Professional standards (hereinafter referred to as PS) determine the characteristics of the qualification necessary for an employee to carry out a certain type of professional activity. They are widely used internationally including the field of education. PSs form the basis for developing vocational training programs and methods for assessing and certifying vocational training outputs. Until recently, a PS in the field of professional activity of geographers was absent in Russia reasoning for the lack of institutionalization of the profession of “geographer” with all negative results. The PS “Geographer”, developed and approved in 2020, largely solves this problem. The content and results of this work determined the purpose of the article, i.e. to analyze the experience of developing the PS “Geographer” and to conduct a preliminary assessment of its potential impact on university geographical education under constantly changing structure of higher professional education.

For this, the article discusses main scientific and methodological bases of the above PS and analyzes the conceptual and institutional problems that arose during elaboration of the PS “Geographer”. The stages of its elaboration are described and labour and generalized labour functions of geographers in various spheres of economic activity are defined. The potential implications of PS adoption for the geographical education in Russian universities are assessed. Within the framework of the PS “Geographer” the functions of the interdisciplinary geographer include the main types of activities, such as performing field and survey work, preparing analytical materials, organizing geographic projects, conducting a comprehensive geographical assessment of projects and works. PS “Geographer” could play a significant role in the development of higher education in geography in Russia, as it allows universities to “tool” the education process for the most challenging and competitive areas of professional activity of graduates, taking into account the needs of regional labour markets and the opportunities for continuing education with no restrains to the narrow scope of specialization. To identify prospects for its use it is necessary to monitor the sphere of employment of those graduated from educational programs in Geography, and support the educational programs in Geography by employers. The adoption of the PS Geographer does not exclude, but presupposes further development of specialized professional standards, more adequately reflecting the specifics of certain geographical areas and spheres of activity. 

Multifactor productivity, which compares the output to the amount of combined inputs used to produce goods and services, is considered the main source of differences in economic development between countries. However, the scientific consensus is based on estimates that neglected the contribution of inputs not related to living or embodied labor, i.e. the services of natural capital. In addition, estimates for Russia rarely decompose differences in its level of productivity from other countries into efficiency components. The article estimates differences between the countries in how productively they use labor and fixed capital to generate income not related to the exploitation of natural resources. We used the indicators from the Penn World Tables for 1995– 2019, developed for international comparisons, and the Fare-Primont transitive productivity indexes. Their decomposition made it possible to indicate the sources of Russia’s lagging behind other countries in productivity. Russia’s low productivity is not related to the level of its capital-labor ratio. With the same proportion of labor inputs and flow of capital services, Russia’s income would be twice as high if its technical efficiency is at the level of Poland, Bulgaria or Turkey. The growth of Russia’s technical efficiency could be facilitated not by focusing on R&D or investments in fixed assets, but by removing obstacles to the assimilation of already known technologies and supporting training programs or exchange of experience. The contribution of productivity to explaining differences between countries in labor incomes (not related to the exploitation of natural resources) was low prior to the 2007–2008 global financial crisis. This indicates distortions in the distribution of labor within countries or reflects wrong estimates of capital value and therefore flow of its services (stock market bubble). In the post-crisis years, productivity has come to explain much of the difference between countries in non-resource income. 

The article summarizes long-term comprehensive studies of the impact of hazardous cryogenic processes on the infrastructure of settlements in the Russian Arctic with the assessment of the degree of deformation of the engineering objects. The percentage of deformed engineering infrastructure varies from 20–25 to 75–80%, often as a result of the development of dangerous cryogenic processes.

The negative impact of the most destructive processes was assessed for 37 settlements of the Russian Arctic. Suggested methodology includes three main indicators of cryogenic processes, i.e. degree of damage, duration and frequency. The processes associated with additional warming of the surface are the most dangerous. A new cycle of thaw slumps activation, associated with the thawing of ground ice and ice-bearing permafrost is observed. The rate of thermal denudation could be up to 15 m/year. The important feature in the gully development is block collapse of permafrost grounds during the snowmelt period. The possibility of frost cracking under natural conditions was estimated.

The impact of waste disposal on the Arctic infrastructure was also analyzed. All wastes were classified into 8 groups based on the degree of their impact on frozen basements. Special emphasis was made on how the mechanized redistribution of snow in urban areas influences frozen basements.

The formation of large snow dumps affects permafrost and activates hazardous cryogenic processes. Information on the temperature regime dynamics was obtained for frozen basements of buildings in urban areas: permafrost degradation was detected in 60% of basements; permafrost temperature decrease in 20% of basements; and the stable state of permafrost in 20%.

It was revealed that specific natural and geotechnical geocryological complexes are formed within economically developed territories in the permafrost zone. Special combinations of cryogenic processes for each complex were found and different stability could be a feature of even similar engineering objects. Effectiveness of the principal methods of permafrost management to ensure the stability of infrastructure was estimated. 

