin forms, processes and formations (in the goltsy zone of the middle altitudes - formation of rock glaciers and cryogenic sorting of grounds and ice blisters and more in the valleys of mountain rivers) becomes displaced to the east, to the coastal zone. The repetition frequency of the extreme processes and their effect on the geosystems in the continental margin of the Russian Far East increase in recent decades. It has been established that the use of continentality and oceanicity characteristics allows us to determine the ecological risks and has the high potential of application in the solving of the urgent problems. It has been stated that the selection of the sustainable nature management strategy in the areas under consideration should make allowance for the existing risks and environmental restrains determined by them.

It has been established that the main factor hindering the development of agricultural production in Russia is soil degradation of agricultural landscapes, including chernozems - the country’s most important natural resource. It is concluded that the chief reason behind the deterioration of the genetic properties of soils is a long period of their extensive use. The changes in the political and economic systems of the country that took place at the turn of the 20^th and 21^st centuries also affected agriculture. A course was taken for the transition to intensive farming, for achieving maximum possible crop yields in small areas with high quality soils. To work out the methods of intensive farming within the chernozem belt of the Ural, it became necessary to preliminarily rehabilitate soil properties. In this regard, the study of the processes of restoration of the properties of degraded chernozems was the goal of this study. As a method of restoring soil properties, a largely forgotten agricultural method was used, which is a long-term fallow. The restoration of the main properties of chernozem was carried out simultaneously with the recovery of the species composition of vegetation and included three stages: the stage of “young” fallow (5 years from the time of withdrawal from arable land), “middle-aged”, or 12 years of stay in the fallow, and “old-age”, after a 25-year period of restoration of soil properties. At the end of each stage, the species composition of phytocenoses was studied and the chemical, biological and physical properties of chernozems were determined. It has been established that at the end of the period of stay of soils in the state of fallow, they almost completely restore their genetic properties, including those that ensure their fertility. Thus this agricultural method does not require capital expenditures for its implementation and allows the relevant goal to be achieved.

This paper presents results from determining the soluble and total forms of metals in natural environments of the Bazaikha river basin in the Krasnoyarsk agglomeration. It was found that the copper, aluminum and zinc concentrations in snow water filtrate exceeded the ecological standards for fishery waters. According to the increase in the proportion versus the background, the water-soluble forms of heavy metals in snow cover were arranged in the following series: Mn (1.14 mg/kg) < Cu (1.79) < Ni (2.38) < Al (3.25) < Fe (4.20) < Zn (4.46) < Sr (5.71 mg/kg). The content of mineral fraction in solid precipitate suggests a predominance of zinc-nickel-strontium aerotechnogenic pollution of snow cover as compared with the background. According to the increase in the mean concentration of metals, the mineral form of elements in solid precipitate were arranged in the following series: Cu (20.1 mg/kg) < Ni (46.8) < Sr (277.6) < Zn (386.6) < Mn (752.5) < Al (7457.7) < Fe (14 881.7 mg/kg). It was established that the concentration of copper and aluminum in the surface waters of the Bazaikha river exceeds ecological standards for fishery waters. In the order of increasing the mean content of water-soluble forms of metals in the surface waters of the river, the following sequence is obtained: Mn (0.001 mg/dm3) = Cu (0.001) < Sr (0.085) < Al (0.090) < Fe (0.091 mg/dm3), while in the order of increasing the mean concentrations of suspended forms of metals the sequence is arranged thus: Cu (0.002 mg/dm3) < < Mn (0.010) < Sr (0.132) < Fe (0.483) < Al (0.608 mg/dm3). It is concluded that most of the elements are transported by the river in the suspended runoff, which is characteristic for manganese, aluminum and iron. Almost 50 % of strontium and copper compounds in such redox conditions migrate in the water-soluble form. Geochemical coefficients as calculated from results of analyzing the collected samples show that in conditions of the Bazaikha rivershed there is a low degree of involvement of the metal masses under investigation in water migration processes.

