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Volume 38, Nº 4 (2017)

Article

Geomorphology in the system of Earth sciences

Lopatin D., Zhirov A.

Resumo

We examine the question of determining the place of geomorphology in the system of Earth sciences. The study revealed that, in spite of the differences in understanding the subject matter of science, there are at least seven integrating and generally accepted techniques of geomorphological investigations themselves: orographic analysis, cartometry, remote analysis of hidden landforms, morphometry, geomorphological mapping, modeling of geomorphological systems and conceptual development of the methodology. Emphasis is placed on the important role of geomorphological mapping in understanding all processes on land cover and the history of its development, assessing the natural resources and natural hazards, and in forecasting the evolution of the landscape. The technique of representing results from geomorphological investigations as a geomorphological map requires developing a classification of topographic features and landforms, and publications of A. N. Lastochkin and his followers are specifically focused on this issue. The integrating role of N. A. Florensov’s ideas of concepts concerning the continental orogenesis and geomorphological formations is pointed out. The autonomy of geomorphology in the system of Earth sciences is demonstrated but it is emphasized that it is not possible to further develop geomorphological knowledge outside the province of related Earth sciences, primarily geology and physical geography. A substantiation is given to the exclusiveness of the object of study (topography of land cover) and the subject (main topographic properties: morphology, genesis, age, and morphogenesis processes) which can be analyzed solely by geomorphological research techniques and development models.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):313-318
pages 313-318 views

Landscape planning: The applied branch in complex physical geography

Semenov Y.

Resumo

Some issues related to the relationship between physical geography and landscape planning in Russia are considered. It is proposed to assess the geosystem components and determine the goal functions of their territorial development on the basis of the contour grid of the landscape map adapted to the goals of landscape planning, which provides a possibility of utilizing the totality of information accumulated in databases, during all stages of work, up to planning decision-making. It is emphasized that the traditions of Russian and soviet physical geography necessarily imply a detailed substantiation of efforts in terms of landscape science; however, landscape science cannot attempt to offer universal coverage of the complex problem of multicomponent diversity of landscapes. Specific reference is made to the need for consultation with sectoral experts already at the stage of selecting or generating the basis for maps of assessing the significance and sensitivity of geosystem components, and maps of the goals of territorial development. It is established that in conditions where in the case of so-called territorial planning there is no division into specialized sectors and all the other sectoral plannings are virtually non-existent, the problem of introducing landscape planning in Russia in terms of the landscape science approach. It is determined that landscape planning in Russia has not yet become a sector or a means for ecologization of territorial planning.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):319-323
pages 319-323 views

Formation of the academic direction in Atlas mapping of the regions of Siberia (50th anniversary of the publication of the Atlas of Transbaikalia)

Batuev А., Plastinin L., Kotova T., Snytko V.

Resumo

We examine the Atlas of Transbaikalia that was prepared and published in 1967 by the Institute of Geography of Siberia and the Far East SD USSR AS; it marked the beginning of the formation and development of the modern academic direction in atlas mapping of the regions of Siberia. The main preconditions for the formation of this scientific direction are outlined. Presented is the experience in creating a fundamental scientific program of the Atlas using a number of new conceptual and organizational-methodological principles of organizing the contents, developing original scenes and using fractional territorial units for the thematic filling of the map contents, and in drawing on the available high technical level of methods and procedures of semiotic modeling and layout which impart the Atlas not only a regional but also a general scientific significance. Emphasis is placed on the theoretical and methodological issues, and this cartographic product helped to successfully deal with them. It is pointed out that a special role in developing the general scientific program of the Atlas and in planning collaborative efforts of various authors belongs to V. B. Sochava, Editor-in-Chief of the Atlas of Transbaikalia.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):324-332
pages 324-332 views

Coastal-marine nature management in Pacific Russia and Northern Vietnam: Notions, structural features, and types

Baklanov P., Ermoshin V., Karakin V., Zharikov V., Van Cu N., Cham D.

