Journal of the Belarusian State University. Geography and Geology
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Morphology and genesis of the Yaselda glacial valleys in Belarus
Geological mapping revealed the oldest Yaselda (Don (on the territory of Russia), Sanian 1 (on the territory of Poland)) generation of valleys in the Quaternary strata. Valleys are widespread in marginal and inner zones of the Yaselda glaciation area. They are located in the pre-Yaselda lowlands, in the areas of deformable deposits that lie above the more hard rocks protrusion and in fault systems. The distribution of glacial valleys is depends on the radial-sectoral structure and dynamics of the Yaselda glacier, which predetermined both the common and regional features of the valley regularity and morphology. The common features are the location in lobed sectors, occurrence in heterochronous ice marginal complexes, the predominance of polygenetic valleys. The regional features include isolated position, submeridional and meridional orientation, smaller size and weak expression of valleys in the maximum phase relief, the predominance of valleys of glacial exaration and extrusion and tunnel valleys. Valleys of the younger (Novogrudok) phase are located in the marginal complexes of the Middle Neman, Naliboky and Middle Berezina ice lobes and tongues. Valleys are characterised by connection with the belt of marginal highlands, sublatitudinal large-festoon ordering on the area of the lobes and a fan structure in the tongues, large size and maximum depths, clear expression in relief. Here, mainly polygenetic basins and trough valleys, extrusion valleys and subglacial tunnel valleys have been established. Basins arose simultaneously with the advance of outlet glaciers and are the result of exaration and glaciotectonic overthrusts of substrate rocks in the territory of the Belarusian anteclise and lowlands enveloping from the north. Their formation became possible at the regressive stage, when the readvances of the ice lobes led to the extrusion of a large amount of bed material and its accumulation in the basin borders. Trough valleys arose due to the wedging of outlet glaciers into paleovalleys or selective linear erosion along zones of structural weakening. In areas of rock bed, they were formed by plucking and abrasion, and in areas of soft substrate – by plucking, removal of thrust blocks. Numerous extrusion valleys appeared due to the extrusion in the Meso-Cenozoic deposits from under the glacial tongues into the marginal zones during the glacial retreat phase. Tunnel valleys originated as a result of canal erosion of sediments during rapid outbursts of water from subglacial lakes established for the glacier reduction phase. Most of the large valleys are of polygenetic origin.
Copyright (c) 2022 Journal of the Belarusian State University. Geography and Geology
Influence of the thermal сonditions within the bed of the last ice sheet on the distribution of glacial valleys of the Belarusian Poozerie area
Within the bed of the Poozerie (Weichselian) ice sheet, which occupied the northern part of Belarus at the maximum stage and at the beginning of degradation, three concentric thermal zones were identified according to geological and geomorphological criteria: the outer zone of basal frozen ice, the zone of discontinuous frozen bed, the inner zone of the thawed bed. Comparison of glacial valleys with thermal zoning shows that their distribution and formation closely related to thermal conditions. During the Poozerie (Weichselian) ice sheet advance into the northern region of Belarus, thermal zoning affected geological denudation processes. This led to local erosion and valleys in the outer zone of basal frozen ice, large-scale manifestation of glacial excavation and squeesing out and the formation of lobate glacial depressions, large radial valleys and subglacial lakes in the inner zone of the thawed bed and along its outer border with the zone of discontinuous frozen bed. The formation of large tunnel valleys became possible at the stage of degradation of the ice sheet (Vitebsk phase), after the melted glacial waters of subglacial dammed lakes found an outlet into the marginal zone through an intermittent frozen bed and were released as a result of catastrophic floods through separate channels, which were deepened, widened and formed tunnel valleys.
Spatial and temporal features and factors of the distribution of the population aged from 0 to 14 years in China
The economic and geographical analysis of spatial and temporal trends in the distribution of the population aged from 0 to 14 years by provinces was carried out at the article based on China’s official demographic statistics for 2000–2020. Using the methods of statistical and correlation analysis, linear and geographically weighted regression, spatial analysis of demographic data, comparative geographic method, typographer’s method, geographic systematisation and cartographic method, the authors obtained a number of new scientific results. In the course of the analysis of the population of China at the age from 0 to 14 years, a reduction trend and territorial differentiation were established, which made it possible to distinguish three zones on the territory of the country – eastern with high population, western and central-eastern with medium abundance and meridional central with low abundance, with a predominance of the second and third zones in the structure. On the example of selected socio-economic indicators, it was determined that the size of the GDP and the number of medical institutions affect the size of population aged from 0 to 14 years, while the annual income per capita has a weak effect. Calculation and visualisation of geographically weighted regression at the provincial level confirmed these results. An analysis of the proportion of the population aged from 0 to 14 years indicates a significant reduction (up to 17.8 %), and the heterogeneity of space with the allocation of the western zone with the highest values and the northeastern zone with the lowest values. According to the nature of the dynamics of the size of population aged from 0 to 14 years, the provinces of China are divided into two types – provinces with population growth and provinces with population decrease, with a prevalence of the provinces of second type (70.6 %). The use of the center-periphery approach in the final geographical systematisation makes it possible to single out three types of provinces in China – central, buffer and peripheral. The revealed territorial heterogeneity and a significant share in the structure of provinces of the peripheral type (32.4 %) serve as a scientific justification for the need to use a geospatial approach in developing the directions of state demographic policy to ensure China’s sustainable economic growth.
