Bulletin of the RAS. Geography
The journal Izvestiya RAN (Akad. Nauk SSSR). Seriya Geograficheskaya has been published since 1951 (No. 1 was for March–April 1951). All these years it has kept the position of the country's leading academic journal on basic problems of geography. This journal (and its predecessor Izvestiya Akad. Nauk SSSR. Seriya Geograficheskaya i Geofizicheskaya) has traditionally been headed by leaders of domestic geography (Academicians A.A. Grigor'ev, L.S. Berg, N.N. Baranskiy, I.P. Gerasimov, and V.M. Kotlyakov); leading geographers of the country have been members of its editorial board.
Izvestiya RAN. Seriya Geograficheskaya publishes scientific articles and reviews on topical problems of physical, socioeconomic, and political geography and ecological–geographical issues of nature management and environmental protection. The journal reflects the activity of RAS institutes and other research establishments that work in the field of geography and environmental protection, the Russian Geographical Society, and international geographical organizations (including the participation of Russian geographers in their events). It publishes chronicles of geographical symposia, conferences, and meetings; summaries and reviews on new geographical works; and articles dedicated to jubilees and memories of outstanding geographers of the country and the world.
The journal's content is based on a stable system of rubrics in accordance with the thematic trends of publications.
Each material received by the journal’s editorial board is reviewed by the pool of reviewers formed for this purpose from leading geographers of academic institutes and higher education establishments of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Irkutsk, Vladivostok, and a number of other cities.
Over its entire history, the journal has been the country's main scientific periodical on geography and scientific information platform to discuss issues of the development of geographical science, cover at length its theoretical achievements, and use research results in practice.
Media registration certificate: ПИ № ФС 77 – 77279 от 10.12.2019
Current Issue
Open Access
Access granted
Subscription Access
Vol 89, No 2 (2025)
ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ОБЩЕСТВА
Sugar agro-industrial complex of Russia: a half-century transformation
Abstract
The dynamics of sugar beet cultivation and granulated sugar production for the period from 1970 to 2023 was analyzed by the subjects of the Russian Federation and the municipalities. The scope and causes of the post-reform decline of the industry and the subsequent strong recovery growth were characterized. A series of maps reflecting territorial shifts in the development of the sugar agricultural and industrial complex was drawn. Five geographically non-contiguous beet farming areas were identified: Oksko-Donskoy, Yeysk-Kubansky, Srednevolzhsky, Verkhneobsky and Terskiy, their pulsating character was revealed — territorial expansion during the period of decline and compactification during the period of growth. A north-westerly shift in the concentration of sugar beet farming was exposed at different levels — within the areas and throughout the country. The relationship between yield growth and the shift of beet farming to areas with more favorable soil and climatic conditions was revealed. The dependence of territorial shifts in sugar production on the prevailing raw materials was defined: concentration in growing areas in beet dominating periods and dispersal across the country in cane dominating periods. Based on the analysis of revenue and profit dynamics, a typology of sugar factories by financial and economic condition was carried out, its gradient was revealed: the share of “exemplary” and “successful” enterprises increases from west to east. The optimal raw material zones of Russian sugar factories, considering the actual transport accessibility, were justified and mapped. The indicator of sugar beet “productivity” of the territory was introduced, it allows to assess the deficit and surplus of processing capacities for enterprises and subjects of the Russian Federation. The optimal locations of new sugar factories on the periphery of beet growing areas were estimated.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):141-154
141-154
Experience of classification of Russian regions by the dynamics of ethnic mosaics in the post-Soviet period
Abstract
Russian scientists have studied in detail the changes in the ethnic structure of the population of the country’s regions that occurred in the 1990s and 2000s. This analysis can be expanded by including the results of the 2021 census in scientific circulation. The objective of the study is to identify the features of the dynamics of the ethnic structure of the population of the federal subjects of Russia between the 1989 and 2021 censuses based on indicators characterizing the ethnic heterogeneity of the population. In the post-Soviet period, the overwhelming majority of regions of the country experienced positive dynamics in the share of the Russian or titular (in national-territorial entities) population. During this period, a tendency towards homogenization of the ethnic structure of the population of the federal subjects became clearly evident. The “Russian mega-core” has expanded somewhat, including regions and territories with a Russian population share of over 90%, especially in Siberia and the Far East. Among the national-territorial entities, the Chechen and Ingush Republics became mono-ethnic during this period. In most other national-territorial entities, the share of titular peoples also grew, and in many of them the share of titular ethnic groups currently exceeds half of the population and continues to grow. A decrease in the share of the titular population occurred only in seven national-territorial entities. They are located primarily in the north of the European part of Russia: the republics of Karelia, Komi, Udmurtia, Mari El and Chuvashia. The Republic of Adygea and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast also belong to this category.