This year we celebrate centenary of the birth of Mikhail Aramaisovich Petrossiants Honored Professor of the Moscow University, who was the prominent Russian meteorologist, founder of the Russian school of tropical meteorology and organizer of meteorological science. M.A. Petrossiants was born in 1919 in Andijan. From his younger days he was interested in geophysics. In 1941 he graduated the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Central Asian University, majoring in geophysics. In March 1943 he joined the Red Army participating in combat from the Dnieper to Vienna and was awarded orders and medals. From 1948 to 1958 working at the Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR Mikhail Aramaisovich progressed from junior researcher to the Head of Department. At the end of 1958 he started working in the hydrometeorological service and was appointed the Director of the Central Asian Research Hydrometeorological Institute (SANIGMI). In 1965 he defended the doctoral dissertation: «Investigation of the influence of topography on synoptic processes and cyclonic activity in Central Asia». In 1967 he was appointed Director of the Obninsk Institute of Applied Geophysics. He coordinated the projects on tropical meteorology in the USSR and headed the «TROPEX-72» and «TROPEX-74» national climate experiments, the latter being the USSR national contribution to the International Atlantic Tropical Experiment (ATEP). In 1973–1981 he was the Head of the Hydrometeorological Center of the USSR. During this period, he focused on the modernization of computing machinery and graphics devices and the improvement of meteorological data receipt and processing. From 1981 to 2005 he was the Head of the Department of Meteorology and Climatology of the MSU Faculty of Geography. He made notable contribution to the development of scientific, educational and managerial activities and published a number of important research works of high originality and novelty. His research interests were mainly focused on weather forecast via synoptic and hydrodynamic methods, tropical meteorology and monsoon investigations.

The paper gives a definition of «channel processes management» as a complex of human influences on river channels to minimize or prevent hazard occurrences of channel processes and their negative changes, to account river channels regime and to support hydroecological safety in the process of rivers and riverine territories exploitation, water economy and water transport use of river resources. Problems of channelprocesses management are evaluated, rivers are classified according to the conditions of channel processes management with due account of the channel stability, channel regime and degree of their economic development. Different approaches for channel processes management on plain and mountain rivers, big and small rivers, rivers with incised and wide-floodplain channels, rivers with sand and pebble bed-material load, etc. are described The importance of predicting the channels deformation due to environment and climate changes and under water economy and water transport activities is emphasized.

The paper discusses the basin, soil and biogeochemical paragenetic associations of landscapes. «Cationophilic» and «anionophilic» components and subsystems of landscapes, specializing in accumulation, depletion or the presence of correlations of chemical elements, are identified. The landscape-geochemical studies of ancient weathering crusts, Paleogene, Neogene and Pleistocene continental deposits, soilgeochemical catenas and plants in various regions of Kazakhstan, Central Asia, the Caspian Sea region and the rivers of the Baikal Lake catchment are synthesized. There are three paragenetic associations of chemical elements in aquatic landscapes of a heterolithic river basin. The first prevalently includes cationic metals – Fe, Mn, Pb and some lithophilic complexing agents (hydrolyzate elements) – Al, Bi, W, Be, migrating in water mainly in suspended forms. The second includes anionic heavy metalloids – Mo, U, Sb, As, as well as light metalloid B, which are presented mainly in dissolved forms. The third association includes chalcophilic heavy metals Zn, Cd, Cu, and also Sn, the fractionation of which is more dependent on hydroclimatic variability, weather conditions and seasonal variations of water flow and turbidity, as well as on the landscape-geochemical conditions of catchments.