Results from studying the flow of major ions in the water of the Amur river near Khabarovsk for the maximum water discharge in 2013 are presented. The effect of the regulated Zeya and Bureya rivers on the hydrological and hydrochemical regime of the Middle Amur is considered. An uneven distribution of the sum of ions across the width of the river was noted, with the greatest differences observed during the winter low-water period and the leas differences occurred during the spring high-water period. It was found that at the crest of the historical flood the differences in the distribution of the sum of ions across the width of the Amur did not exceed 26 mg/L, and the maximum value in the middle of the river (up to 82.8 mg/L) was higher than during the 1998, 2002, 2009 and 2019 floods. The yearly largest sum of ions (132 mg/L) was recorded as a result of the removal of dissolved matter from the flooded farmland and urbanized areas in December at the beginning of freeze-up. The priority influence of the Sungari river on the temporal and spatial variability in ion concentrations in the water of the Amur river is shown. An estimate was made of the ionic flow during the winter low-water period, spring flooding and historical flooding, the decline of which in September was accompanied by the greatest removal of salts (6644 thousand tons). Hydrocarbonate and sulfate ions, the calcium ion and, to a lesser extent, the potassium ion and chloride ion made the main contribution to the formation of the ionic flow. The maximum share of the ionic flow of anthropogenic genesis (sulfates and chlorides) is observed in May during spring flood, when snowmelt dominate in the Amur water runoff as well as of the hydrocarbonate ion and sodium ion in December, when salts are exported from moisture-saturated soils.

A combined analysis is made of the structure of the St. Petersburg mud volcano and the lake bottom surface surrounding it by using bathymetric, seismoacoustic, backscatter and water column data. A high-precision digital elevation model with a horizontal resolution of up to 10 meters was developed for the bottom surface in the area of the volcano. By analyzing the resulting model, it was possible to update the morphometric parameters of the underwater structure under consideration and prepare its detailed morphological description. It was found that the volcanic edifice consists of several ridge-like parts located on the wings of the Gidratnyi Fault and crossing it. A canyon-shaped and curved in plan 800-m wide valley was mapped to the south-east of the fault. A graphical representation of backscatter data with separation by types of sedimentary layers was created via comparison of the intensity of the reflected signal and expected mathematical model values. Based on the results of the data analysis, it was established that the mud volcano largely consists of clay with the possible inclusion of relatively large fragments (up to 10 cm). On the bottom surface around the volcano there presumably are also large fragments; however, fine-grained fractions (sandy, clays and silts) are dominant. A three-dimensional visualization of the water column data is presented for the study area with outcrops of gas in the form of two the detected gas flares with the observed heights of 800 and 700 meters. According to a statistical sample of the values of the reflected signal amplitudes, the intensity of gas release in the flares differs by approximately 7 times. The seismoacoustic data of the chirp profiler indicate the possible presence of gas hydrates.

This paper presents the results of a large-scale soil-geobotanical profiling of phytocoenoses at the contact of different environments in the Baikal region. We obtained evidence which is responsible for the spatial stratigraphy and trends in the formation of vegetation at the regional level of its organization. We identified the pattern of alternation of forest and steppe cenoses in conditions of extrazonality of steppes in the central part of the western shores of Lake Baikal (Priolkhonie) and in the middle part of the bottom of Barguzin depression. It was established that there are no clear floristic and cenotic links of vegetation with edaphic conditions where both steppe and forest communities occur on the same soils. Forestation of territories occupied by steppe cenoses is observed everywhere. Vegetation forming at the contact of forest-steppe and zonal steppe (Selenga river basin) is characterized by an alternation of forest and steppe cenoses according to topographic features with a clearly pronounced link with the types of soils characteristic for the zones at the contact between forest-steppe and zonal steppe. Forestation of steppe territories occurs within a zonal forest-steppe, and tree species encroach on the zonal steppe with the spatial expansion of the interzonal ecotone. In conditions of altitudinal zonality (surroundings of Davan Pass, Baikal Ridge), there occurs a gradual transition from one altitudinal zone to another - forest to subgoletz, and subgoletz to mountain tundra - due to invasion of tree species into the cenoses at the contact of the zones (interaltitudinal-zonal ecotones). Cenoses form on the same soil. Such investigation can serve as the methodological basis for indication of vegetation development in the Baikal region as a whole.