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):155-164
155-164
Effects of transport accessibility on residential real estate prices (case study of Saratov)
Abstract
The deepening spatial inequality is observed in Russia at many territorial levels, including within large cities. A vivid manifestation of the depth of social stratification of urban areas is the differences in residential real estate prices, which are often considered as an indicator of spatial inequality due to the lack of other open data. In this paper, we investigated the effects of transport accessibility for spatial inequality, expressed through the average cost of residential real estate, on the example of the city of Saratov. We aggregated data from 80 thousand advertisements on the sale of apartments in the city in 2021. Using the methods of network analysis, we estimated transport accessibility by car and by public transport, to the city center and relative to the transport network of the whole city (integral accessibility). According to the results of regression modeling, transport accessibility (together with the age of buildings) statistically explained up to half of the differences between Saratov districts in the average offer price of residential real estate. Despite our expectations, the best predictor of apartment prices was accessibility by public transport to the city center. Each minute away from the historical city center by public transport reduced the average price of a residential property by 455 rubles per m2. Saratov’s public transport network is highly centralized, which does not allow to fully utilize the potential of the three transport hubs revealed in the study. One possible step towards mitigating the territorial contrasts in transport accessibility in the city is to transform the bus network by introducing new trunk and feeder (to the hubs outside the center) routes.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):165-176
165-176
Proposed states in India: implementation options and priorities
Abstract
Changes in the administrative-territorial division of independent India match together with the evolution of the country’s socioeconomic development model, fundamental changes in the structure and volume of the economy, and an increase in the population with a complex national-ethnic and religious composition. After gaining independence, the Government of India adopted a federal system, requiring a balance of interests of peoples living in different regions. Therefore, the Constitution gives wide powers to the central authorities in the field of reorganization of the states, and the procedures associated with their solution have been simplified. The demand for such management tools is evidenced by the large number of proposed (aspirant) states and union territories (more than 40 in 2024). Proposed states are associated with objective reasons and are supported by arguments put forward by social movements and parties. The article presents the results of a study that attempted to identify the most likely new states in India. In India, whose government plans to take third place in the world in terms of economic potential by 2030, work is underway to improve the administrative-territorial division in order to accelerate socioeconomic progress and strengthen the territorial integration of the country, which increases the importance and need for multidimensional comprehensive regional studies. The compiled map of proposed administrative-territorial division of India can serve as a basis for further research of the trends in the evolution of the administrative-territorial division and can be useful in conducting other studies of regional development problems in India.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):177-191
177-191
Trajectories of Rural Transformation in Multiethnic Agrarian District: Case of Fedorovsky District of the Republic of Bashkortostan
Abstract