Economic and geographical analysis of changes in the economic specialisation of the cities of Belarus
A comparative geographical characteristic of the economic specialisation of cities of regional subordination and the city of Minsk in the context of the main sectors of the economy (sections of types of economic activity) was carried out for 2010–2020. Using materials from the database of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, the coefficients of specialisation for the considered cities were calculated. Using the cartographic method, the leading economic specialisation (the highest values of the coefficients) of the cities in the intra-republican division of labour is reflected. The research allows us to talk about changes in the economic specialisation of the cities of regional subordination and the city of Minsk, while the nature of the dynamics of economic specialisation differs by city. A general pattern in the dynamics of economic specialisation has not been established for the entire group of analysed cities. The most cities are characterising by the absence of pronounced changes in specialisation for 2010–2015. The dynamics of economic specialisation takes place for Baranovichi, Pinsk, Novopolotsk and Mogilev. The minor shifts were revealed in specialisation of eight cities and a pronounced change in specialisation of Grodno for 2016–2020. The authors developed a grouping of cities according to the number of specialised sections of types of economic activity. Spatial differences are revealed between western and eastern cities in economic specialisation in terms of production and service sectors.
Results of using geoinformation and statistical analysis methods to study spectral reflectance characteristics of agricultural crops of Belarus
The results of using geoinformation and statistical analysis methods to study spectral reflectance characteristics of the nine most typical agricultural crops of Belarus are presented. Spectral brightness coefficients and normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) values were extracted from Landsat-8 multispectral satellite images in the software package ENVI (version 5.2) and analysed based on the methods of zonal statistics in the software complex ArcGIS (version 10.2) and mathematical and statistical analysis in the program Statistica (version 10). The verification of satellite data with the corresponding field measurements was carried out on the basis of correlation analysis, namely, a reliable strong positive linear relationship between the measured in the field by a specialised GreenSeeker instrument NDVI values and the calculated by Landsat-8 satellite data NDVI values was established. The character of the distribution of spectral brightness coefficients and average NDVI values depending on the type of agricultural crop was assessed using a dispersion analysis, which allowed revealing patterns hidden in the spectral data. In particular, after applying the procedure of multiple comparisons using post hoc tests, it was established which types of crops significantly differ from each other and for which dates these differences were observed. The obtained scientific results were systematised and presented in the form of corresponding tables. The data contained in the tables made it possible to improve the methodology of automated recognition of the crops considered in the study.
Features of climate change in the European territory of the Union State of Russia and Belarus
The article is devoted to the assessment of changes in the thermal regime the Republic of Belarus and the European territory of Russia. The relevance of the topic is due to the need to study regional climatic changes in the context of modern global warming. As a result of the study, it was revealed that in the region in the period 1900–2019 in all months of the year the air temperature rises at different rates. Warming occurs more intensely during the December – March period. The dependence of the thermal regime on the type of circulation modes has been established. The fire hazard on the territory of Belarus, the dynamics of dangerous meteorological phenomena depending on the navigation period and the distribution of stratospheric ozone as one of the most important climatic factors are considered.
Assessment of the intensity of the impact of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena on the socio-economic system of Belarus
The article is devoted to the study of the problem of the impact of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena on the population and economy of the Belarus. The indicators determine the intensity of the impact of hydrometeorological factors and take into account the level of socio-economic development of the region. The authors analysed dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena in the period 2008–2020 according to the state network of hydrometeorological observations of Belarus. Statistical method and mapping method were used. The authors assessed the intensity of the impact of the hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena on the basis of a quantitative analysis of the hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena on the socio-economic system of Belarus. Official data on population, area of administrative districts and GRP of regions are the initial data of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus. The paper proposes an adapted methodology for a multi-scale study of the impact of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena on the economy and population in the context of the local level, mesolevel (region) and macrolevel (country) using geoinformation technologies and information electronic database. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the administrative regions of Belarus have unequal vulnerability to dangerous weather manifestations, therefore, the most vulnerable regions of Belarus were identified, for which hydrometeorological services are of particular importance. From the point of view of the intensity of the impact of the hazardous hydrometeorological phenomen on the socio-economic system, the most unfavorable is Minsk Region. The results showed that the higher the population density and the greater the frequency of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena, the higher the intensity of the possible impact on the population. Accordingly, the higher the GRP, the more significant economic losses can be expected in a particular region of Belarus. Therefore, it is in areas with high GRP that the necessary protective measures should be taken in the first place in order to reduce the consequences of the impact of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena.