This article provides the description and maping of landscape complexes in Davsha Bay (Barguzin nature reserve) and an assessment of their disturbance caused by anthropogenic and pyrogenic factors. The landscape map chart of the territory was obtained by using Landsat images and an automatic classification by the method of maximum likelihood as well as the method of factoral-dynamic classification. As a result, we singled out four classes and ten groups of facies pertaining to the mountain-taiga Baikal-Dzhugdzhur and southern-Siberian classes of geoms. On southern and southwestern slopes of the second Baikal terrace there occur mixed forests of common pine, drooping birch, Siberian stone pine and larch on podzol soils. The western slopes and the first Baikal planation terrace are covered by low-quality larch forests characteristic for the pseudo-subgoletz subbelt as well as by Siberian stone pine-larch forests on poor sod-podzol soils. In conditions of sufficient humidity and well-drained soils on the steep north-western slopes and in the flat-interfluve portion of the ridges of capes there occurs a true dark-coniferous taiga of Siberian stone pine with the inclusion of Siberian fir and a mature shrub layer on burozem soils. The overwash zone is occupied by psammosteppes with the inclusion of plant species registered in the Red Data Book. In the surroundings of the village of Davsha, the 1961 and 2015 crown and ground fires damaged, to a different extent, pine and Siberian stone pine-larch forests in the northern part of the bay. Numerical scores of landscapes, the construction of the matrix and identification of the zones of possibilities and limitations of infrastructuring the various classes of trains showed the transport and engineering advantages of the creation of ecotrails of class 2 (hiking) and 3 (walking). With an increase in the flow of visitors within the village of Davsha, it is suggested that the class of trails should be increased from 3 (walking) to 4 (excursion) in order to decrease the anthropogenic impact.

Results from studying 13 lithological cores from the Kaliningrad Bay of the Baltic Sea are presented. In the cores, the textural features, the grain-size distribution of sediments, the natural moisture, the content of organic matter and vivianite mineral were determined. The study revealed a pattern characteristic of all cores concerning changes in the grain-size distribution of sediments in the depth of their occurrence: in the upper part (to a depth of 32-65 cm), there occur sandy (0.25-0.063 mm) sediments underlain by homogeneous, organic-rich silts (less than 0.063 mm) of olive shades. Changes in the other parameters were also observed in approximately the same layers. Thus, the organic matter content in the upper (0-65 cm) layer averages 6 %, and in the deeper silty sediments, 29 %. Moisture values in the upper layer vary from 45 to 90 %, in the lower - from 90 to 185 %. Formations of the vivianite mineral occur exclusively in the lower layers of sediments. Based on the identified changes in the sedimentary layer, two lithostratigraphic divisions are distinguished: the lower (I) and upper (II) members corresponding to different stages of sedimentation. The lower member formed during the period of predominance of the river flow and is composed of plastic, olive-colored silts identified as “sapropel formations”. They are classified as a mineralized type of sapropel with an ash content of 70 to 87 %. The thickness of the sapropel layer averages about 1 m. Sapropel formations were identified in all columns, which suggests that they have a large distribution in the sedimentary layer.

