The traditional and new approaches to the geographical study of higher education are discussed. Along with quantitative indicators, it is proposed to use qualitative indicators more widely in assessing the spatial differentiation of higher education, and the impact of the territorial organization of the higher education system on regional development.
It is indicated that the educational space of a country or a region could be considered both a static and a dynamic system. In the first case, inequality reflects the situation at a specific time. The dynamic approach is aimed not so much at identifying the supporting frame of the educational space and the role of individual centers, but at the processes taking place there. To, it is however necessary to combine both approaches to analyze a regional situation and identify the trends of changes.
The authors consider it both possible and necessary to use ratings and rankings to identify spatial differences, whereas the quantitative indicators do not allow for adequate assessment of the role of a university in regional development.
Spatial disproportions in the distribution of “high-status” universities and world-class universities were revealed, as well as the differences of university potential in the cities of Russia. It is noted that the actual spatial organization of high schools supports the growing polarization of the innovation space in Russia. Russia is characterized by inequality in both the development of the network of research universities, and the spatial organization of universities of high reputation. The need to form a supporting framework for the country's educational space is indicated. It is noted that the cartographic method could become an effective tool for understanding spatial differentiation and spatial imbalances.
The conclusion is that the spatial organization of personnel training in modern Russia does not fully correspond to the spatial organization of their consumption, and does not take into account the profound structural changes that have occurred in the regional economy. The modern territorial organization of higher education objectively increases inequality in the possibility of further development of the center and the periphery. Modernization and development of a competitive economy in the regions of Russia imply changes in both the content of education, and the regional policy in the field of higher education.

The values of polyarene fluxes with suspended matter in the watercourses of the Don, Kuban and Volga river deltas have been calculated. Water flow rates and volumes of suspended matter differ many times in the studied deltas. However, the PAH fluxes are comparable: they vary from the first g/day to the first thousand g/day. The linear structures of delta flows are also different. The even distribution of flows is characteristic of the Don River delta; a pronounced maximum of flows at the entrance to the delta and their minimum in the lower part of the delta are characteristic of the Kuban River, while two contrasting maxima were recorded in the upper part and at the outlet from the Volga River delta. In addition, deltas differ in the input and output capacities of the polyarene fluxes, the gradients of decreasing flux intensity and the average values of PAH fluxes.
The formation of river flows of polyarenes is largely influenced by objects located within the delta or at a short distance upstream. The inlet capacities of the flows in the Kuban and Volga river deltas are 2165 and 1128 g/day, respectively. The Don River delta has the smallest flux of polyarenes (239 g/day), due to the absence of large industrial sources upstream. The intensity of polyarene fluxes decreases within deltas if there are no sources of pollutants. The greatest values of the gradients of flow intensity decrease are characteristic of the full-flowing sections of the channels in the upper reaches of the Don River delta (28.5 g/(day • km)), and the entrance to the Kuban delta (60 g/(day • km)).
Low-molecular-weight compounds prevail in the composition of polyarenes in the Don, Kuban, and Volga river deltas. Two- and three-ring polyarenes in the suspension accounts for 98%, on average. Homologues of naphthalene, phenanthrene and diphenyl predominate. Four-ring chrysene and pyrene are present in the composition of PAHs in bottom sediments, thus the low-molecular-weight polyarenes account for just 72-98%.
The diagnostic ratios of PAHs were calculated to determine the genesis of polyarenes. The ratios BaP/ (BaP + Cry), Ant/(Ant + Phe), and Tetr/(Tetr + Cry) were the most representative for the studied deltas, while the ratio of low-molecular-weight to high-molecular-weight polyarenes appeared less informative. According to the obtained values of PAH ratios, the regions of predominately pyrogenic polyarenes coincide with the regions where the largest industrial facilities are located.

