Parklands of “Dynamo” park, “Naval Fleet Officers’ House” in the city of Khabarovsk and their ecological state

On the example of the park zones of the city of Khabarovsk (“Dynamo” and “House of officers of the fleet”), a variety of transformation of the soil cover and the formation of new preferred formations were revealed. The specificity of the state of the soil environment of two parks, located in e same type of engineering-geological conditions, but different variants of anthropogenic impact, is revealed. The changes in the structure of the profiles depending on the position of the soil in the elementary landscape are considered and their biological activity is characterized. The use of bioindication methods indicates that the most comfortable park areas of the city are also susceptible to contamination with heavy metals. It is proposed to use the characteristics of the basic parameters of the soil cover as a promising approach in improving the environment. This will reveal the ecological situation of the territory and make appropriate decisions to improve its condition.

A study of Cs-137 and Sr-90 distribution in the soil and vegetation cover of elementary landscape-geochemical systems in the zone of the East Ural Radioactive Trace

<p>The first results of a detailed study of <sup>137</sup>Cs and <sup>90</sup>Sr distribution in elementary landscape-geochemical system (the top-slope-closing depression type, ELGS) are presented on the example of test sites located in the head zone of the East Ural Radioactive Trace formed during the Kyshtym accident in 1957. Field measurements were performed using modified Violinist-III field gamma-spectrometer [1] and the Kolibri spectrometric complex [2]; laboratory determination of <sup>137</sup>Сs was made by Canberra gamma-spectrometer (HPGe detector). Field measurements were carried out along cross-sections and in a grid manner with a step of 1 and 5 m accompanied by a theodolite survey and soil core sampling at the selected points. The instrumental layer-by-layer determination of <sup>90</sup>Sr activity in soil samples performed in field conditions by [2] was compared with the radiochemical measurement of the same samples in fractions of less than and more than 1 mm. The correlation between the obtained instrumental and radiochemical values for <sup>90</sup>Sr activity equaled to r = 0.962 (n = 50). Spatial distribution of both <sup>137</sup>Cs and <sup>90</sup>Sr manifested itself in an specifically organized polycentric structure. Against the absence of a pronounced tendency for unidirectional redistribution of radionuclides from the top to the bottom, there was an ordered cyclic change in the activity of both <sup>137</sup>Cs and <sup>90</sup>Sr, which in our opinion reflected the unified mechanism of redistribution of substances in ELGS, where the relief is the main controller of water migration. Measurement of <sup>90</sup>Sr activity in selected meadow plants proved an important role of species in radionuclide accumulation at the ELGS level: the maximum amount of <sup>90</sup>Sr was found in nettle (<em>Urtica dioica</em>, 86 ± 19 kBq/kg dw, n = 9), the minimum - in bluegrass (<em>Poa sp</em>., 13.8 ± 1.2 kBq/kg dw, n = 19). The revealed features of spatial structure of <sup>137</sup>Cs and <sup>90</sup>Sr are believed to mark the general tendencies of substances redistribution in ELGS, which seems important for studying soil formation, environmental monitoring and optimization of soil fertilizing.</p><p>The study was supported by the RFBR grant No. 19-05-00816.</p><p>References</p><p>1. Romanov S.L., Korobova E.M., Samsonov V.L. Experience in using the upgraded VIOLINIST-III instrument in field radioecological research //Yadernyye izmeritel'no-informatsionnyye tekhnologii. 2011, 3 (39), 56-61.</p><p>2. Potapov V.N. et al. Development of Portable Beta Spectrometer for Sr-90 Activity Measurements in Field Conditions and Its Application in Rehabilitation Activities at RRC Kurchatov Institute.WM’06 Conference, February 26 - March 2, 2006, Tucson, AZ [on line] http://www.wmsym.org/archives/2006/pdfs/6133.pdf.</p>

Multi-Objectivising Combinatorial Optimisation Problems by Means of Elementary Landscape Decompositions

In the last decade, many works in combinatorial optimisation have shown that, due to the advances in multi-objective optimisation, the algorithms from this field could be used for solving single-objective problems as well. In this sense, a number of papers have proposed multi-objectivising single-objective problems in order to use multi-objective algorithms in their optimisation. In this article, we follow up this idea by presenting a methodology for multi-objectivising combinatorial optimisation problems based on elementary landscape decompositions of their objective function. Under this framework, each of the elementary landscapes obtained from the decomposition is considered as an independent objective function to optimise. In order to illustrate this general methodology, we consider four problems from different domains: the quadratic assignment problem and the linear ordering problem (permutation domain), the 0-1 unconstrained quadratic optimisation problem (binary domain), and the frequency assignment problem (integer domain). We implemented two widely known multi-objective algorithms, NSGA-II and SPEA2, and compared their performance with that of a single-objective GA. The experiments conducted on a large benchmark of instances of the four problems show that the multi-objective algorithms clearly outperform the single-objective approaches. Furthermore, a discussion on the results suggests that the multi-objective space generated by this decomposition enhances the exploration ability, thus permitting NSGA-II and SPEA2 to obtain better results in the majority of the tested instances.

Conceptions of Landscape-Ecological Relevance Emerged in the Czech Botany during the Second Half of Twentieth Century

This paper summarizes those substantial theoretical concepts or methods for applications within interdisciplinary or practical uses published by Czech autors (geobotanists = ecological botanists, plant ecologists and ecophysiologists) during the second half of the 20th century, that were internationally cited. All selected thematical clusters are of landscape-ecological relevance through various contexts. Examples include the concepts of (potential) reconstructed vegetation in maps (R. Neuhäusl, Z. Neuhäuslová), linear vegetation features (corridors in landscape) and deductive classification of vegetation (K. Kopecký), analysis of soil seed bank (Z. Kropáč), dependency of macrophyte plant stands on ecodynamics (S. Hejný), dynamic periodicity in segetal vegetation (Z. Kropáč, E. Hadač, S. Hejný), anemo-orographic system explaining species richness in mountain regions (J. Jeník), productivity in grassland ecosystems (M. Rychnovská, J. Květ), elementary landscape units based on homogenity and potential vegetation (E. Hadač), landscape dispensation phenomena (V. Ložek), afforestation of coastal sandy dunes – the Netherlands, and polluted areas - the Czech Republic (J. Fanta), invasive plants and invasions into landscapes (M. Rejmánek).

Elements of Climate Evolution in yhe Area Between Prut and Dniester Rivers. Landscape and Pedogenetic Implications

Component part of the Carpathian-Danubian-Pontic space, the interfluve area between Prut and Dniester is subject to the regional process of climate evolution and change. In what regards the concept of human-influenced pedogenesis, the role of the biological factor is significantly reduced. As a consequence the direction and intensity of the elementary landscape and pedogenetic processes are determined by the relations between climate and the geomorphological factor. In the conditions of a relative stability of the geomorphological factor, the determining role is held by climate. To this is added soil vulnerability to the implications of climate changes, determined by the degree of soil physical degradation but also by a series of intrinsic and external (drainage) factors. This implies the idea of the control and management of the landscape and pedogenetic implications of climate changes by improving soil physical characteristics.