Geography and Natural Resources最新文献

The dynamics of Siberia’s total population and changes in age groups by working capacity are considered. The focus is on a significant reduction in the working-age population and an increase in number in the group older than working age. The dynamics of three types of demographic load coefficients over a 20-year period is analyzed: potential (children), pension, and general. It is shown that since 2000, the coefficients of the potential load on Siberia have increased by 16%, and the pension load, by 23%. Significant territorial disproportions in the coefficients of the total demographic load were revealed, and the difference between the minimum and maximum values in the regional context is 1.5 times. It has been established that the minimum loads are typical of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra (KhMAO-Yugra) and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YaNAO) as centers of attraction for the young able-bodied population; the maximum values of the demographic load are recorded in regions with a high proportion of children in the population structure: in the republics of Tyva and Altai, as well as in regions characterized by an aging population, namely, Altai krai, Kemerovo oblast, and Omsk oblast. The problem of the demographic potential of regions is considered with the index of potential demographic load. The maximum excess of the load of children over the load of pensioners (by 67%) was revealed in the Republic of Tyva. The maximum excess of the load of pensioners over the load of children (by 43%) was noted in Altai krai. The influence of regional socioeconomic factors on the formation of the demographic load index is emphasized: the level of fertility and mortality, migration activity, the influx of able-bodied population, and aging of the population.

Abstract

The article generalizes the global experience of research on communication geography with the goal to identify future directions of study of the spatial and temporal deployment and functioning of telecommunications networks. An original algorithm of semantic search for publications in bibliographic databases has returned about 400 articles on communication geography published in 1981–2020 in scientific journals worldwide. An analysis of these publications shows that six types of communications: fiber-optic, mobile, telephone, postal, telegraph, and satellite—have been studied within infrastructural, statistical, impact, streaming, and optimization directions of communication geography. Trends are identified using the methods of the moving average and bi-proportional indices. Linear extrapolation of trends in the number of publications by type of communications and by research directions suggests that in the future preference will be given to geographical study of fiber-optic and mobile networks within infrastructural and statistical approaches with the objective to optimize the line-nodal structure. Based on a comparative analysis of unsolved problems, it is established that the priority in future research should be given to the following meta-tasks: transferring the experience of geographical study of a given type of communications to other types; using big data of telecom operators for geographical analysis of the functioning of networks; transitioning from descriptive to constructive communication geography; identifying geographical patterns for deployment of telecommunication networks, and developing the concept of a territory telecommunications complex. The following research objects are identified as promising: machine-to-machine information exchange networks, 6G mobile communication networks, and multifunctional networks.

Abstract

Based on daily data on the isobaric surface altitude 700 hPa (lower troposphere) of the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, we carried out an objective classification of synoptic types over the Kodar Range (Transbaikalia) for the period 1970‒2020 and investigated seasonal and interannual variability of cyclonic and anticyclonic weather types frequency. It was found that the advective atmospheric circulation regime dominates at the level of the lower troposphere over the Kodar Range, and cyclonic types prevail over anticyclonic types in all seasons except summer (June‒August). It was further found that the frequency of occurrence of anticyclonic types has had a tendency to increase in summer and decrease in autumn over the last 50 years, and the frequency of cyclonic types has shown a trend to decrease in spring and, conversely, increase in autumn. It is concluded that the atmospheric circulation over the Kodar Range may influence changes in the mass balance of mountain glaciers. According to the ratio of cyclones and anticyclones in different seasons, three main modes of atmospheric circulation were established that govern possible changes in the mass balance of glaciers. Until the mid-1980s, the increased frequency of winter and spring cyclones contributed to stabilization of the glacier mass balance. From the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, the frequency of winter, spring, and summer cyclones decreased and the number of summer anticyclones increased. It is concluded that such conditions contributed to a decrease in winter precipitation and summer cloud cover, an increase in the net radiation and accelerated ablation of glaciers in the 1990s. Since the early 2000s the atmospheric circulation has contributed to a partial restoring of the glacier mass balance.