Resumo

Coastal-marine nature management is treated as a spatiotemporal structure consisting of two interrelated components: the coastal territorial component occurring in the coastal territory, and the coastal aquatic component occurring within the coastal aquatic area as well as the sea shores connecting them. The study revealed the components of the main and concomitant uses of natural resources which have evolved directly across the land and sea areas of mining of separate kinds of natural resources and having technogenic impacts on them. From a combination of natural resources as well as of spatial scales of the main and concomitant uses of natural resources on the coastal territory and in coastal waters, we identified the main types of coastal-marine nature management in the southern areas of Pacific Russia and in Northern Vietnam: different kinds of nature management including the utilization of the territory for industrial-residential and transportation purposes as well as for cultivation of rice and vegetable crops, extraction of building materials, other mineral resources, forest use, extraction of marine salt from the sea water, coastal fisheries, various forms of mariculture, marine recreation, etc. A fragment of the cartographic assessment of the current types of coastal-marine nature management is presented for the southern coastal areas of Pacific Russia.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):333-340
pages 333-340 views

Environmental Protection

Vegetation as a factor in the system of natural environment preservation of Prebaikalia

Belov A., Sokolova L.

Resumo

A central role in the formation of the natural environment of Prebaikalia is played by vegetation having the environment-forming and environment-protective functions. Nowadays, it is experiencing ever increasing anthropogenic impacts which lead to disturbances in its structure and decrease its ecological potential. This creates certain challenges of a local and regional character, because the main territory of the region is within the zone of atmospheric influence and within the western portion of the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory focus on preserving the ecosystem of Lake Baikal as the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. Therefore, the main direction of nature conservation activity aimed at improving the quality of the region’s natural environment remains focused on the preservation and recovery and of its primary vegetation. Some measures are suggested concerning ecologically oriented nature management in Prebaikalia. We have defined the goals for the scientific accompaniment of the measures for the preservation of vegetation as an important factor of the environmental quality. The paper demonstrates the effectiveness of integrated study into the entire florocenotic diversity of modern vegetation, its evolutionary-genetic basis and the ecological and dynamical potentials of plant communities for the purposes of forecasting the ecologically oriented development of the region’s natural environment. The recommendations are formulated in accordance with the State Ecological Program for the period until 2030. The map entitled “Protection of vegetation in Prebaikalia (recommendations for optimization of the ecological policy)” has been developed, which provides information on territories with a different environmental quality having regard to the ecological potential. The legend includes the following parts of the map: special preservation of primary vegetation (full and partial), recovery of disturbed vegetation (active and passive recovery of primary forests), and economic rational (ecologically oriented) use of vegetation.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):341-348
pages 341-348 views

Characteristics of the manifestation of transboundary pollutants transfer on the territory of Altai

Robertus Y., Puzanov A.

Resumo

A rationale is given to the current importance of studying the consequences of the longterm pollutants transfer from industrial centers of East Kazakhstan. Available data on the pollution of the environmental components by elements of polymetallic ores are presented. An additional study was made of the characteristics of the distribution of 50 chemical elements in the snow cover and in the leaves of black poplar on the territory of Altai neighboring the East Kazakhstan region. A weak acid character of atmospheric precipitation, caused by increased sulfur content, is revealed. Annual flows of sulfur and nitrogen are estimated for the territory of the region. Distribution trends for chemical composition parameters of snowmelt and dust on the territory of Altai are determined. Two main groups of chemical elements in the natural environments studied are identified, namely the rock group represented by rock-forming elements, and the ore group dominated by polymetallic ores. It is found that the territory of the region polluted by these elements looks like a tongue-shaped halo with the area of 30 thou km2 extended along the northeastern direction over more than 400 km, with an average width of 100–120 km. Within the halo there is an increase in content of all the elements under study when approaching the territory of the East Kazakhstan region. It was also found that the chemical composition of snow dust on the territory of Altai is similar to the composition in the emissions from Kazzinc Metallurgical Complex in Ust’-Kamenogorsk which is supposedly one of the main sources of pollutants transferred to Altai.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):349-356
pages 349-356 views

Research in the Baikal Watershed

The Baikal problem: History and present (the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Government Commission for Baikal)

Tulokhonov A., Beshentsev A.