The Karangatian transgression is a significant milestone in the Pleistocene history of the Black Sea. It was a large interglacial transgression reaching 6–7 m above the modern level and the highest salinity during the Pleistocene. At present absolute age of the event is debatable and there is no consensus among the researchers. The paper presents new dating results obtained by the optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) of the Karangatian deposits represented in the Eltigen stratotype section on the western coast of the Kerch Strait. The section is a favorable object for OSL dating method, since the deposits are represented mainly by aeolian (loess-like subaerial sediments) and coastal-marine sediments, which are characterized by complete bleaching of quartz and feldspar grains. The chronology was obtained for both quartz and feldspar using three protocols (OSL, IR₅₀, pIRIR₂₉₀) for each sample, which allows for the conclusion of the reliability of resulting datings. Eight luminescence ages were obtained, six of them characterize the marine stage and two – continental stage of the territory evolution. The biostratigraphic analysis of mollusk fauna from marine sediments represented in the section confirmed their attribution to the Karangatian transgression of the Black Sea. The studied section covers two phases of the Karangatian transgression. The early stage was in progress during 131–120 thousand years ago (MIS 5e). The sea level rise was about 32 cm/ka and reached +3,6 m. The second phase of the transgression occurred 120–100 thousand years ago (MIS 5d-s). The rise of the sea level was about 12,5 cm/ka. The maximal sea-level dated 105–100 thousand years (MIS 5c), reaching ~6,45 m. Taking into account the scale of neotectonic movements will allow a more accurate determination of the maximum sea level rise. During the development of the Karangatian basin it was characterized by heterogeneous environmental conditions: from moderately saline (15–17‰) at the initial stages to marine (28–30‰) as the transgression progressed, and again to moderately saline (17–18‰) at the beginning of the sea level decrease. The subaerial stage of sedimentation on the coast began no later than 72±8 thousand years ago. The lower of two buried soils represented in the section was formed in the period of 72–68 thousand years, probably during the inter-stage warming within the Valdai glacial epoch (MIS 4).

The distribution of the tests of Atlantic water index species Cassidulina neoteretis and several other common benthic foraminiferal species in the Postglacial and Holocene sediments is analysed in marine sediment cores recovered in the Arctic and North Atlantic. The following key regions located on the pathway of Atlantic waters were selected: the western continental slope of the Great Britain, the eastern Fram Strait and the Laptev Sea continental slope. The occurrence of C. neoteretis in the studied sections gives evidence for the inflow of subsurface Atlantic waters to the Arctic since the onset of deglaciation period. The similar pattern of the predominance of C. neoteretis in the cores during the early deglaciation since the end of the Heinrich 1 event about 16,5 cal.ka until 13–12 cal.ka gives evidence for a strong inflow of subsurface Atlantic waters with the Fram Strait Branch under meltwater induced stratified conditions. During the time period between 13–12 to 7 cal.ka the relative abundance of C. neoteretis decreases in the cores from the Fram Strait and the Laptev Sea, probably in relation to the onset of deep convection and the reduction of freshwater influence in the Nordic seas. The growing representation of C. neoteretis after 7 cal.ka manifests an increase in the subsurface Atlantic water influence under modern-like sea-level position, growing climate cooling trend, sea-ice cover expansion and enhanced water stratification.

Extreme precipitation on the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea is most often observed during the cold season and results from the combination of synoptic processes and mesoscale effects arising under the influence of a large body of water and topography factors. Numerical simulation of the most intense precipitation events in the densely populated area is important for improving the methods of precipitation forecast. On the other hand, a number of questions arise about the physical mechanisms of extreme precipitation, i.e. the role of the planetary boundary layer, the lake effect, the topography. We carried out numerical modeling of eight episodes of extreme precipitation for the period of 2005–2016 using the WRF-ARW numerical mesoscale model; a detailed verification of the model by observational data was performed. It is shown that the model successfully reproduces maximum precipitation in the coastal areas. However, the precipitation modeling errors could be very high when comparing with the station data. Experiments with various parametrization of physical processes have shown the greatest sensitivity of the simulated precipitation to the parametrization of the atmospheric planetary boundary layer. The relationship between the intensity of precipitation on the Iranian coast of the Caspian Sea and the integral moisture content of the atmospheric column and the sea surface temperature in the southern part of the lake was also revealed.