The dynamics of microplastic concentration in beach sediments on the southwest coast of Crimea for the period from summer 2018 till autumn 2020 was investigated. The objects of research were areas located in the vicinity of Sevastopol with different local conditions and varying degree of anthropogenic load, i.e. five beaches in popular recreation areas, equipped with the adequate infrastructure, and two control areas with coastal relief suitable for entering the water, but without infrastructure and mass flow of tourists. To assess the anthropogenic load in the field, the actual indicators of one-time permissible recreational load and daily beach attendance were recorded.

The increasing microplastics concentrations during the study period 2018–2020 were recorded in all study areas. The amount of microplastics increased 5 times in some recreation areas. The maximum microplastic concentration was recorded on the Pesochny beach (up to 100 items·per 1 m2 ), which is by an order more than in the other areas. The largest share among the morphotypes of microplastic particles is owned by fragments – 48–80% in all regions. The spatial-temporal dynamics of microplastic concentration over the beach body is expressed in different ways. The most intense fluctuations in concentration were observed in the lower part of the beach, i.e. from the water edge to the upper boundary of wave splash. The greatest accumulation of microplastics on most beaches is also in the lower or middle part of the beach body. It was noted that the beaches with maximum microplastic concentrations (Pesochny and Omega beaches) demonstrate the actual one-time permissible recreational load more than 2 times above the theoretical one. The study showed a relatively favorable situation with a low level of MP in coastal sediments, excluding the Pesochny beach, where the microplastic pollution is comparable to that in the Mediterranean Sea, but an order of magnitude lower than in other parts of the World Ocean.

The article presents a method of integral assessment of the quality of life of the population of Russia at different localization of research objects. The set of data that could be used for the assessment in cities significantly differs from that for regions which produces difficulties in assessing the quality of life. The proposed method is based on the aggregation of data reflecting the well-being of population, social tension, ecological well-being and comfortable natural conditions. The set of indicators in each of these categories is different for assessing the quality of life in cities and in regions. Approaches to determining the minimum possible number of indicators to assess the quality of life of the population are described. The significant role of natural and ecological factors in determining the quality of life is explained. The study revealed territorial patterns in the spatial distribution of the quality of life of the population. The regions of Southern and Central Federal Districts are the best, and the northern and Siberian regions are among the worst. The resulting indices of the quality of life of the population of Russian cities and regions were analyzed, and the difference in the corresponding values was revealed for the regions and the cities located in them, as well as for the cities of federal significance, which are on both lists at once. The use of linear regression correcting coefficients makes it possible to eliminate distortions associated with a different set of indicators used for Moscow and St. Petersburg. The results of the investigation make it possible to assess of quality of life of the population of Russian cities and regions and to make the assessment even if the initial data is insufficient. 

Application of remote sensing to monitor the density of weed populations, the nitrogen concentration in leaves and the productivity of winter triticale includes prior ground-based observations of the crops state and their weed infestation with the installation of markers and the determination of their coordinates; multispectral aerial photography of crops from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); processing of obtained aerial photographs using the NDRE and NDVI indices and their interpretation by the color mosaic of images and ground markers with the identification of the boundaries of plant communities depending on the state of the crop and the distribution of weeds; drawing up a coordinate map of their distribution; application of nitrogen fertilizers and necessary herbicides during the growing season by precision farming methods on the basis of compiled maps. For weed recognition in triticale crops and the nitrogen content in plant leaves, the best results are obtained from aerial photographs processed using the NDRE index, where plant communities with normal chlorophyll and nitrogen content in the leaves have NDRE values 0,45–0,60; with moderate nitrogen deficiency and a reduced concentration of chlorophyll in the leaves – 0,35–0,45; with an increased lack of nitrogen – 0,25–0,35; with a high number of weeds – 0,075–0,25. The spectral density of energy brightness (SDEB) of the radiation reflected by leaves of the crop and weeds was measured with the PSR-1100 field spectroradiometer in the wavelength range of 320‒1100 nm. It was demonstrated that its changes depending on the wavelength were similar for both triticale and weeds, with the lowest values of SDEB in all parts of the spectra for triticale, and higher values for dicotyledonous weeds, which were bright green on the NDVI image. Nitrogen fertilizers in triticale crops are used in autumn when cultivating the soil before sowing (15‒20% of the total nitrogen norm), as well as in spring-summer growing season – early in the spring during the tillering stage (20‒30%), in late spring at the beginning of booting (up to 50‒60%) and in the first half of summer during the stages of heading and filling (5‒10%). Before additional fertilizing during the growing season it is advisable to take aerial photographs of crops from UAV and apply the NDRE index when processing aerial images for the purpose of spatial assessment of the nitrogen content in plant leaves and the density of weeds in crops. If necessary, herbicides are used after the first and second aerial surveys during the stages of tillering and beginning of booting. Schematic maps of weed infestation of crops based on the results of the third aerial survey during the stages of heading and filling are used to assess the loss of grain yield caused by weeds. 