The article examines the ethnic and structural aspects of the transformation of rural settlement pattern in agrarian polyethnic region on the example of a Bashkirian district. Fedorovsky district belongs to the regions of “Agrarian Bashkiria”, the mesoregion which is characterized by developed collective agriculture and high ethnic mosaic. To describe the multi-ethnic rural area of the district, a multi-sign classification of rural settlements is used. The breakdown of the totality of settlements is carried out according to the centrality, determined by the size of villages, the ethnic structure and the long-term trajectory of transformation, estimated through the dynamics of the population during the post-Soviet period. Variants of long-term trajectories of transformations of rural settlements in the post-Soviet period are revealed through population dynamics. Variants of transformation of rural settlements in the district are associated with the ethnic structure of the population. The classification, which makes it possible to identify subtrends of transformation within separate parts of more homogeneous groups of villages, is used to make a forecast of the settlement system development of Fedorovsky district. It was found that the scenarios of transformation of rural settlements in the Fedorovsky district are associated with the ethnic structure of the population. The peculiarities and detailed transformation factors of different settlement classes are revealed for Tatar Izhbulyak, Chuvash Tenyaevo and polyethnic Goncharovka. In conclusion, a forecast map of rural settlement pattern of Fedorovsky district by 2030 is presented. Taking into account the high rate of population decrease and internal differentiation of development, recommendations for the district development are outlined: the construction of a “silver economy”, “shift agricultural development” and the development of social infrastructure in central settlements.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):192-207
192-207
ЭВОЛЮЦИЯ ПРИРОДНЫХ СИСТЕМ
Palaeohydrography of Ancient Tanais in the Context of the Don River Delta Development in the Late Holocene
Abstract
The Greek-Barbarian settlement of Tanais, founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC on the high northern shore of the present Don River delta and existing until the end of the 5th century AD, was described by Strabo at the turn of the eras as a port town lying on a river and on a lake. Today the remains of Tanais overlook the Mertvyi Donets, a dying arm of the Don River delta, 7–8 km from its mouth, but during the period of active existence of the ancient settlement, the hydrographic situation was different. Some researchers believe that Tanais was located on the marine edge of the delta, while others think it was on the seacoast. To clarify the hydrographic situation in the area of Tanais, a complex analysis (lithology, bulk chemistry, mollusc fauna, radiocarbon dating) of the sediments uncovered by drilling on the right bank of the Mertvyi Donets in the presumed port area was carried out. The drilled channel alluvium of the Mertvyi Donets arm indicated active flow in the modern low-flow arm. In the first centuries AD, the Mertvyi Donets was at least one and a half times wider and deeper than the modern one, which allowed it to fulfill the functions of the main transportation route. Immediately after the formation of the culture-bearing layer of the 3rd century AD, the water content and flow velocity in the Mertvyi Donets began to decrease, and the branch started to silt up. This was caused by the redistribution of runoff in favor of the arms of the central and southern parts of the delta. To assess the dynamics of the delta’s advancement, the sediments were drilled and dated. It was found that in the Tanais area, the marine edge of the delta was located between the 5th and 3rd millennia BC, and in the period of the post-Polemonian Tanais in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD — 5–6 km downstream. An estimate of the advancement rate of the delta’s northern part — from 1.2 to 2.8 meters per year — shows that at the time of its foundation in the 3rd century BC, Tanais was located 3.5–5 km from the mouth. The foundation of a port settlement inside the delta arm, rather than on the coast, was due to the need for shelter from destructive sea storms.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):208-234
208-234
Landscape and climate change in the northern mongolian plateau during the late glacial and holocene (based on the shaamar loess-soil section)
Abstract
The paper presents the results of paleosol and paleogeographic studies of the Shaamar loess-soil section located in the Northern Mongolian Plateau. The main periods of eolian sedimentation and soil formation in the Late Glacial and Holocene are reconstructed. Based on radiocarbon data, it was indicated the longest period of soil formation that took place during the Bølling/Allered interstadial (~15.000–~12.500 years ago). For this time, the most favorable conditions for the chernozem soil formation with the dominance of open steppe landscapes and an arid climatic situation have been reconstructed. The next soil formation period corresponds to the Boreal phase of the early Holocene (~9.500 years ago). At this time, forest-steppe soils were formed, in which signs of textural differentiation and waterlogging processes were revealed. According to the pollen analysis, in addition to grasses, pine and birch pollen is recorded in noticeable quantities. In the Middle Holocene (~8500–~3500 years ago), an increase in aeolian activity is recorded against the background of climate aridization and cooling. At the same time, according to micromorphological data, short-term periods of waterlogging are recorded in both pedosediments and aeolian deposits, which was most likely a result of seasonal permafrost melting. In the late Holocene (the last ~3500 years ago), according to palynological data, a noticeable climate humidification is noted, which led to an expansion of the range of forest vegetation. Pine forests were widely represented in the territory. The data obtained allow a more accurate determination of the age of the main stages of soil formation, which significantly improves the understanding of the patterns of climate change in the north of the Mongolian Plateau at the end of the Last Glaciation and the Holocene.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):235-249