intensity of impact of hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena
Regional variability of the mean and extreme characteristics of the present meteorological regime of the eastern part of the Baltic Sea catchment
The features of the regional heterogeneity of the modern meteorological regime are assessed, as a refinement of existing estimates of large-scale climate changes – for the eastern part of the Baltic Sea catchment on the example of the Leningrad Region and nearby territories of neighbouring subjects of the Russian Federation (northern part of the region), as well as the Zapadnaya Dvina catchment within the Republic of Belarus (southern part of the region). Significant differences in surface air temperature and snow water equivalent (hereinafter referred to as snow storage) were revealed for the winter period, with similar precipitation, more intense interannual and long-term changes in the southern part of the region. The common feature for the region is the presence of a significant correlation of the long-term January – March atmospheric circulation indices variability only with the variability of surface air temperature, as well as minor differences in the number of anomalous years with similar anomaly amplitudes. Surface air temperature has the greatest contribution to the long-term variability of snow storage everywhere, which is most pronounced in the south of the region. The turning points in the long-term variability of surface air temperature coincide in the north and south of the region, the turning points in the course of total precipitation do not coincide. The number of anomalies (exceeding the standard deviation) in the long-term series of characteristics in the northern and southern parts of the region differ little (9–12 cases in the positive and negative ranges of values) in the absence of coincidences and the similarity of the amplitude of the anomalies. The range of values of extreme threshold values (extreme percentiles) of surface air temperature in the north of the region is lower than the range of values in the south, the variability of small percentiles exceeds the variability of large ones; the rate of long-term increase in average temperatures is accompanied by a significant increase in small percentiles in the north and large percentiles in the south of the region. The values of extreme threshold values of precipitation and their standard deviation vary little across the territory; positive trends in maximums and negative trends in minimum thresholds are small, consistent with a slight increase in mean total precipitation. According to the spatial distribution of average values of snow storage, the values of their extremely small and large threshold values in the north of the region are higher than in the south; in the north of the region, the values of percentiles in the interval 1985–2002 stand out as the lowest.
Pharmaceutical sales in the Republic of Belarus: dynamics and geography
The article presents the results of the analysis of the dynamics and geography of the state of pharmaceutical trade in the Republic of Belarus for the period from 2010 to 2020, which was conducted on the basis of a number of indicators (total sales, distribution in the pharmacy and hospital sectors, sales of domestic and imported products at the level of 6 regions and Minsk) using a systematic, territorial and temporary approaches. The positive dynamics of pharmaceutical trade volumes was revealed both in the country as a whole and in the context of the regions and Minsk. The leadership of the capital in total sales of pharmaceuticals in value terms for the period under review was noted, which is due to the high number of the population living in it. The predominance of imported products in the total volume of sales both at the country and at the administrative-territorial level has been established. An increase in the share of domestic drugs in total sales was recorded, which is due to the development of the Belarusian pharmaceutical industry and its comprehensive support from the state. The pharmacy segment acts as the dominant sales market, both at the country level and at the level of the regions and the city of Minsk during the entire study period. In the placement of pharmaceutical enterprises, there is a tendency of their spatial deconcentration associated with their placement not only in the capital, but also in other areas, which indicates the emerging geographical shifts of this industry within the country.
Assessment of economic and geographical location of regions and cities of regional submission of the Republic of Belarus
A methodology for assessing the economic and geographical location of the territory is proposed, which is tested on the example of regions and cities of regional submission of the Republic of Belarus. A statistically significant relationship has been established between the level of socio-economic development of the studied territories and the distance of their administrative centers to large economic centers of the country, the area of the territory, the density of highways and the length of international oil and gas pipelines passing through the territory of administrative-territorial units. An integral indicator of the economic and geographical location of regions and cities of regional submission of the Republic of Belarus is proposed. A differentiated approach to the socio-economic development of the studied territories is substantiated on the basis of a change in their economic and geographical location, in connection with which appropriate measures of a practical nature are proposed.
Copyright (c) 2021 Journal of the Belarusian State University. Geography and Geology
The importance of topography in the occurrence of glacial valleys in Belarus
The relief of the ice-sheet bed predetermines the location of the valleys both in vast regions and in local, relatively limited areas. The influence of the relief in a large region on the formation of valleys occurs in lowland, more dissected northern and western regions of Belarus. Here, the bedrock relief plays a key role in appearance the hollow-like Vidzovsky, Polotsk and Surazh glacial erosion depressions and in isolation of the elevations separating them. The distribution of these largest forms of glacial erosion is associated with the regional picture of the glacial ice flow in topographic depressions, increased erosion of the ice bed, which developed under the glacial streams and lobes of the Scandinavian ice sheet. The degree and character of the relief dissection, the size, surface slope and orientation of the depressions, river paleo-valleys, elevations, and escarps had a leading role in the location of valleys in local, relatively limited areas. Their significance for the formation of valleys was to determine the local picture of the glacial flow and the areas where stresses were concentrated at the bed and glacial erosion intensified. The formation of tunnel valleys was possible in depressions and in the dissected relief of the glacial bed, which contributed to the accumulation of meltwater, the formation of subglacial lakes, as well as the concentration of meltwater in the subglacial channels.