Resumo

This paper provides an overview of the documents on the preservation and sustainable use of natural resources within the Lake Baikal drainage basin. An analysis is made of the results of the environmental activity during the period of planned economy and post-perestroika. In the reform years, Baikal was included on the List of the World Natural Heritage Sites, the Federal Law “On the protection of Lake Baikal” was adopted as well as three federal target programs of the protection of the lake and socioeconomic development of the Baikal natural territory. Due to funding shortages, however, they are hardly implemented. The latest legal acts substantially restrict the rights of local residents to land privatization, the development of the social infrastructure, and to use natural resources. Furthermore, in spite of a large number of federal nature conservation directives, closure of many enterprises and reductions in emissions, the ecological situation on Lake Baikal is not improving. Among the problems is the negative attitude of local residents toward the restriction of their constitutional rights to property and economic activity. In addition, all ecological legislative acts are adopted without any public discussion and funding of environmental protection expenditures is not a priority. An improvement of the ecological situation on Baikal is possible only through a further development of the region’s environmentally safe economy and by raising the living standards of the local population on the principles of sustainable development with due regard for the interests of future generations.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):357-363
pages 357-363 views

Water protection zoning of the Baikal natural territory: Conflicts of laws, landscape-hydrological approach

Bychkov I., Gagarinova O., Orlova I., Korytny L., Plyusnin V., Bogdanov V.

Resumo

We examine the complicated situation with demarcation of the boundary of the Lake Baikal water protection zone. It was found that although the principles of ecological zoning, a unique legal instrument regulating the development of a territory with a special nature conservation status and the preservation of the Lake Baikal ecosystem, have been developed and implemented, it was not until 2015 that the boundaries of the water protection zone of Lake Baikal itself were defined. The boundaries of the water protection zone along the boundary of the central ecological zone of Lake Baikal as established by a Decree of the RF Government combined severe restrictions on water use of the two zones across the territory with the area more than 50 thou km2. It is concluded that there is a need to reconsider the decision and develop the project of the water protection zone of Lake Baikal substantiated from the landscape-hydrological perspective. It is demonstrated that the substantiation of the size of the water protection zone must rely on the hydrological runoff-forming and runoffregulating functions of landscapes that determine the formation and transformation of the local runoff between the watershed and the draining water body. The approach to implementing the water protection zoning project on the landscape-hydrological principles is developed to provide maximum protection of Lake Baikal against the input of pollutants with the subsurface and surface runoff from the neighboring coastal territories due to the natural processes of self-purification in landscapes and soil-ground layers. The main criterion is defined for the width of the water protection zone: all pollutants beyond the imposed limits of the zone are drained by the inflows from the lake and do not enter directly Lake Baikal; also, the protection of subsurface waters from the vertical penetration of pollutants is taken into account. For the settlements situation on the shores of Lake Baikal, it is proposed to delineate the boundary of the lake’s water protection zone having regard to the existing and future plans of development and engineering-technological infrastructuring of the territory.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):364-370
pages 364-370 views

Regional Problems of Environmental Studies and Natural Resources Utilization

Geographical patterns of the summer thermal regime of soils in Transbaikalia

Trofimova I., Balybina A.

Resumo

Long-term temperature data on a soil layer 3.2 m in thickness have been used in the differentiation of a topographically highly complicated permafrost on the territory of Transbaikalia. It was found that the geographical ranges are most clearly identified from mean annual temperature values. The schematic map displays the areas with the temperatures –4 to–1°C,–1 to 1°C and 1 to 4°C which are in good agreement with the permafrost distribution pattern (continuous and discontinuous permafrost, and permafrost islands). A classification of the thermal conditions of soils is carried out according to the highest mean monthly temperature at all depths. We identified four types which are characterized by the qualitative assessment as warm, moderately warm, cold and very cold. A relevant cartographic model shows the distribution of the thermal regime of soils for a warm season. The dot method was used to provide a clear display of available information on soil temperature, and it was possible to show the existence of small areas of the types of thermal regime and their fragmentation. Current changes in soil temperature were determined for August, which are in good agreement with regional changes in ground air temperature. In either case, we observed positive linear trends. Assessments of thermal resources of the soil layer and their geographical patterns belonging to the widespread depression-valley and valley natural systems as well as to the relatively planate surfaces of Transbaikalia can be used for scientific and practical purposes.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):371-378
pages 371-378 views

Socio-Economic Questions of Geography

The potential of a “green” economy in the socioeconomic development of Irkutsk Oblast

Zabortseva T., Kuznetsova A., Violin S.

