Pleiades Publishing Ltd

Results from analyzing the cyclone paths over East Asia for the period 1997–2009 and the variability in chemical composition of atmospheric precipitation in Primorskii Krai are discussed. It is shown that southwesterly cyclones over Primorskii Krai became more frequent during the time period under consideration. The increase in the number of cyclones forming in the polluted atmosphere of urbanized areas in North-Eastern Asia led to an increase in acid deposition, which is confirmed by data from the international acid deposition monitoring stations of the international EANET network.

Presented are the latest findings from investigating bottom sediments in Lake Arakhlei, containing continuous records of the vegetation evolution in the Beklemishevskaya depression and its mountain surroundings for the last 13 500 years.

This paper is concerned with the implications of the status of World Natural Heritage Sites, the position of the Russian state on the issues related to observance of the provisions of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, and the authorities-civil society relationships on these problems. An analysis is made of the possibilities of effectively using the world heritage institute in Russia in the interests of preserving world values. A number of legal and organizational measures for their conservation are suggested.

This paper summarizes the problems and consequences associated with water use in the Russian and Chinese parts of the Amur river basin. Taking into consideration the set of indicators involving the water withdrawal, the utilization of source water, the volumes of recirculated and repeated-consecutive water supply, the volumes of waste waters, the capacity of pollution control facilities, etc., an outline is given of the present status of water use in the national parts of the basin. The future amounts of water consumption are forecasted, and it is shown how it will increase in the Russian as well as the Chinese parts. An analysis of the spatiotemporal dynamics of water-use indicators revealed the differently directed tendencies in the water-use pattern in the Russian and Chinese parts of the Amur river basin, and the existence of quantitative disproportions caused by a different degree of development and a different intensity of economic growth. In the Russian part of the basin, the amounts of water used have stabilized in recent years after a decrease, whereas they are increasing steadily in the Chinese and Russian parts where the highest proportion of water is used to meet agricultural and production needs, respectively. It is shown that water use, the density of the water-economy structure and the discharges of pollutants in the Chinese part of the basin are larger by factors of several tens than those in the Russian part. The manufacture of water-intensive industrial products and the load of agriculture on water resources also differ by factors of several tens. The indicator of population size is used to characterize the degree of development of the basin’s territory. For the Russian part of the basin the study revealed a dependence of water consumption on the population size and on the volumes of water-intensive products in the production facilities with a low coefficient of recirculated water use. This dependence can also be extended to the Chinese part where circulated water supplies are being used only moderately.

The spatial distribution patterns of climatic changes in Yakutia are considered. For 26 meteorological stations of Yakutia we calculated the linear trend coefficients of climatic characteristics: air temperature (mean annual, January and July temperatures) and the mean annual amount of atmospheric precipitation from 1966 to 2016. Maps of climate change trends were compiled from linear trend coefficients. A spatial analysis of the zonal (regional) peculiarities of the climate of Yakutia has been carried out. An increase in air temperature was established for the 50-year period under consideration. It was found that the annual values of the air temperature trend are positive and, on average, a characteristic trend change interval is 0.3 to 0.6 °C/10 yr. Most of the meteorological stations recorded trends of air temperature with maximum values in winter and minimum values in summer. It was determined that the values of the trends in annual precipitation show different directions, and positive trends occur on more than 70% of the territory of Yakutia. Their maximum corresponds to the mountain-taiga regions of Southern Yakutia. Negative trends in precipitation with values of up to–15 mm/10 yr. are observed in tundra landscapes. The findings show that different regions of Yakutia respond differently to climate change. The trend of an increase in mean annual temperature is largely due to the rise in temperatures during the winter months. The rise in air temperature in Yakutia may be part of global warming. Over the last 50 years there has been an increase in the amount of precipitation in Yakutia as a whole.

This paper outlines the industrial potential of the city of Irkutsk as the source of pollution of the urban environment and ecological effects. A crucial role is played by the fuel and energy complex (FEC) represented by the energy industries, coal and oil–refining industries as well as by the metallurgical and agro–industrial sector. A major contribution to air pollution of the city (up to 60%) is made by motor transport. It was shown by observations and calculations of the traffic rate in different functional zones of the city that it fluctuates from high (3714 vehicles/hour) in the industrial zone to low (888 vehicles/hour) in the green zone. The social and demographic situation is characterized. The population size of the city is 623.4 thousand. The population density in different administrative districts varies from 1204 to 4558 persons per square kilometer. The birthrate is 17.5% higher than the national average. In situ assessments were made of the ecological status of soils. We determined the level of soil biochemical activity (SBA) and their alkaline acid conditions as integral and informative indicators. Ecologically, high and low SBA values cannot be considered positive because they indicate a tendency for disturbances in the metabolism regulation mechanisms for organic compounds. Content levels of heavy (HM) metals in soils are provided. The findings are presented cartographically.

Characteristic properties of melt water are formed in course of transformation of its molecular structure in the process of its natural crystallization and subsequent thawing of ice. Melt water is a natural cryogenic resource, which plays a crucial role in the life on the Earth and in the global water resource management. Side by side with technological progress and growth (increase) of the world population, the importance/value (significance) of melt water will grow (be enhanced).

Alluvial, aeolian and pedogenic horizons were detected in floodplain deposits of small rivers of Southeastern Transbaikalia. The occurrence of pedogenic horizons in floodplain deposits indicates that they were formed at periods of an enhancement in erosion activity at the end of the dry cold phase and at the beginning of the dry warm phase during the overall course of heat availability and humidification of climate in the latter half of the Holocene. An enhancement in fluvial activity corresponded to the cold humid phase, whereas an intensification of the aeolian process was taking place during the dry cold phase.