AIR TECHNOGENIC POLLUTION OF THE WHITE SEA CATCHMENT MIRES (EXAMPLE OF THE ARKHANGELSK REGION)

The work investigated the influence of atmosphere circulation processes on the level of Arkhangelsk region mires pollution with heavy metals. The aim of the work was to study long-term patterns of air traffic (data for 20 years, from 2001 to 2020 were analysed) and to compare these data with the main Russian emission sources of heavy metals and the quantity of metals in atmosphere and on the mires surface. There were three objects of study located in Archangelsk region – Ilas bog (Primorskij region), Bol'shoj moh bog (Onezhskij region) and Trofimovskoe bog (Mezenskij region). The inverse trajectory statistics method using the HYSPLIT model was applied to study air mass patterns. Quantitative assessment of pollution was carried out for Pb, Cd, As, Zn, Ni, Cr and Cu based on official data on pollutants emissions into the atmosphere in cities and regions of the Russian Federation. Maximum heavy metal concentrations for the three mires were found to be expected in winter due to the meteorological characteristics of the season. This indicates an increase in anthropogenic pressure on the mires and related watercourses during snowmelt. It was revealed that Cu, Ni and Cr have the highest concentrations in air and surface fluxes and the quantitative distribution of elements varies between the three mires significantly. Murmansk region is the major emission source of Cu and Ni towards our objects of study. The inverse trajectory statistics method can be used both to identify pollution sources and to predict and prevent possible environmental disasters.

ANALYSIS OF VERTICAL MOVEMENTS OF AIR OVER THE ATLANTIC-EUROPEAN SECTOR

On the basis of the calculated Laplacians of the geopotential 1000hPa, the features of the spatial and temporal distribution of vertical current fields at the surface of the earth in the northern hemisphere over the Atlantic-European sector, limited by longitudes of 90o w.l. – 90o e.l., in different seasons of the year and revealed their temporal dynamics. Greater temporal stability of the spatial position of the elements of vertical air movement is noted. Their directionality remains unchanged in different seasons of the year, with a slight change in flow intensity over time. It was revealed that the intensity of vertical streams in high latitudes is 1,5–2 times higher than in low latitudes.

METHODOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR CALCULATING THE AREA OF GREENERY IN A CITY, USING REMOTE SENSING DATA

This article discusses the possibility of using Earth remote sensing data and GIS technologies for assessing the area of green spaces in a city. Green areas are an important indicator of the urban environment quality. Quantitative information on such areas is necessary to calculate the total index of the urban environment quality, which is provided annually to the state statistics authorities. Various methods of obtaining such data are possible, including by decoding orthophotomaps, aerial photography, and mobile laser scanning. GIS technologies provide ample opportunities in this area: they allow one to create electronic maps, attributive databases, and maintain up-to-date information. The paper provides an example of using space images to calculate green areas in one of the microdistricts in the city of Perm. We describe the technique for recalculating the number of trees in a landscaping area; assess the planting areas of general and limited use and the total area of green spaces in the microdistrict; calculate the share of green areas and the greening level of the microdistrict, which are necessary for calculating the urban environment quality index. The technique proposed in this work can significantly reduce the time and labor costs for finding indicators of the urban environment greening.

STUDY OF ATMOSPHERIC DROUGHT IN CENTRAL ASIA

Agrometeorological events that are dangerous for crops include droughts, dry winds, frosts, heavy rains, hail, strong winds, and dust storms. The most common and dangerous are droughts and dry winds.Drought is a natural phenomenon that is one of the most complex and least studied natural hazards, capable of causing irreparable damage to ecosystems with a wide impact on water resources, agricultural production, ecosystem functions, the environment, local and global economies. The article is a review that presents some of the most frequently and widely used drought indices and indicators in the last two decades, summarizes the results of atmospheric drought research using these indices, demonstrates the relationship between the occurrence of atmospheric drought in various regions of Central Asia and the characteristics of its severity depending on the types of large-scale atmospheric circulation. We compared meteorological and remote sensing indices and identified favorable indices for parameterization and monitoring of droughts. The papers presented in the review provide valuable scientific information and possible directions for further research on drought in Central Asia.

MODELING THE EFFECTS OF LAND USE TRANSFORMATION USING ECOSYSTEM SERVICE ASSESSMENT

The study analyzes the possibilities of using cost estimates of ecosystem services to assess the effects of transformations in land use. The consequences of transformations were assessed by comparing the value of basic ecosystem services for different patterns of the land use structure, taking into account the fact that the volume of ecosystem services provided is limited by the ecosystem sustainability limits. To estimate ecosystem services, the methodology developed by the author was used. It is based on the indicators of agricultural land productivity and their value terms. The assessment was carried out for the Zarinsky district of Altai Krai, located at the junction of the West Siberian and Altai-Sayan physicogeographical countries. The study has revealed that the greatest value of basic ecosystem services in the region with agricultural specialization can be achieved by optimizing the agricultural load – reducing the share of arable land and increasing the share of forage land in the total area. It is proposed to implement this by involving plots of fallow lands in circulation: some of the plots are proposed to be used for reforestation, while others – for haying and grazing. This will balance the need to maximize agricultural production, while not reducing the sustainability of the ecosystems.