The article focuses on the analysis of the development, landscape representativeness and territorial location of nature protection areas (NPA) of the Republic of Tyva (RT), taking into account the latest changes. The study was based on the system-dialectical approach to the study of protected areas in the process of their formation, functioning and development, as well as the methods of statistical analysis, GIS technologies and methodological approaches developed during the assessment of the representativeness of protected areas in Russia. The following materials were analyzed: data of state institutions of protected areas management of the Republic of Tyva, bibliographic sources, and cartographic materials. In total, 33 nature protection areas were studied, i.e. 2 nature reserves including 1 biosphere reserve, which consists of 9 separate sites; 1 natural park, consisting of 4 sites; 15 nature reserves and 15 natural monuments. The territorial distribution of protected areas was analyzed for 17 administrative districts. The study showed that glacial-nival, alpine and subalpine meadow, tundra and subholz-sparsely wooded landscapes are effectively protected within the existing reserves in Tyva, while forest, forest-steppe, steppe and tundra-cryophyte-steppe landscapes and less effectively protected. Nature protection areas are located unevenly, accounting for 0.3 to 28% of the territory area. The administrative districts could be grouped according to the area of nature protection areas: up to 6%, from 6 to 12%, from 12 to 18%, from 18 to 24%, and from 24 to 30%. Some areas have the greatest diversity of nature protection areas and the greatest recreational value in terms of the presence of aquatic monuments of nature.

Data on the main climatic (air temperature, precipitation) and hydrologic (water runoff, suspended sediment yield) factors of extreme erosion events (EEEs) formation and development are collected and analyzed for the Crimean Mountain territory. Significant increase of air temperature is observed over the territory of Crimea. The change in the amount of precipitation and the parameters of their extremeness have an insignificant trend. According to the observations at the Ai-Petri station there are tendencies to decreasing number of consecutive days with precipitation during the year (CWD index), as well as increasing duration of the period without precipitation (CDD index) in warm period of the year. This contributes to a slight increase in the accumulation of friable material potentially ready for transportation during slope runoff and floods under the intense precipitation. According to the data of the Feodosiya station an increase in the intensity of extreme precipitation is observed in the southeastern part of the peninsula. For the most stations the 0.95 quantile of daily precipitation is higher in cold period of the year, while the 0,99 quantile is higher in warm period, thus indicating that the extreme precipitation is mainly in the form of rains within the Crimean Peninsula. Distribution of rainfall ero-sivity shows that it is below its maximum (more than 600) in the Crimean Mountains, where it varies from 400 to 500. The highest values are typical for yajlas (forest-free top plateaus of the Crimean Mountains), while the karst processes levels them by decreasing the surface runoff coefficients. The increasing suspended sediment yield is assumed in rivers in the south-west of the peninsula due to the increase of annual and maximum water discharges. The comparison of the seasonal distribution of river flow before and after the end of 1970-s - the beginning of 1980-s shows its slight increase in summer period. Changes in air temperature and precipitation within the territory of Crimea are found to be in line with the changes within other Black Sea coast countries.

According to the rating of the ecological state of Russian regions the Stavropol Krai belongs to the category with an average level of anthropogenic impact. Generally low level of anthropogenic impact, both in terms of the complex indicator and most indicators of the environmental situation, is a factor of investment attractiveness of the region.
The article presents a methodological apparatus that allows the assessment of the environmental situation at the level of cities and districts of the Stavropol Krai. As a result of calculations, all cities of the region fall into four categories, from favorable to unfavorable environmental situation. The most unfavorable environmental situation is in the town of Nevinnomyssk: it belongs to the transition category from satisfactory to unfavorable environmental situation. The reason is a multiple impact on the urban environment by industrial enterprises, primarily by the Nevinnomyssky Azot plant and the state district power station.
Stavropol is among the cities with satisfactory environmental situation. This is due to both the increased level of pollution from vehicles and pollution from industrial enterprises. According to official data, road transport is the main source (about 84%) of air pollution in the city. The cities of Neftekumsk and Budennovsk belong to the category with normal environmental situation. At present no serious environmental problems could be identified in these cities. In addition to emissions from vehicles, the anthropogenic impact is caused by the functioning of the Stavrolen plant in Budennovsk and the Neftekumsk gas processing plant. Other cities of the Stavropol Krai belong to the category with favorable environmental situation; however this does not mean a complete absence of environmental problems. Emissions from vehicles into the atmosphere are the most actual problem, including the resort area of the cities of the Caucasian-Mineralovodsk agglomeration.
Among the districts of the region, the most unfavorable ecological situation is in Izobilnensky, Shpakovsky, Kochubeevsky and Neftekumsky districts, and favorable in Apanasenkovsky and Levokumsky districts. 