Basing on the comparative analysis with the data at meteorological stations, three models (GFDLCM3, IPSL-CM5B-LR and MPI-ESM-MR) of the CMIP5 project were identified, which best reproduce the intra-annual and interannual characteristics and the long-term trends of wind speed change in the Black Sea region of Russia. The selected models adequately reproduce the average wind speed (3–5 m/s) and its intra-annual cycle typical for the region with maximum in winter (5,0±0,5 m/s) and minimum in summer (3,0±0,5 m/s). Using the GFDL-CM3 model data, we showed possible decrease in wind speed by the middle of the XXI century (2046–2055) by 3–5% compared with the period of 2006–2015, when it was <0,3 m/s.

We studied geography of aviafauna of North-Eastern Asia mountains, namely the Verkhoyansk, Chersky, Suntar-Hayata, and Sette-Daban mountain ranges, and the Kolyma and Koryak uplands. We specified the distribution boundaries and residence status of 32 bird species within the area of about 300 000 km². We confirmed the stability of the distribution boundaries for 20 species. The distribution border of a number of species runs along the Verkhoyansk range and the Sette-Daban range; that gives a reason to consider these ranges as important biogeographic boundaries within North-Eastern Asia. For the first time we encountered 32 species of birds outside the known breeding areas in the mountains of North-Eastern Asia, most of them (n=19) to the north of the known boundaries of theirs distribution. The share of the first-time encountered species in the avifauna of surveyed mountain regions is maximal in the southern branches of the Kolyma Upland, where 16 (21%) of 74 breeding species were recorded for the first time. The species found outside the known breeding areas were recorded at 1 to 15 sites at a distance of 20 to 1200 km from the known breeding areas. In 2014-2017 for the first time we found vast areas of stable breeding with a relatively high bird density for one group of species in the North-Eastern Asia, which could be considered parts of the main breeding area. For other species we identified only local, probably isolated territorial groups with a habitat area of no more than 50–100 km² that form the very edge of the species range in North-Eastern Asia. Perhaps, these are sporadic breeding areas or parts of the distribution range with prominently fluctuating boundary. The birds first-ever discovered in new breeding areas outside the known boundaries of the distribution range belong to different species. We assume that a number of such species appeared in the mountains of North-Eastern Asia as a result of breeding outside their distribution range or its expansion. The modern dynamics of the distribution range boundaries probably indicates the continuing dispersal of species and avifauna formation in the mountains of North-Eastern Asia under the climate change.

The article is based on the results of questioning the school graduates from small and midsize towns of Russia and on the materials of 2015 and 2018 expert interviews. It was found that over 90% of modern 11th-grade students in midsize and small towns are going to obtain a higher education. Realization of these plans and further career development are closely associated with migration from hometowns. Education migration intentions are higher among school students from small towns. Educational and migration strategies of young people correlate with their academic performance, parental education level and material prosperity of their families. The leading migration’s directions are large cities, including the regional centers. The choice of regional centers (or rejection of them in favor of other large cities) is influenced by the location and territorial proximity of the hometown, availability of a wide range of universities and further employment opportunities in the regional center, as well as the size of the regional center and the proximity of other larger town. The most successful school graduates move to Moscow and St. Petersburg, and there is almost no chance of their return to hometowns.

The 100-km long upper reach of the Volga River between the Selizharovo and Zubtsov towns is oriented opposite the Late Valdai ice sheet which covered the Volga River sources, i.e. the area of the Verkhnevolzhskiye Lakes, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), about twenty thousand years ago. Due to the Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA), crustal subsidence occurred in the progalcial area and further from the ice sheet a compensational rise was formed towards which the Volga River valley was directed. The study is aimed at the investigation of the influence of GIA-induced changes in gradients during MIS 2 and the Holocene on the evolution of the Volga River valley. At the key site near the Bolshaya Kosha village (Selizharovo district, the Tver Oblast) it was found that prior the LGM the alluvial aggradation in the valley was most probably associated with the decrease of valley gradient because of the GIA-induced formation of a crustal proglacial flexure. However, the total depth of subsidence was not enough to completely stop the Volga River flow and promote the formation of a proglacial lake. During the LGM the highest (third) and widest river terrace was formed by both river and glacial melt waters. After the LGM the river incision resulted in the formation of a terrace staircase. The incision was caused by the increase of valley gradient due to the glacio-isostatic uplift of the proglacial area in the process of deglaciation. The incision was over in the Mid-Holocene (about 6 kyr BP). The total depth of incision was 15 m and the average incision rate was about 1 mm/year.