Resumo

We examine the institutional fundamentals of the goals of sustainable development of a territory from the perspective of the development vector of a “green” economy that is responsible for the main directions of transformation of the economic complex of countries and regions. The possible main development directions of the socioeconomic structure of a typical Siberian region (Irkutsk oblast) are generalized, based on the principles of the modern view of the practical implementation of basic branches (sectors) of a “green” economy. Account is taken of the factor of the resource-oriented development model of the oblast for the foreseeable future by analyzing the main conceptual-strategic and planning documents defining the socioeconomic status of the territory into 2030. The main directions of modernization of the Irkutsk oblast’s economic complex are suggested having regard to the principles of a “green” economy in order to ensure favorable conditions for future generations, including ecological conditions. A priority is given to an increase in the proportion of the branches (kinds of economic activity) in the gross regional product as well as in other socioeconomic indicators, which have the least negative influence on the environment. We formulated the development directions of one of the kinds of activity of current relevance to the oblast, namely waste management in the form of an environment protection infrastructure, and three structurally-hierarchically arranged main development and functioning levels of the modern environment protection infrastructure are suggested on the principles of a “green” economy (regional, subregional, and local) within the framework of the updated Strategy of Development of the Oblast’s Productive Forces.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):379-385
pages 379-385 views

Research Techniques

Generation of integral maps using the territory of a municipal district as an example

Lesnykh S., Cherkashin A.

Resumo

This paper further develops the ideas of V. B. Sochava’s Siberian school of thematic mapping concerning an integral approach in generating synthesis and assessment maps of the habitat on objective grounds confirmed by quantitative calculations. Maps of the natural environment display the invariant structure of the sites of a territory and their variable states. Integral indicators of the state of environment combine differentquality spatial information on the geographical location of the sites having regard to the scientific principles of qualimetry. An unbiased calculation of integral indicators is ensured through the use of the method of principal component analysis. The first principal component characterizes a maximum of variation in information on the geosystem, and the second component refers to a stable environment background. Their difference for each location corresponds to the potential of geosystem variability. The resulting integral indicators are displayed on assessment cartograms. The entire array of independent principal components is used for a classification of geosystems using the method of k-means clustering to create the typological map of the territory. Calculations are based on data for forest management of the Slyudyanka Leskhoz within the boundaries of the Slyudyanka municipal district of Irkutsk oblast. The territorial norm of the geographical environment corresponds to geosystems of the mountain-taiga belt of the Siberian stone pine and larch taiga on different-aspect slopes. Negative deviations from the norm are induced by high-mountain goletz and subgoletz geosystems on steep slopes, and positive deviations correspond to flat interfluves and gentle slopes.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):386-393
pages 386-393 views

Geography Abroad

The ecologically balanced structure of lands and energy efficiency of forestry management in Transnistria

Kochurov А., Marunich N., Khaziakhmetova Y., Krasnov E.

Resumo

An assessment is made of the natural protection and absolute and relative tension of the ecological-economic state across the territory of Transnistria. Research results point to an ecological imbalance in the region. The situation can be improved by increasing the area of forest ecosystems created according to the natural type. Of particular significance in the optimization of the structure of land resources in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic is an increase in area and improvement of the quality of forest ecosystems and energy efficiency of forestry. The geo-energy approach provides a means of identifying the ways to optimize the functioning of forest ecosystems in Transnistria having regard to an assessment of the ecological-economic balance of the territory. Based on this approach, it is possible to correctly compare different sites and processes, because energy is a universal measure of everything and a universal equivalent of cost. The geoenergy approach has been used to assess energy efficiency of the suggested variant of optimization of the functioning of forest ecosystems for the following components: energy expenditures connected with the means of mechanization, fuel used in the operation of machines and mechanisms, and with labor resources. Based on calculations, we suggest the ways to raise energy efficiency of forestry in unified energy units, joules. The energy potential of forest ecosystems in the republic is analyzed, and energy efficiency of forestry management is predicted. The suggested variant of optimization of the functioning of forest ecosystems will make it possible not only to increase the energy potential of forest and also create valuable high-quality forest stands from the economic and ecological perspective.

Geography and Natural Resources. 2017;38(4):394-398
pages 394-398 views