The paper discusses the possible ways of improving tourism development within the Valley of Geisers, a unique World Heritage site of the Kronotsky Reserve, basing on specific features of organization and regulation of touristic flows. The dynamism of volcanic landscapes and active development of modern geomorphologic processes, both slope and erosion, as well as the uniqueness and fragility of microrelief forms and plant communities of geothermal environments make such territories extremely vulnerable to the anthropogenic impact. At the same time, the high probability of hazardous natural processes in the zones of active geodynamics creates significant risks for tourism activities in such areas and requires a special approach to ensuring the safety of tourism during its planning and organization. However, the environmental monitoring data, collected since 2008, show that the construction of wooden paths in the Valley of Geysers made it possible to exclude the carrying capacity of soil and vegetation cover from the factors limiting the number of visitors on the route. At the same time negative impacts of tourism on wildlife, first of all, the noise and the effect of human presence, came to the fore, thus requiring to establish the scientifically substantiated seasonal restrictions, the so called “dormant period” in late spring - early summer time. The following mechanisms of tourist flows regulation reducing risks for visitors and mitigating the tourism impacts on the ecosystems of the Valley of Geysers are proposed, which may be also relevant for other similar volcanic environments: 1) competent spatial planning of tourist trails, with due account of the ecosystems resilience, the location of main attractive objects, the safety of visitors and the tourist flows management, including the maximum possible “looping” of a trail; 2) improvement of the trail design with the construction of both viewing platforms and special widened plots at the most attractive and viewing points; 3) regular environmental monitoring in the impact zone of the route, including the detailed zoological studies, as well as monitoring of natural hazards and immediate regulation of visiting regime; 4) provision of the highest possible visitors' experience by reducing the size of groups and the frequency of meeting other groups on the route; 5) improving the quality of information support, both on the route and in the visitor center, and increasing their educational role.

The paper discuss new evidence of vegetation changes and fire frequency over the past 3,5 ka BP in the middle part of the Lower Tunguska River basin (Central Evenkia) based on multyproxy studies of the sediment core from a swampy larch forest. The sampling plot is located within the area of the Evenki scientific station of the V. N. Sukachev Institute of Forest, SB RAS. New paleobotanical data, the results of macroscopic charcoal analysis and detailed radiocarbon dating of the sediment core are presented.
The example of the local ecosystem under study proves that fires were an important factor in the evolution of forest ecosystems within the cryolithozone of Central Siberia and triggered the paludification process during the Late Holocene. Five stages of fire frequency changes were identified. During the first stage (3600-2700 cal. yr. BP), the fire-free interval was 150 years, and during the next stage (2700-1500 cal. yr. BP) it increased up to 300 years. Between 1500 and 700 cal. yr. BP, including the climate warming of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly, the fire-free interval went down to 115 years. The significant cooling during the Little Ice Age (700-200 cal. yr. BP) led to reduction in the number of fires, and the fire-free interval was 275 years. The data obtained showed that during the period under review (3,5 ka), the frequency of forest fires in the study area reached its maximum within the last 200 years. The fire return period was about 80 years, which is close to the average fire-free interval in the study area reconstructed by dendrochronological data for the same period. The reconstruction of the fire regime demonstrated that the frequency of forest fires was higher during warm phases of the Late Holocene and decreased in the cold intervals. We suggest that during the periods of cooling the shorter and possibly colder summers reduced the evaporation and increased the ground moisture in many habitats, which was unfavorable for the initiation and expansion of forest fires.