235-249
Intrazonal differences in natural afforestation on abandoned agricultural lands in the central Russian forest-steppe
Abstract
Afforestation in the first two decades of the 21st century for post-agrogenic lands in the subzones of the northern, typical and southern forest-steppe was considered. The study was carried out in the Central Chernozem region of Russia, including the Oryol oblast. The natural afforestation rate was estimated using first-order derivative of the NDVI vegetation index with respect to time. It is also proposed to estimate the afforestation rate using the first-order derivative of the calculated forest cover with respect to time. In the first two decades of the 21st century, the increase in the forest cover of abandoned lands varied significantly among the subzones of the forest-steppe. During the analyzed period, the forest cover of abandoned agricultural lands in the northern forest-steppe increased according to a logarithmic dependence. In the typical forest-steppe subzone, the forest cover of abandoned lands increased according to a similar dependence at a slower rate. The annual increase in the forest cover of abandoned lands located in the subzone of the southern forest-steppe was minimal or absent. The rate of afforestation, expressed by the first-order derivative of the vegetation index from time, in the subzone of the northern forest-steppe exceeded that in the typical forest-steppe more than 1.7 times. The afforestation rate in the northern forest-steppe subzone exceeded that in the southern forest-steppe by 5–6 times. The ratio of the average calculated values of abandoned land forest cover of in the forest-steppe subzones at the end of the second decade of the 21st century turned out to be approximately similar to the ratio of their actual values. The established patterns are indicators of an increase in intrazonal differences in the forest cover of abandoned lands in the forest-steppe. Different afforestation rates lead to increase in the contrast landscapes of forest-steppe in its submeridional boundaries.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):250-261
250-261
Buried soils and paleoenvironment of second half of holocene in the oka river floodplain near the prioksko-terrasny nature biosphere reserve
Abstract
The presence of buried soil was discovered in the Oka River floodplain in the territory adjacent to the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Biosphere Reserve in the area of the modern location of the northernmost steppe phytocenoses. The buried soil was classified as alluvial dark humus typical medium loamy—Fluvic Stagnic Phaeozem (Loamic). According to radiocarbon analysis, the formation of the buried soil took place in the middle and late Holocene, almost completely covering the Subboreal. The distribution of iron along the profile of the buried soil, as well as the presence of sponge spicules, indicates a seasonal or periodically stagnant moisture regime. According to microbiomorphic and phytolith analyses, the vegetation cover of the high floodplain at the initial stage of formation of the buried soil was dominated by graminoid-grass associations with a small participation of forest flora. The later stages of formation characterize the meadow-forest stage with the predominance of forest grasses over meadow grasses, the presence of conifers. Pine and oak coals are present in the buried soil. An analysis of the distribution of phytoliths of the feather grass Stipa pennata L. (the most characteristic edificator of local modern steppe communities) showed that during the formation of the buried soil feather grass phytocenoses were not widespread on the floodplain of the Oka River. The signs of the presence of feather grass in individual locations (refugia) identified in the samples require further research to determine the role of steppe phytocenoses on the floodplain of the Oka River in the Subboreal.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):262-279
262-279
РЕГИОНАЛЬНЫЕ ГЕОГРАФИЧЕСКИЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ
Landscape and geochemical monitoring of atmospheric precipitation in the forest-steppe zone of European Russia (using the example of Kursk Oblast)
Abstract