Site selection for solar photovoltaic system installation using analytical hierarchy process model in Azerbaijan
The most suitable sites for solar photovoltaic power installations are determined through a comprehensive assessment of the meteorological, economic and environmental criteria of the energy potential areas. The basic criteria for location selection are evaluated using an analytical hierarchy process method based on multi-criteria decision-making technique for large-scale solar photovoltaic projects. The analytical hierarchy process model is also applied to evaluate areas of high solar potential and factors that are primary criteria for determinate the site suitability index modelling. This method considers various conditions, such as production and technological considerations, which aim to maximise the short-term profit from the project and the efficiency of power generation. In the study, a consistency ratio of suitable localities was determined and proper alternatives for the construction of photovoltaic installations were evaluated. In addition to local meteorology and related satellite measurement data, the country’s radiation values also were compared by converting a digital elevation model data using the tool «Area solar radiation» in GIS. As a result of calculating the site suitability index with the ArcGIS weighted overlay tool, it was concluded that 1.17 % (1016.8 km2) of the country are the most suitable sites for the installation of solar PV systems. These areas mainly include Khizi, Gobustan, Hajigabul, Beylagan, Sharur, Babek and Jeyranchol zones. The total number of locations identified accross the country, classified into 3 categories according to their level of suitability, includes 40 sites. Eight of these high suitability sites, all in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, contain 11 % (109.2 km2) of the total potential area. The remaining 32 sites, corresponding to areas with medium and low energy potential, cover 28 % (284.6 km2) and 61 % (623 km2), respectively. When these areas are completely covered with PV panels, it will be possible to fully supply the energy demand of the country with solar energy.
Structure and mapping of landscapes of the Pripyatsky National Park using geoinformation technologies
The article considers new approaches to the study of the structure of natural landscapes, the identification of typical and rare landscapes of Pripyatsky National Park and their mapping using GIS-technologies that allow the creation of digital landscape maps. The relevance of the work is to create the first digital maps for the Pripyatsky National Park, which can be used to expand the network of ecological routes, increase the number of objects of inspection of the territory by tourists, monitoring forests and swamps. The created digital landscape map reflects the hierarchical levels and structure of natural complexes in the rank of genera, species and tracts, as well as the principles of their selection, which correspond to scientific approaches to the classification of landscapes of the Belarusian school of landscape studies. As a result, the main factor of the selection of genera is the genesis, species – the nature of relief, tracts – features of relief and soil-vegetation cover. The mapping of landscapes of specially protected natural areas (SPNA) of the Republic of Belarus using GIS-technologies was first tested on the example of the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve and three national parks (Narochansky, Braslavskie Ozera, Belovezhskaya Pushcha). The digital landscape map of the Pripyatsky National Park, which illustrates the territorial distribution of 4 genera, 19 types of landscapes and 3 types of tracts, helped to clarify the boundaries of landscape units and served as the basis for identifying typical and rare landscapes, which is especially important for identifying rare landscapes that have preserved their natural appearance and have a special nature conservation value and in need of special protection. A digital map of typical and rare landscapes shows that within the boundaries of the park are widely represented species of lake-swamp and alluvial terraced landscapes, typical for the Polesie region, rare landscapes are confined to the floodplain landscape of the Pripyat River with ridged relief, old lakes, floodplain oak forests and tall grass meadows. In general, the identified typical landscapes of the Pripyatsky National Park are representative of the Polesie landscape province and reflect its regional features, and rare ones are found only in this region and emphasize its individuality. Digital maps made it possible to reveal the complex structure of landscapes, to discover not only typical and rare landscapes, but also unique objects in the rank of a natural boundary, and thereby show a more diverse landscape structure of the park than is reflected in the Landscape map of the Republic of Belarus (2014).
Physical-geographical natural systems within waters of the World Ocean
Based on the data of theoretical developments in the fields of ocean geography and system-geographical analysis, a hierarchical scheme of natural systems in the water layer of the World Ocean has been examined. The aim of the work is to carry out the first attempt to compare landscapes on land, natural systems in the coastal zone (the zone of contact between land and the World Ocean) and those in the World Ocean. The differentiation of the oceanic natural environment which is a possible version of a systematised list of systems ranging from individual oceans to individual eddies (or impulses) in the deep sea and on the shelf of shallow water are discussed. This work therefore, attempts to find new ways for the synchronous study of the hierarchical series of the coastal zone and the water layer of the World Ocean, along with land landscapes as part of the geographic shell of the Earth. This approach will make it possible to obtain a series of systems for the entire geographic envelope. This is a promising approach for an indebt development of physical geography in general.