The article examines the flow features of the spring flood in the Don River basin during 1930-2017. Its large-scale changes over the past half century took place in 1980 and 2006-2010. During these periods the most significant climatic changes were observed, aggravated in the 20th century by significantly increased anthropogenic runoff regulation by numerous reservoirs. The application of the method of integral curves in combination with statistical analysis of the spring runoff by the data of 50 stream gauges made it possible to separate the contribution of climatic changes and anthropogenic impacts to the formation of modern decrease of flood runoff on the rivers of the Don River basin. According to our results over the past 40 years the flood runoff has decreased by an average of 30-40%, i.e. from 10% in the upper reaches of the Voronezh, Khoper and Medveditsa rivers to more than 50-60% in the basins of the Seversky Donets and Oskol rivers. In terms of the changes in spring runoff, the rivers of the Don River basin are divided into three groups: with the runoff decrease after 1980, after 2006-2010 and with no changes in spring runoff. According to calculations, the amount of visible evaporation from the surface of reservoirs in the Don River basin upstream the Tsimlyansk reservoir is relatively small and equals to 0.09 km3 or 0.5% of the Don River's average annual flow for the Kalach-on-Don section. However, in dry years this factor can significantly increase the deficit of water resources for most watersheds with intensive economic activity. It is estimated that the total usable volume of reservoirs in the basins of the largest Don River tributaries averages 43% of the decrease in their runoff during the flood period, thus indicating highly possible seasonal redistribution of water runoff by reservoirs with a volume of more than 0.1 km3. The potential of technogenic regulation (PTR) of reservoirs with a volume of more than 0.1 km3 was evaluated. A decrease of the spring river flow with increasing PTR of reservoirs in their basins was noted. 

In February 2020 a new Podmoskovnaya karst cave was discovered near the Novlenskoe village to the south from Moscow. The cave is considered to be the longest natural cave in the Moscow Region and among the longest ones in Central Russia. The specific value of the cave is its type and origin, i.e. rare and insufficiently explored Russian karst type (also known as closed, deep-seated, or confined karst). The laying depth of the cavity is 18 m; it lies in the Middle Carboniferous limestones, covered by Jurassic clay. The results of the cave examination performed with the manual widening of underground passages, are presented, namely the description of the cave and its sediments, its topographic plan and surface reference with accuracy about 5 m spatially and 1 m vertically. The Podmoskovnaya cave is a typical “flood labyrinth” (irregular in the plan) and consists of two cave levels connected by karst wells 2,5-3 m high. The length of already mapped passages is more than 190 m. Our investigation also reviews the detailed history of cave formation, i.e. hydrological and paleogeographic conditions, and specific features of cave sedimentation. Karst processes in the Podmos-kovnaya cave were syngenetic with incision/aggradation rhythms. The cave age was determined using the geomorphologic correlation; the main cavities were formed about 115-130 ka BP (MIS 5e; the Eemian). The Pakhra River discharged through the Podmoskovnaya Cave into the depths of a rock massif with typical velocity of 1-5 cm per second. About 40-115 ka BP (MIS 5d - middle of MIS 3; the first half of the Last Glacial Period) the velocity of underground flow was significantly lower (about 0.1-0.2 cm per sec). This resulted in the deposition of laminated silty clay, which was mostly taken from the upper layers. The water left the cave about 40 ka BP, almost instantly in geological terms.

The article analyzes the results of 1958-2004 regular long-term monitoring of water quality of the Ivankovo reservoir, the principal reservoir of the Volga water supply system for Moscow. The annual balances of ammonium ion, nitrates, phosphates, total iron, manganese, and organic matter (in terms of the permanganate oxid-ability index) were calculated for the observation period using data on water flow rates in the main tributaries of the reservoir, i.e. the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Long-term fluctuations of the relative balances of chemicals in reservoirs are analyzed; the balances are calculated by the difference between the inflow and discharge of chemicals. The calculations show that under the slower river flow the concentrations and the flow of chemicals decrease in the Ivankovo reservoir downstream the Volga River section near Tver as a result of intra-reservoir processes. Significant statistical dependences of the relative balances of chemicals in the reservoir on the coefficient of its water exchange by the inflow were established, which show high correlation coefficients i.e. 0.67 for the ammonium ion, 0.69 for nitrates and iron, 0.71 for manganese, 0.75 for organic matter, and 0.78 for phosphates (at the 5% significance level). With a short period of water exchange in the Ivankovo reservoir, an increase in the nitrate forms of nitrogen due to the oxidation of the ammonium form does not compensate the influx of nitrates. As a result, there is a positive difference in the inflow and runoff of nitrates for the most of years under calculation. Relatively small decrease in the concentrations of ammonium nitrogen is due to its internal sources, and also wastewater from Tver, Konakovo and other localities. Specific features of organic matter transformation in the Ivankovo reservoir are revealed. The inflow of high-colored waters of the Orsha and Soz rivers draining the large Vasilyevsky Moh peat-deposit significantly smooth the decrease in organic matter content in the reservoir under the influence of intra-reservoir processes. Thus the average long-term values of permanganate oxidability for the Gorodnya section at the reservoir entrance and for the first ferry crossing section differ just slightly. Influence of waste water of the Tver city was evaluated by comparing the concentrations of pollutants upstream and downstream the municipal wastewater discharge point. It is shown that the degree of the influence depends on water amount of the year and significantly increases in the years with low runoff as a result of poorer dilution of pollutants by river water.