The results of long-term geochemical monitoring of atmospheric precipitation on the territory of the Kursk Biosphere Station (KBS) of the IG RAS are being discussed. The landscapes of KBS have the status of natural landscapes. The chemical composition of snow cover has been studied since 2013, surface aerosols since 2015, and rainfall since 2017. 2020 was chosen as the main reference year for the study of liquid precipitation, during which anthropogenic activity was reduced due to COVID-19. Mineralization and pH were measured in snow and rain waters, and the geochemical composition of precipitation and aerosols was determined using ICP-MS and ICP-AES methods. The dynamics in the geochemical composition of the snow cover is considered on the basis of the identification of a series of chemical elements, the concentrations of which in the snow of the natural landscapes of the KBS show a positive trend (increase). Concentration coefficients for aerosols and rain precipitation have been calculated to reveal the intensity of the accumulation of chemical elements. The analysis of the dynamics of the geochemical composition of rainfall was carried out on the basis of calculations of the excess coefficients for each year of study and taking into account the movement of the air masses. During the study period, an increase in the contents of Na, Ca, Ti, Cd, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cu, Sb, Co, La, Mo, Sr, Li, Sn, W, Hg, S, Ag, Bi, Cr was found in snow cover, surface aerosols, and precipitation. The range of chemical elements, which detected in atmospheric precipitation, indicates the influence of regional and transboundary air masses on the geochemical composition of this precipitation. The maximum concentrations of Ni, Pb, Li, Sn and W were observed with the predominant western moving of air masses. High concentrations of Zn, Cu and Ag are associated with southeastern atmospheric invasions. The precipitation concentrations of Cd, Ni, Zn and Pb are associated with air masses coming from the north, which indicates the role of local emission sources from Kursk enterprises in the formation of the geochemical composition of the landscapes components on the KBS. The calculation results showed that a noticeable increase in the content of chemical elements in aerosols and rains is observed in May and in August—September and is due to an increase in atmospheric dust during agricultural work. Studies of the autumn-winter period revealed increased concentrations of S and Sr, probably related to the heating period (coal), as well as long-range transport of salts and dust particles. Increased concentrations of most chemical elements in precipitation and aerosols were recorded after prolonged anticyclones, which contributed to an increase in the intensity of their accumulation in the surface atmosphere.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):280-296
280-296
Spatial and temporal variability of methane emissions in the oligotrophic ridge-hollow complex of Western Siberia
Abstract
In the summer-autumn seasons (during for three years) using the static chamber method the СН4 emission from the surface of one of the most common types of bog ecosystems in the taiga zone of Western Siberia—the ridge-hollow complex (RHC) was studied. A very significant spatial variability of CH4 fluxes (from 60 to 74% in July and from 20 to 50% in September) was observed between the elements of the RHC: ridge and hollow. The temporal variability plays an equally important role and is a response to changes in the temperature of the peat deposits. At the hollow, a diurnal cycle of CH4 was detected, which which is explained 34–64% by the variability of the peat deposit temperature at a depth of 2 to 15 cm. At the ridge, no diurnal cycle was found on the however, CH4 fluxes during the summer-autumn period are 46% explained by the temperature at depths of 30 and 40 cm. The paper also discusses possible reasons for the spatial and temporal variability of CH4 fluxes from the surface of the RHC.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):297-312
297-312
Features of the hydrochemical characteristics of three neighboring lakes of the Big Solovetsky Island
Abstract
The results of an assessment of the current state of lakes that previously belonged to one system (Verkhnii, Srednii, and Nizhnii Pert lakes) and were separated more than 500 years ago are presented. The assessment is given based on hydrochemical indicators based on historical and geographical analysis of data, as well as the results of a study carried out in July 2023. Previously, these lakes have not been jointly and comprehensively studied. The Srednii Pert Lake was included into the lake-canal system, and the direction of its water flow changed. The Nizhnii Pert Lake has become less flowy. Only the Verkhnii Pert Lake remained untouched. It is shown that these are small reservoirs of glacial-tectonic origin with a significant maximum depth. Due to the fact that the main sources of ions entering the lakes were precipitation, surface and groundwater, they are characterized by low values of water hardness and major ions content with a predominance of chlorides and sodium in the ionic composition. The study period (July, 2023) was characterized by heavy precipitation, which led to an increase in water levels in the studied reservoirs, but did not disrupt the stratification of lake waters. Aeration of water down to the 0.5-meter bottom layer prevented the activation of processes associated with anaerobic destruction of organic matter. It has been established that the difference in hydrochemical parameters is clearly expressed in Verkhnii and Nizhniy Pert lakes, which are currently not connected with each other, which is determined, first of all, by the characteristics of their drainage areas, in particular, swampiness and flow. The Srednii Pert Lake also differs in hydrochemical parameters from its associated the Verkhnii Pert Lake, as it is strongly influenced by the waters of the western lake-canal system.
Bulletin of the RAS. Geography. 2025;89(2):313-326
313-326