DEVELOPMENT OF REMOTE SENSING METHODS FOR NATURAL FIRE PREVENTION

The study deals with remote sensing methods for natural fire prevention, provides analysis and systematization on the subject. It traces the historical development and demonstrates the diversity of the methods. The main development stages and their characteristics were identified taking into account the increasing number of the sources and types of remote sensing and deepening knowledge of the subject. Fire interpretation includes fundamentally different processes of ignition and fire spread. The concepts of fire danger and its factors were introduced, the ways for their selection and application in the methods were analyzed. The source data for the methods were defined: satellite imagery of various resolutions (Landsat, Sentinel, MODIS/Terra-Aqua, AVHRR/NOAA, etc.), UAV images, lidar data, as well as technologies to process those. The study demonstrates that the most commonly used are traditional methods of geoinformation analysis, simulation modelling and neural networks. The methods were described, features of their implementation were identified. The description includes specific examples of fire danger assessment methods based on GIS, simulation models of fire spread, fire prevention methods based on neural networks and their application for territories of different spatial levels – global, regional and local.

INDEPENDENT TOURISM: DEFINITION AND SYNONYMS

The article gives and argues the author’s definition of independent tourism, which has become a mass phenomenon due to the development of information technologies. The synonymy of the term in the Russian and English languages is discussed. English synonyms of the term have been classified. The terms’ popularity in the Yandex query system has been studied. The concept definition technique can be used in scientific and educational work with students.

GEOGRAPHY OF MUSEUMS AND PROSPECTS OF THE MUSEUM TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN THE SAMARA REGION

Due to the growing socio-cultural significance and economic activity, museums are arousing research interest of specialists from various scientific fields. Close interaction of museum organizations with the tourism and recreation sphere gives relevance to research into the role that modern museum forms play in the formation of certain types of tourism, into regional features of museum placement, the impact that museums have on the economy and spatial organization of territories. A comprehensive study of the regional set of museums and the museum tourism development in the Samara region shows that the current state of museums, the lack of major museum destinations and funding for new high attractions do not allow the region to compete successfully for cruise tourists and in the framework of the interregional tourist project The Great Volga River Route. In the placement of Samara museums, one can trace the influence of agglomeration processes occurring in the region. This is manifested both in the concentration of museum activities in the center of the agglomeration and in the weak use of museum resources, growing risks of losing monuments on the boundaries. Under the existing conditions, the creation of new museum offers and the development of museum tourism in the Samara region is supposed to involve the following: the use of positive effects of agglomeration and overcoming of infrastructure constraints; increased readiness to compete on the basis of clustering and transfer of modern museum technologies from the central federal museums represented in Samara to regional museums, and from those to municipal and rural ones; innovative search for effective development models, integrated solutions and financing mechanisms.

MAPPING OF AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF THE OUTLIER FOREST-STEPPE BASED ON GEOINFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND REMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH

The search for new mechanisms of crop growing modernization was initiated by post-Soviet change of the socio-economic formation, rejection of the virgin-land holistic principle of organizing agriculture with its wheat invariant, as well as transition from the extensive zonal system to adaptive landscape and precision agriculture. Above all, this refers to agricultural landscapes of the forest steppe zone of North Kazakhstan, which is the oldest region of the country’s dryland farming. The article deals with a relevant direction of agrolandscape research – geoinformation agrolandscape mapping with the use of aerial photography materials from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The aim of the work is to prepare optimal cartographic support for effective agricultural production in light of agricultural intensification in the region and depletion of natural fertility resources. Modern methods of geoinformation agrolandscape mapping have been used, their effectiveness is shown through the example of key areas. The features of the landscape structure of outlier forest steppe agrolandscapes have been identified with the help of utilitarian agroecological typology of land; the types of basic geoinformation cartographic materials to be used in precision agriculture have been defined. We consider it possible for the agrolandscape mapping experience to be extended to other farms of the region, which would ensure productive agricultural management.

ETHNOCULTURAL SPACE OF THE POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES: THE COMPONENTS OF THE TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE

The collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in a radical ethnic transformation, the study of which requires the development of its own tools in geography. Drawing on the concept of geocultural space and geo-ethnocultural systems, the article proposes a methodological tool for identifying the main components of the territorial structure of the ethnocultural space of post-Soviet countries. The method was tested based on the results of the 2009–2011 population census rounds. It allows taking into account the proportion of the Russians and the titular population of national-state entities simultaneously. In total, we have identified eight main components of the territorial structure of the ethnocultural space of post-Soviet countries. Three of them reveal the structure of the Russian geo-ethnocultural system in the main territory of residence of the Russian ethnos in Russia (Russian ethnic core, contact zone, and inner periphery). The remaining five components reflect the degree of manifestation of the ethnic nuclei of national geo-ethnocultural systems while taking into account the influence of the Russian geo-ethnocultural system on them. In particular, within Russia, some national autonomies proved to pertain to a category of regions with a clear dominance of the Russian geo-ethnocultural system.