The criteria for the assessment of the stability of underwater landscapes (bottom natural complexes, BNC) are proposed (using the scorecard approach) on the basis of the analysis of spatial distribution of phytomass reserves of macrophytobentos and principal Black Sea macrophyte species in the coastal zone of Crimea. The suggested criteria were tested for the Laspi Bay, where there is a series of long-term (1983– 2016) observations of bottom vegetation changes with regard to the bottom landscape structure. The phytomass reserves of macrophytes and their dominant species (Cystoseira spp., Phyllophora crispa, Zostera spp.) for the upper and lower boundaries of the contours of various bottom natural complexes were estimated. An abrasion upper shoreface slope built of psephitic (rudaceous) sediments with dominance of Cystoseira species is the most stable BNC in the water area of the bay with the smallest recorded changes of integrated assessment. A gently sloping accumulation plain built of psammitic deposits with broken shell inclusions and dominant Phyllophora crispa and а gently sloping accumulation plain formed by silty–psammitic (arenaceous) sediments with dominant common eelgrass (Zostera marina) were more prone to transformation (minimum integrated assessments), which reflects in the change of the depth of their distribution, degradation of plant component and sharp reduction of the contribution of speciiesedifiers.

The data of long-time field studies within the territory of the Satino research and training station were summarized to reveal the effect of land use changes on the soil cover. As a result, the map of land-use scenarios has been compiled basing on the interpretation of space and aerial photographs since 1951; human-induced changes in soddy-podzolic soils (Albic Retisols) properties were recorded in detail. Basing on the resulting materials several variants of soddy-podzolic soils, both arable and forest, are described which are different in their morphological and chemical properties. The revealed differences made it possible to propose a more detailed subdivision of taxonomic units of anthropogenically modified soils and actualize the traditional soil map.

The article provides an overview of the results of studying the microclimate of the Satino research station, typical behavior and distribution of the most important meteorological variables depending on the diverse combinations of conditions and characteristics of relief, vegetation and other landscape components. There are considered the principal existing approaches of microclimate investigation, implemented at the Satino research station, in particular, for the students’ field training, as well as methods of surface layer study, including the application of automatic measurement complexes. It is proposed to introduce and develop a novel modern instrumental base and new research activities based on an integrated approach. Computer modeling of microand mesoscale meteorological processes is the most important area of research development, because it allows considering the complete information about landscape components obtained as a result of complex observations of faculty’s departments at the Satino research station. The examples include observations on the heat and moisture exchange processes and the greenhouse gas fluxes within several contrasting locations, taking into account data about phytocenosis, soil type and relief on different scales. In addition, high-resolution regional climate modeling could be a consolidating method of the geographical and environmental sciences aimed to understand and predict environment state and, in particular, the climate system. The results of climate modeling could be used for a wide variety of landscape components assessment, largely determined by climatic resources, in particular, under the climate change.

The current approach to assessing the pollution of the aquatic environment does not take into account regional characteristics of waters and cannot reflect its real picture. To solve this problem, a methodology was developed for calculating a regional water pollution index using the regional background concentrations of elements and their toxicity according to the MPC criterion for fishery reservoirs. To normalize the permissible anthropogenic load on the aquatic environment, it is proposed to use an indicator of the amount of polluted water, taking into account both the volume of polluted water and the degree of pollution according to priority indicators. The approaches were tested for two water bodies, i.e. the Kenti lake-river system (Republic of Karelia) and the Imandra Lake (Murmansk region), which are subject to anthropogenic influence. It is shown that suggested methods can be used for any region and for various types of wastewater.