Estimation of changes in bioclimatic potential values on the territory of Belarus using normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI)
Relations between bioclimatic potential changes and changes in state of crops have been analysed. NDVI (normalised difference vegetation index) and biological productivity parameter by D. I. Shashko (Bk) were used for this purpose. Average values of both parameters have been increasing over the territory of Belarus: since the beginning of 21st century, Bk values increased by 10–15 points and NDVI values – by 0.02–0.03 points. Relations between them depend on the type of vegetation. Current climate changes appeared to be favorable for forests, but average NDVI values on the croplands have been decreasing despite Bk growth. The main reason for this is high correlation between state of vegetation and water resources available (correlation coefficient r between NDVI and precipitation is 0.65–0.80), which, according to TWSA (terrestrial water storage anomaly) measurements, have begun to decrease during the last decade.
Regularities of soil temperature changes during the period with snow cover in modern climatic conditions of the Eurasian Subarctic
The influence of snow cover on the dynamics of soil temperature in the modern climatic conditions of the Eurasian Subarctic was investigated through a quantitative assessment of the features of the seasonal and long-term variation of parameters. Seasonal and long-term values of soil temperature for stable snow period decrease from west to east: a decrease of snow thickness and air temperature from west to east of Eurasia leads to a weakening of the heat-insulating properties of the snow cover with a significant decrease in regional air temperatures. With the emergence of a stable snow cover, the soil temperature seasonal and long-term standard deviation sharply decreases compared to the autumn and spring periods. With the appearance of snow cover, the soil temperature standard deviation drops sharply compared to the autumn and spring periods. An exception is the northeast of Siberia: here, a relatively small thickness of snow determines a noticeable dependence of the course of soil temperature on the dynamics of surface air temperature. There are no significant long-term trends in soil temperature due to its low variability during winter period. Analysis of the course of the studied characteristics anomalies showed an insignificant and non-systematic number of their coincidences. Currently, we have not found similar research results for large regions. The revealed patterns can be used in the analysis of the results of monitoring the state of the land surface, in the development of remote sensing algorithms, in the refinement of predictive scenarios of environmental changes.
Imaginative vision of space in geopolitics: approach to study
The vision of space in critical geopolitics, expressed through the image, is defined. The geopolitical concept of space is interpreted as the result of the geopolitical interaction of the latter with the outside world. Its historical development, the nature of organisation and behavior in relation to other geopolitical entities play a decisive role in this regard. The accumulation of these processes over time forms the semantics of stereotypical political ideas about space, such as: mission, security, buffering, a tendency to integrate and interpenetrate attractiveness, conflict, centrality, peripherality, etc., expressing themselves in a geopolitical image. The images of space, which are becoming increasingly important in geopolitical interaction, direct modern geopolitics to a deeper understanding of the status, role and orientation of various entities expressing geopolitics. A system-representative model of the study of the geopolitical image of space as a basis of methodological orientation, presented as the main idea of the study, has been developed. The model synthesises the interaction between the main factors and elements that form the geopolitical vision of space, which are projected onto its image in a dependent relationship. With this model, we defend the idea of launching an algorithm that adequately structures the process of forming a geopolitical image of space. The attributes that determine the formation of the geopolitical image of space have been displayed: factors of perception of space of internal and external character; sources of space perception (social experience and education, art, media products, maps, media); geopolitical identification; geopolitical identity; geopolitical discourse; semantic stratification and the scale of the geopolitical image.
Quantitative petrography: approaches and applications
Quantitative petrography is a scientific and industrial direction of geology, which made huge progress due to developments and inventions in information technology and optics in the last decade. This article is introducing the modern and scientific directions of quantitative petrography and describes their current state of art as well as methodical approaches and their application. The research objects of quantitative macropetrography are hand specimens, borehole cores and polished tiles, and of micropetrography are thin and polished sections of rocks samples, splitted rock surfaces and immersion preparations. The goal of the research is to develop and present new methodological approaches of digital microscopy for the analysis of ores, rocks and minerals, as well as to investigate the morphological image analysis capabilities for the transforming from the classical description methods to quantitative petrography.