This article analyzes the modern agro-climatic potential of the Karachai-Cherkess Republic for the period from 1961 to 2020. It was found that the climate changes observed over 60 years within the flat temperate semi-humid and semi-arid landscapes contribute to an increase in agricultural productivity by improving the conditions of heat and moisture supply: the annual air temperature increased by 0.7 °C, the duration of the calendar period with an average daily air temperature exceeding 5 °C increased by 19 days, the sum of active temperatures increased by 7 %, and precipitation increased by 10 %. Accordingly, this suggests an improvement of the conditions for the growth and development of agricultural crops. Mountain landscapes with absolute altitudes of up to 2000 m show a rise of annual air temperature by 0.6-0.7 °C and of the precipitation amount by 5-11 %; as a result, an increase of the hydrothermal coefficient and humidity factor occurs. Noteworthy also is a tendency toward the softening of winters as well as an increase in average July temperature. Thus the mountain landscapes with absolute altitudes of up to 2000 m are facing favorable conditions for the growth and development of agricultural crops. In mountain landscapes with absolute altitudes (heights) over 2000 m, an increase in annual temperature by 0.4-0.7 °C is noted. A tendency toward milder winters and an increase in average July temperature in these landscapes are also observed; however, these landscapes show a deterioration in the conditions of moisture supply due to a decrease in precipitation and moisture indicators, such as the hydrothermal coefficient and the humidity factor; accordingly, there is taking place a deterioration of agro-climatic conditions.

An analysis is made of the development potential of various types of alternative energy in the steppe zone of Russia, one of the most promising territories in this regard. It is established that solar, wind and bioenergy and, in some cases, their exploitation are more profitable commercially as compared to the use of traditional energy sources. It is found that at the present time in the steppe zone of Russia (without steppes of Eastern Siberia), the share of alternative energy sources is becoming increasingly more significant. Its growth rate increases simultaneously with the interest of the regions in switching to environmentally adaptive energy supply systems. However, the industry is developing very unevenly and depends not only on natural factors, but also on economic and economic factors. The leading regions (Orenburg oblast and Krasnodar krai) and lagging regions (Voronezh, Novosibirsk and Chelyabinsk oblasts in which alternative energy and plans for its development are absent) were identified by analyzing the current state of the sector according to the level of development of alternative energy. The study also addresses the issues of further development of the industry and provides a forecast for each region. As a result, it was established that Krasnodar krai, Orenburg oblast and the Republic of Kalmykia will have a higher level of alternative energy development than the other regions of the Russian steppe zone. The results obtained are of practical interest for planning the development of alternative energy, substantiating investment policy, improving infrastructure development of the territory, and using natural resources in the regions of the Russian steppe zone.

For the first time, we provide a generalized description of the modern geomorphological structure - the landscapes of the Amut depression as one of the elements of the rift system of Northeastern Cisbaikalia. The main features in the relief formation of the depression are outlined, and the principal factors are determined. The study revealed a predominance of fluvial, lacustrine and cryogenic processes in the modern morphogenesis of the depression. Emphasis is placed on the study of the lakes. Modern methods of bathymetric surveys were used to determine the main parameters of the depressions of the major lakes in the depression: Amut, Malan-Zurkhen, Balan-Tamur and Churikto. It is established that ancient glaciers and tectonic movements were involved in the formation and configuration of the lake depressions. The current configuration of the coastal zone depends on the geological structure in which a special role is played by thermoabrasion and thermodenudation. Due to the fact that the study territory lies within the Dzherginskii State Nature Reserve with its principal mission to preserve natural systems, landscape investigations were carried out. A medium-scale map of the depression was compiled; it is based on Academician V.B. Sochava’s concept of geosystems with the use of classical methods of studying vegetation cover complemented with images taken by an unmanned flying vehicle, and with Earth remote sensing data. The salient features of the current status of the landscapes in the study area are highlighted. The main role in the structure of the landscapes is played by mountain-taiga and mountain-depression larch geosystems with mature moss-lichen cover. At higher hypsometric levels the area increases, which is occupied by subshrub-lichen sparse larch communities.