Abstract

The unique status of Lake Baikal imposes special requirements on the state of ecosystems in its drainage basin. An assessment of vegetation cover change, one of the most important and most sensitive environmental indicators, is an urgent task in order to develop effective measures to prevent and mitigate the negative processes of land degradation in the transboundary territory of the Baikal Basin. The work used perennial composites of the NDVI vegetation index from 2000 to 2022; their long-term dynamics are analyzed. The results of geoinformation analysis of the NDVI and their trends by vegetation types are presented. In the Russian part of the basin, negative NDVI trends are observed for steppe communities, while positive trends are observed in Mongolia. The forest vegetation is characterized by the growth of NDVI. The contribution of the seasonal component to the overall NDVI trend is estimated. The most pronounced NDVI trends have a point distribution and are caused by both natural processes and anthropogenic impact.

Abstract

New and generalized published data on the structure, age, and formation stages of deposits of the mantle and alluvial genetic complexes of the first terrace of rivers in the Selenga drainage basin are presented. The sections of the terrace of the Bryanka River in the Bryansk Depression, the Arshan River in the Khilok–Chikoi Depression, and the Shivert-Gol River in the Boro-Gol River basin in Mongolia are described. Information on the terrace structure and on the composition and absolute (radiocarbon) age of deposits is obtained. The first terrace 4–9 (15) m high above low water level is distinguished in the Selenga drainage basin. Large differences in the structure and composition of the terrace deposits depend on the morphology of the river valleys, water discharges, and the structural and tectonic conditions of the river basins. It has been established that the accumulation of sediments of the first river terrace in the Selenga basin began at the end of the Late Pleistocene. The channel, floodplain, and oxbow alluvium facies are distinguished. Channel alluvium was accumulated 30–15 cal kyr BP, and the accumulation of floodplain alluvium occurred during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene (15–8 cal kyr BP). The alluvium is overlain by Holocene sediments of the mantle genetic complex of different composition, genesis, and age reaching 3.5 m in thickness. It has been revealed that the first terrace of rivers in the Selenga drainage basin was formed in the Early Holocene (11.3–8 cal kyr BP) as a result of incising of the rivers during high floods. The chronological stages of sedimentation and soil formation have been identified. There was a long stage of soil formation 7–2 (0) cal kyr BP after the alluvium accumulation stop.

Abstract

The composition of the fish parasites of Lake Hövgöl has been analyzed for the first time based on the authors’ data and literary data from the perspective of available contemporary results of the studies on the taxonomy of individual groups. The parasite fauna of 9 fish species of Lake Hövgöl is represented by 73 species, of which protozoa and myxosporidia have 10 species each; monogenes 25, cestodes 11, trematodes, and nematodes 5 each; acanthocephales and leeches 2 each; and crustaceans 3. The species composition of the parasites of Hövgöl fish is represented by a smaller number of species-rank taxa compared to that of Lake Baikal and the Yenisei and Ob rivers. The fish parasites fauna of Lake Hövgöl belongs to 3 faunal complexes: boreal plain, boreal submontane, and arctic freshwater. In general, it corresponds to the parasite fauna of the Arctic province of the Palearctic. Parasites of the boreal submontane faunal complex dominate (48.2%).