Criteries and prospects of diamonds of the Vitebsk granulite massif
The article describes the history of studying the diamond content of tectonic structures of the territory of Belarus. Based on the results of magnetometric, mineralogical, tectonic studies carried out by industrial geologists and scientists over the past 50 years, new scientifically substantiated criteria for the search for explosion pipes have been developed using Clifford’s rule, according to which kimberlite explosion pipes are developed within the Archean cratons, where the thickness of the lithosphere is 175–270 km, and are absent in the zones of Early Proterozoic stabilisation and tectonomagmatic activation. Explosion tubes on the African-Arabian, East Siberian, Sino-Korean and East European platforms demonstrate their confinement to the Archean cratons and may be associated with zones of paleosubduction of the Proterozoic oceanic crust beneath the Archean cratons. Based on this, the authors scientifically substantiated the hypothesis that during the closure of the Early Proterozoic paleoocean separating the Fenno-Scandinavian craton from the Volga-Ural and Sarmatian cratons, subduction of the younger crust took place under these cratons, the southwestern corner of which on the territory of Belarus is the Vitebsk granulite massif. The article concludes that the Vitebsk granulite massif is the most promising in terms of diamond-bearing on the territory of Belarus, and within its limits – the Smolensk regional deep fault at the intersection of this fault of northeastern striking with the Odessa-Gomel regional deep fault of submeridional striking south of the city of Orsha. Recommendations are given for further study of promising areas in order to determine their diamond content.
Formation and assessment of ecological risks of urban landscapes in industrial cities of Belarus
The problems of the formation of hazardous natural and man-made processes in industrial cities, contributing to the emergence of environmental risks, are presented. To date, an extensive literary material has been accumulated on this problem, concerning the causes of its occurrence, analysis of the patterns of development, and the possibilities of managing risks, including the environmental ones. It has been established that the list of reasons for the formation of risks in cities lacks one of the most important factors that we have discovered – the structure of urban landscapes, which are quite large objects of urban development. To identify the role of these objects in the formation of environmental risks, the cities of Orsha and Pinsk were selected. These cities were laid down almost simultaneously at the beginning of the 11th century, but they have a different history of development. Maps of urban landscapes of cities were compiled, geochemical studies of their soil cover were carried out, geochemical and thermal anomalies of the surface were revealed, the volumes of ecosystem services (carbon absorption) by green spaces were calculated. It was found that urban landscapes perform various functions in the system of environmental risks: some of them contribute to the development of hazardous processes, others – to mitigate them. So, soil pollution with heavy metals (with an excess of the content of Pb, Cr and Cu over the MPC by 1.2–5.6 times in Pinsk), the strongest heating of the surface (8–16 °C higher than the air temperature in Pinsk and Orsha) and low carbon deposition (100–500 t per year) are typical for urban landscapes of the historical center, urban landscapes with a predominance of industrial buildings, urban landscapes for complex residential multi-storey, public and industrial buildings. Urban landscapes, in the structure of which there are elements of landscape and recreational areas of public use (parks, forest parks, squares), as well as agricultural lands and water bodies, are characterised by a low content of heavy metals in soils (below the MPC in Pinsk, below the background in Orsha), low surface temperature (2–3 °C higher than the air temperature), high volume of carbon deposition (2.6–2.8 thsd t per year). An assessment of the probability of risks associated with the described processes was carried out, which helped to find out that they correspond to the categories of «acceptable» and «neglected», options for risk management were proposed.
Economic-geographical assessment of the demographic situation and economic potential of the inter-capital Belarusian-Russian borderlands
Geographic research of the phenomenon of inter-capital space of the Belarusian-Russian border region is an actual research area problem for the socio-economic geography of Belarus and Russia. This is due to the objective need to develop mechanisms of overcoming the demographic and economic peripherality of the region and embedding regional economic systems of border regions into the system of local relations. The purpose of the research is to identify the current distinctive features of the demographic and economic development of the inter-capital space of the Belarusian-Russian border region with the establishment of its niche from the point of the central-peripheral approach. During the analysis of the demographic situation of the inter-capital space of the Belarusian-Russian borderlands, it was established that, generally, in 1999–2019, its main feature was peripherality with the three zones established – the central demographic periphery, the buffer demographic periphery and the demographic semi-periphery – with a predominance in the structure of the first zone. Geographically, the central periphery zone is formed mainly by the rural borderland areas. According to the results of the analysis of the industrial development level, it was discovered that the inter-capital space of the Belarusian-Russian borderlands is characterised by a high degree of spatial inequality due to the development of large industrial centers around the existing periphery. This research had established a spatial differentiation of the transportation accessibility (by the connectivity of administrative centers of the borderlands) and the productivity of road transportation. The economicgeographical analysis of the foreign trade had revealed the diversity of directions and intensity of foreign goods trade between the Belarusian-Russian borderlands, mainly expressed in the predominance of the export-oriented regions with the per capita foreign trade turnover estimated at up to 2000 US dollars.