A geobotanical, soil and biostratigraphic study of the small islands of the Eugenie Archipelago was carried out. An assessment of the current state of their ecosystems has been made. The main factors determining the composition, structure, diversity and dynamics of soil and vegetation cover in the Holocene were multidirectional climatic fluctuations associated with variations in insolation which led to a restructuring of the atmospheric circulation and sea waters, and to sea level fluctuations. It is found that in warm epochs, forest cover increased, and broad-leaved forests with a rich diversity of species were dominant, whereas in cold phases tree vegetation became more sparse, with birch and alder predominating in its composition, and the share of broad-leaved species was greatly reduced. The anthropogenic impact was manifested in the appearance of weeds, the passage of fires, and the development of erosion and turbidity of the soil cover. The modern vegetation cover of the studied small islands of the Eugenie Archipelago consists of anthropogenically altered low-growing broad-leaved shrub-forb forests with lianas, shrub-subshrub phytocenoses, halophytic vegetation of beaches and petrophytic vegetation of coastal rocks. The soil cover is represented by zonal soils: brown soils, mainly with a thin and strongly skeletal profile. It was found that the main differences between the vegetation cover of the small islands of the archipelago and that of the large ones are: the dominance of grass and shrub vegetation, in particular, thickets of Gmelin wormwood and low forests due to the constant influence of winds. At the same time, conditions are created for the active development of humus formation and illuvial-humus processes, which ensures the formation of a deeply humified soil profile. The small area of the islands and the flattened relief determine more seaward conditions, which is reflected in the composition of plant communities, in the distribution of halophytic groups in the overwash zone, shrub-subshrub communities with shrub linden in the windward areas. A protected species of Japanese yew occurs only singly on the less accessible of the Pakhtusov Islands. Due to a significant share of forest vegetation, the lichen cover is dominated by epiphytic lichens; there occur epilithic species typical for open ecotopes on rocky outcrops, and halophytic species in the overwash zone.

Results from studying socio-demographic security of the regions of the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts are presented. It is shown that most of the subjects forming part of the regions, according to the integral indicator, are steadily located at the level of tension. Two regions: the Republic of Tyva and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast - during the study period (2000-2019) belonged to the zone with a crisis level. Among the main threats affecting the decrease in the security indicator are low life expectancy, low birth rate, population migration, low per capita incomes of the population, and high crime. It was found that, according to separate indicators, among the regions of the Siberian and Far Eastern Districts, there is some differentiation that changes over time. According to the life expectancy indicator in 2019, a crisis level of security was recorded in 19 out of 21 subjects, slightly higher than a critical indicator of Tomsk oblast and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). A stably crisis level of security of the regions in terms of the birth rate was observed in Altai, Kamchatka, Primorskii and Khabarovsk krais and in Kemerovo, Amur and Magadan oblasts. According to this indicator, the Republic of Tyva is in the zone with the level of well-being. In terms of the indicator of personal security, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Amur and Magadan oblasts and the Republic of Tyva are in the crisis zone, where as the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and Omsk oblast are in the zone of stability. It is determined that one of the chief reasons for migration from the eastern regions is a significant differentiation of the per capita incomes; therefore, Republic of Tuva, Altai, the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Region and the Zabaikalskii krai have long occupied the leading positions according to this indicator.

An analysis of the HBV hydrological model parameters values and a comparison of the modelling efficiency have been made for small experimental mountain catchments located in the upper reaches of the Ussuri river (Primorskii krai, Russia). For each catchment the model was calibrated for individual years and, after that, for the entire observing period. The sets of parameters obtained were used in calculations based on independent data for periods not included in the interval of parameters optimization. A calibration of the model showed that an optimal set of the parameters values for one year can differ greatly from the parameters for another year within a single catchment. Appropriate values of the modeling efficiency for the entire observations period are provided with using sets of parameters calibrated for seasons with high floods caused by heavy rainfall. The periods of low and medium water flow are characterized by relatively high errors in calculating the water runoff, which decreases the overall efficiency and reliability of results in modeling the entire period of data availability. It is shown that for the simulation of a high runoff by the HBV model, it is sufficient to have two or three years of instrumental observations including measurements of one or two significant flood events. A formal transfer of model parameters from one small catchment to nearby similar objects is only possible for assessments of rainfall floods characteristics. In other cases, such an approach leads to an inappropriate structure of the model water balance components and causes errors in runoff calculations.