Abstract

Despite the reduction of transportation costs that occurred in the second half of the 20th century, these costs remain a significant obstacle to effective entry into the global market for landlocked countries and regions. This article investigates the relationship between the scale of transportation costs by types of products and distance to target markets using the example of the directions of trade and commodity composition of Mongolia’s exports. The principle of “relative transportability of products” is formulated and an original methodology is used to assess the distribution of Mongolia’s export products based on an analysis of their transportability by distance. It is established that exports of low-transportability mineral commodities (coal, iron ore, oil, and ores and concentrates of nonferrous metals) are almost exclusively limited to neighboring countries, primarily China. The main reason for that pattern is the high transportation costs for bulk mineral commodities, which limits the possibilities of transporting them across large distances due to the significantly decreasing cost-effectiveness. Meanwhile, more expensive Mongolian products (gold, clothing, wool, etc.) are exported to more distant countries. The spatial distribution and transportability of Mongolian exports by border crossing points with Russia and China are determined. It is established that railway transport is the predominant mode of transportation for bulk cargo. It is concluded that the highest priority direction of export specialization in Mongolia is increasing the processing depth of raw materials to semifinished or finished products, thereby significantly increasing cost-effective transportation distances and expanding the area of foreign trade.

Abstract

The sustainable development of Ulaanbaatar is closely connected with the solution of issues caused by negative environmental impacts. The findings obtained as part of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research project, a review of the literature and reference materials, and an expeditionary survey revealed the problems and prospects of the natural resource supply of the territory and the need to change the socioeconomic and geoecological situation in Ulaanbaatar.The methodology of an integrated approach, covering socioeconomic, climatic, landscape-geochemical, and water-ecological studies, enabled us to identify the heterogeneity of the suburbanized space, the risks of sociodemographic development, water supply, air pollution and soil cover, which have an adverse impact on the social and economic development of the territory.The process of expanding the suburban area of Ulaanbaatar differs from similar processes in the cities and agglomerations of Russia and Europe and is more similar to the formation of slums in the cities of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The suburban yurt zones being created in Ulaanbaatar do not have any transport or social or engineering infrastructure, and residents suffer from diseases caused by environmental pollution and coal heating.The sustainable development of Ulaanbaatar and the surrounding area requires the development of a scheme for monitoring natural and anthropogenic changes, improving the protection system, optimizing the use of natural resources, and improving the system of settlement and management of urban areas.

Abstract

This article presents key research results of the cooperation between the Sochava Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Siberian Branch) and the Institute of Geography and Geoecology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. Focus areas and priority directions of collaborative research, resulting in the creation of complex atlases, joint monographs, and other research publications, are described. Particular attention is given to the results of studies of remote areas of the Khövsgöl region. The authors emphasize that the landscapes of cross-border areas are developed very unevenly and require a specially designed approach to the management of natural resources and to the predicting environmental response to negative influences. Priority directions of further geographic and geoecological research related to the study of transportation infrastructure and their socioeconomic consequences are described. Another important research direction is the study of interactions between cultures in different time periods.

Abstract

There is a long history of cooperation in electric power between Russia and Mongolia. The Soviet Union helped design, supply, and build electric generating and electric grid facilities for Mongolia’s electric power industry. Soviet–Mongolian ties provided and continue to provide the exchange of power between the countries, improving the operating modes of power equipment and increasing the efficiency of the electric power systems (EPS) and the reliability of power supply to consumers. In the post-Soviet period, Russian–Mongolian electric power cooperation has continued, including in recent years. Scientific and technical cooperation has been actively developing to study the prospects for the development of Mongolia’s EPS with the formation of a Unified Power System (UPS) of the country, further cooperation with the UPS of Russia, and integration with a potential international supergrid of Northeast Asian (NEA) countries. A general methodology has been formed and a holistic computational toolkit has been developed, including a number of mathematical models, to perform comprehensive research into the formation and justification for the development of the UPS of Mongolia. Scenario studies have been carried out to optimize the generating and network infrastructure of the UPS of Mongolia. An optimized multinode integrated structural scheme of the UPS of Mongolia, in which regional electric power systems are combined, has been determined. The role of the Gobitek project based on renewable solar and wind energy, contributing to the carbon-free development of Mongolia’s electric power industry, is shown. The further development of the UPS of Mongolia should go through strengthening electrical connections with the energy systems of neighboring countries (including Russia), which is a prerequisite for Mongolia’s entry into the NEA energy space and integration with the international supergrid of this region.