Precipitation extremes over territory of Belarus under current climate change
The study presents an investigation of current and future changes in precipitation regime over territory of Belarus. An assessment of precipitation means and extremes and droughts indices was provided for period of 1948–2019 and more detailed analysis have been carried out for period of climate change in 1989–2019. The precipitation expected changes were studied for period of 2021–2099. It was established that precipitation growth up to 20–30 % in winter during 1989–2019 in comparison by 1948–1988, is connected with increase the number of days with weak precipitation and caused by growing duration of liquid precipitation falling. In summer the reducing of rain falling duration was noticed over territory of Belarus. At the same time the significant growth of precipitation maximal totals per day by 20–30 % was detected. The largest growth was found in the south of the country. Dry days number raised by 1–4 days and dry and hot days numbers raised by 1–2 days per decade. The repeatability of atmosphere droughts of different gradations increased up to 2–26 % by the majority of meteorological stations. According to climate projections based on the EURO-CORDEX-11, the growth of yearly and seasonal precipitation is expected over territory of Belarus. The precipitation increase is connected with growth of intense precipitation. At the same time, the dry periods duration is projected to rise in the warm part of the year. These tendencies are characterised the climate extremeness increase in the current century.
Assessment of soil erosion hazard and its mapping using GIS technologies
The article presents a method for creating a territory erosion hazard integrated map using RUSLE integral model, Earth remote sensing data and GIS technologies. The studies carried out on this topic are presented, the analysis of which has shown a more active use of integral indicators of water-erosion processes in foreign scientific works. Urgency of updating methodology for studying erosion processes has been substantiated. Theoretical foundations of the application of integral models of soil erosion are given, the application of the RUSLE model is substantiated, and the optimal way of using this model is proposed. The research methodology has been developed, consisting of primary processing of remote sensing data, calculation of the factors of erosion development and creation of a territory erosion hazard integrated map. Based on the processing of aerial photography materials, a point cloud, a digital elevation model and an orthomosaic map of the study area were created. The results of the geoinformation analysis of the remote sensing data, which included calculation of the soil erodibility factor and the topographic factor, are presented. Based on the integral indicator of watererosion hazard, a complex map of the erosion hazard of the territory has been created. Main patterns of geographical distribution of the values of the integral indicator of the water-erosion hazard of the territory are revealed, devised methodology is assessed. It was found that the schematic map reflects the general pattern of water erosion processes: they are more active in places where more dissected relief is spread. Influence of the soil factor on the pattern of the schematic map is shown: the pattern in the territories occupied by sod-podzolic loamy soils qualitatively differs from the pattern on the lands where sod-podzolic sandy loam soils are widespread. Patterns on the schematic map of different parts of the developed linear forms of relief, formed by temporary streams, are described. It is shown that the proposed method can be used to assess the water-erosion hazard of the territory. The need to take into account a larger number of factors and to refine the assessment of existing ones is concluded.
Improvement of mesoscale numerical weather prediction WRF-ARW in the Republic of Belarus by assimilation of radar wind and reflectivity data
The forecasts of severe weather events obtained with the WRF numerical mesoscale model with the adapted system for assimilation of reflectivity and radial velocity data from the network of Belarusian Doppler weather radars used in Belhydromet in 2019 are analysed. A description of the system for the echo quality control based on the radar dual-polarisation characteristics and the method for three-dimensional variational assimilation (3D-VAR) used to assimilate data in the WRF model are described. The results of case studies on the simulation of precipitation and strong wind for various circulation types in Belarus with and without radar data assimilation are given. The statistical and object-oriented verification of these forecasts is provided. The results of the comprehensive assessment reveal a decrease in the forecast error for 10-m wind speed for the early forecast hours (+6 h) by 1.34 m/s, as well as a more accurate forecast of the location, orientation of the cloud systems and precipitation zones, and a decrease in the number of false alarms in the version with assimilation. A preliminary conclusion on the possibility of using the forecast results in nowcasting systems is also made.
Copyright (c) 2020 Journal of the Belarusian State University. Geography and Geology
About the causes of pine drying in the Belarusian Polesje
Тhe results of identifying the causes of mass drying of pine trees in the Belarusian Polesje are presented. The object of the study is its modern generations on the former depleted sandy arable land and in natural conditions of growth. It is revealed that in the conditions of groundwater reduction after drainage reclamation in modern climatic conditions, the increase in the inflow of direct solar radiation in the 21st century was the limiting factor for the suppression of the stem productivity of pine, which led to the death of the stand.