The paper presents the first results of a detailed geochronological study of the Kazakhstan's Upper Paleolithic reference section from the Ushbulak multilayered site. Seven main cultural layers were identified in the stratigraphic sequence of the site. According to the specific features of obtained artefacts layer 1 corresponds to the Paleo-Metal era; layers 2.1-3.3 to the final Upper Paleolithic; layers 4-5.1 to the developed Upper Paleolithic; and layers 5.2-7.2 to the initial stages of the Upper Paleolithic. Taking into account the complicated structure of the section and inadequate number of fossils in the sediments a comparative dating using OSL and IRSL methods was applied for the exact dating of proluvial-colluvial deposits of the site. The analysis of sedimentation conditions was carried out on the basis of detailed characteristics of all lithological layers, geomorphologic structure of the area and modern exogenous processes. Comparison of three luminescence dating protocols (OSL, pIRIR290, IR50) indicate sufficient signal zeroing during the geological transport, so that the IRSL age reflects the time of sediment deposition. The results of laboratory measurements and standard tests allow considering the obtained ages and the final chronology as reliable. A Bayesian age model was calculated on the basis of IRSL chronology and radiocarbon dating, and the horizons of probably incomplete geological record were identified. The Ushbulak site is characterized by three cultural-chronological stages, corresponding to different periods of the Upper Paleolithic with different industries: the initial Upper Paleolithic (layers 7.2-5.2), recorded in the interval of 47-37 ka; developed Upper Paleolithic (layers 5.1-4) in the interval of 22-19 ka and the final Upper Paleolithic (layers 3.3-2.1) in the interval of 17-15 ka. The research provides the exact time of the main settlement of studied site - about 45-47 thousand years ago, i.e. during the second half of MIS 3.

The article attempts to define spatial mechanisms of emerging conflicts in the context of the transformation of Nigeria's religious landscape. To implement the task, the authors propose a methodology to determine vectors and trends in the transformation of geo-spaces of the country's largest religions (Christianity, Islam and Ethnic religions) within the administrative territorial units of Nigeria. The methodology combines the Ryabtsev index of territorial structure shifts, the Herfindahl-Hirschman index, the dynamics of the share of a certain faith group in population, and the rate and trajectory of the shift of their demographic centers within the country. The results were correlated with the spatial pattern of conflicts location. The conflicts were further analyzed considering their main actors, scale (average number of casualties per conflict) and brutality (share of casualties of a conflict). It was found that the expansion of Christianity and Islam geospaces, primarily at the expense of Ethnic religions geospace, led to the formation of a diagonally elongated belt of states that divides Nigeria into predominantly Christian southeast and predominantly Muslim north. The polarized territorial structure of Nigeria's religious landscape combined with pronounced socio-economic imbalances between the southern and northern states resulted in the growing conflict potential of the country. It is empirically found that the severity of conflicts in Nigeria increases towards the northeast of the country, i.e. along the expansion vector of Christianity geo-space. The authors interpret the discovered pattern as a response of Islam geo-space which is replaced by Christianity being more effective in terms of its missionary activity. The most active subjects of conflicts, in particular the «Boko Haram» terrorist group (banned in Russia), have emerged in the historical core of Islam in Nigeria rather than in the zone of direct interaction of world religions. The available data suggest that the faster the religious landscape of Nigeria's states transforms, the higher the scale and severity of conflicts.