Economic and geographic analysis of road service structure of the Republic of Belarus (on the example of highways)
The article is devoted to the economic and geographic characteristics of territorial differences in roadside services providing on the main roads of the Republic of Belarus of the 2015–2019. At present, the relevant issues related to the problems, organization, functioning and increasing the efficiency of roadside service facilities are widely represented in the studies of economists. However, the issue of the territorial organization of roadside service has not been practically studied in geographical science. The aim of the work is an economic and geographical analysis of spatial differences and patterns in the development of roadside services on the main roads of the Republic of Belarus and suggesting priority development areas, taking into account economic and geographical factors and identified regularities. The research provides a comparative analysis of the roadside service in the main roads and economic and geographical factors which determine the development of the roadside service network. Such factors include: traffic intensity, population of the administrative region, transport accessibility of service facilities for urban residents, level of socio-economic development of the region. The patterns of territorial differentiation of roadside services have been established, which are manifested in a high concentration of objects and services in areas with high traffic, attraction to large cities and the state border. The question of the service complexity, which is expressed in the number of roadside services types and the development of multifunctional facilities, which provide 5 or more types of services, is considered. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that the research of geographical aspects of roadside services is performed for the first time in the country and international aspects of the problem, an economic and geographical typology of main roads was proposed based on the type of roadside service structure and belonging to trans-European transport corridors using the example of the Republic of Belarus. The following typology enables to determine the underdevelopment of certain types of roadside services, such as car service stations, car washes, and guarded parking lots. The value of this study lies in identifying priority directions for the development of highways roadside service based on identified road services particularities: expanding the range of roadside services on facilities territory, developing a network of secure parking lots, including for trucks, developing multifunctional service complexes, providing paid and free self-service system services.
roadside service of the Republic of Belarus
Economic and geographic factors of development of air transport and accessibility of passenger air transportation in the Republic of Belarus
The article is devoted to the identification and analysis of economic and geographical factors in the development of air transport and their impact on the level of accessibility of passenger air transportation in the Republic of Belarus for the period from 2005 to 2017. The relevance of the study of the air transport development factors in Belarus is due to the geographical specificity of the country and the lack of domestic research on similar subjects in recent decades. On the basis of correlation analysis, the authour’s grouping of factors of the development of air transport has been proposed with the identification of the main, secondary and minor, which served as the basis for identifying the differentiation of administrative regions of Belarus by the level of accessibility of passenger air transportation. The results indicate that 40 % of the administrative regions or about 50 % of the population are characterised by limited abilities to consume air transport services, which requires diversification of the number of carriers and more intensive use of the existing air transport infrastructure. Based on this, special attention is paid to the use of the capabilities of regional airports and the potential development of domestic regional air traffic. These proposals will increase the availability of passenger air transportation, which will reduce up to 10 % the share of the population with disabilities in the consumption of air transport services.
Methodologycal problems and approaches to identifying and evaluating typical and rare landscapes of the Republic of Belarus
The analysis of the studying of the problem of identifying and evaluating of typical and rare landscapes was carried out, which showed that quite a lot of knowledge has been accumulated in this area of the identification of such landscapes and the criteria for their assessment. It is established that insufficient attention is paid to the classification and mapping of landscapes, the use of mathematical methods for their assessment. A scientific concept is proposed for the study of typical and rare landscapes, which contains four levels of their study (country, regional, subregional, local), the scale of work corresponding to the level, landscape classification units, criteria and indicators for their allocation are determined. So, at the country level, the criterion for assessing typical landscapes is the degree of representativeness, depending on bioclimatic factors and the large size of the landscape contour, at the regional (provincial) – the contour size of the dominant landscapes of the province and the index of landscape diversity, at the subregional – the intensity of anthropogenic transformation, at the local – characteristic value of attractiveness. The main criteria for assessing rare landscapes at the country level are the small size of the contour and the criteria of uniqueness, at the regional (provincial) indicator of occurrence, at the subregional – naturalness, at local – vulnerability. A geographic information database has been created, a methodology has been developed for identifying typical and rare landscapes and their typology. An assessment of landscape diversity was made and the map showing that typical landscapes are characterised by a high and medium level of diversity, and rare landscapes are characterised by medium and low was created. An assessment of the occurrence of rare landscapes was carried out, which made it possible to distinguish three groups – low, medium, and high occurrence; their list and a map of occurrence were created. It has been determined that unique landscapes, which are part of a group with low occurrence, require special protection. A direct correlation has been established between the level of landscape diversity and occurrence. The proposed criteria for identifying and assessing typical and rare landscapes can be used in organising or transforming nature protected areas, in the design of their passports and conservation obligations.
Significance of bedrock structure and lithology for the glacial valleys distribution and genesis in Belarus
Geographic distribution and genesis of glacial valleys within Belarus are closely connected to the structure, deformation properties and lithology of the bedrocks. The study reveals, that the highest valley density is over the protrusions of the Precambrian and Devonian rocks in the Belarusian anteclise and northern Belarus, that have a gently inclination against glacier and are overlied by thin strata of deformable Mesozoic and Cenozoic chalk, marls or uncemented sands and sandstones. In the areas, where the hard Lover Paleozoic and Devonian rocks constitute the bedrock surface in north and east Belarus, glacial valleys are observed in a smaller number. In addition, we find a small number of valleys in areas of southern Belarus, where the Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks form the bedrock surface, but basement is present of greater depth and dips generally toward to the south. Resistant of the Precambrian and Devonian rocks in northern Belarus to glacial stress and deformable rocks within the Belarusian anteclise predetermined different processes of glacier erosion and favored to development the different types of glacial valleys.