Based on the study of special scientific literature, regulations and archival documents, the article analyzes principal spatio-temporal features of population migration in the North Caucasus over the past two and a half centuries (late 18th – early 21st century). During this time period, seven periods can be distinguished according to the nature of state migration policy and population migration, with the account of the country development trends. The first period (1770–1866) is characterized by a large-scale settlement of the North Caucasus with organized migrants belonging to the Slavic peoples. During the second period (1867–1917) the region received significant numbers of self-organized migrants. The third period (1921–1945) was notable for the forced forms of migration. Planned migrations prevailed during the fourth period (1946–1962), and self-organized migrations during the fifth period (1963–1991). The sixth period (1992–2000) was characterized by large-scale flows of necessitated migration. During the seventh period (2001–2019) the role of necessitated migration decreased.

To study the migrations of the Soviet era, it was necessary to carry out a historical reconstruction based on archival documents, including those for the first time introduced into scientific circulation.

The article examines top-line factors and tendencies of migration processes in the North Caucasus, as well as the transformation of the role of the state as a regulator of migration processes in different historical periods, and determines the importance of migration component in the formation of the population of its regions.

Regional features of migration processes in the North Caucasus were redefined. The geographical picture of population migration in the region primarily depends on the differences between the plain and mountainous parts of the North Caucasus. The first zone is traditionally attractive for migrants, while the latter is characterized by a long-term outflow of the population, except for the first two periods of the Soviet era. The dynamics of migration growth in the North Caucasus during the 1960s – 2010s, is discussed for both urban and rural population. 

The article deals with the study of the small cities space. Despite the increased popularity of the topic of small cities, Russian authors pay little attention to spatial changes within settlements of this category. An attempt to capture the post-Soviet transformation of urban space gives special relevance to the study. The sociogeographical space (SGS) is a specific section of the real 3D geographical space including the territory of a city, objects of the urban environment and the system of socio-spatial relations of residents realized in this environment. The SGS of several cities of the Tver region is described. Because of the lack of many necessary data, the authors focused mainly on the materials of their own field studies and the opinion of citizens. The analysis was carried out at three levels, i.e. structural, activity and mental. At the structural level, primary focus is on the relative positions of places of residence, places of work and places of receiving services. At the activity level, intra-city flows are considered. Higher spatial inconsistency of the centers of attraction (residential zones, industrial areas and public facilities) was found for small cities as compared to large ones. The trend is the most obvious in historic towns. At the mental level, the ideas of local residents about the division of urban territory into districts, their opinions about the properties of these districts and manifestations of local identity were studied. The changes during the post-Soviet period are revealed. In the final part of the article, we attempt to combine the concept of socio-geographical space and the idea of a third place to determine key features of the territorial organization of a modern small Russian city. 

The Lovozerskiye Tundry mountainous area belongs to the northern zone of debris flow formation. The territory is characterized by an average degree of debris flow hazard. We defined 35 debris flow basins in the Lovozerskiye Tundry using the remote-sensing data and field survey. Depending on their geomorphologic position, the debris flow basins were divided into the following groups: 1) catchment areas of temporary streams on the outer slopes of the massif; 2) catchment areas that include erosional (tectonic-erosional) valleys of permanent streams and adjacent slopes of interfluves; 3) catchment areas taking over the complexes of glacial landforms (kars, cirques and troughs) and adjacent slopes of interfluves. Basins of the third type were divided into two subtypes: catchment areas taking over the complexes of glacial landforms with a significant degree of fluvial reworking and adjacent slopes of interfluves (first subtype) and catchment areas taking over the complexes of glacial landforms with a slight degree of fluvial reworking and adjacent slopes of interfluves. Almost half of the debris flow basins in the Lovozerskiye Tundry massif belong to the second type of catchment areas, and about 40% to the third type of catchment areas with a slight degree of fluvial reworking of glacial landforms (second subtype). We selected the most representative basin in each type (subtype) for a detailed description of its geomorphologic structure and debris flow morphodynamic zones. A comparative analysis of the inner structure of basins belonging to different types allowed finding a relation between the morphodynamic zones of debris flow basins and their geomorphologic positions. The basins of the first and second types are characterized by larger accumulation of debris-flow material within the cones. The same situation is typical for basins of the third type with a significant degree of fluvial reworking. The largest accumulative bodies in the third type basins with the slight degree of fluvial reworking are concentrated within the inner part of the valleys. 

Statistical data and the actual population numbers were compared in two villages (RS) of the Jewish Autonomous Region (JAR). One of them (Waldheim) is the center of a rural settlement, the second (Krasivoe) belongs to peripheral settlements. Official statistical data, as well as data provided by the administration of rural settlements, were taken as an information base on the population size and dynamics of migration processes.

Official sources are supplemented by the results of questioning of local residents and experts in August 2021. It is noted that the migration outflows are recorded for both RSs. It is partially compensated by the inflow in the suburban RS, but there is no inflow to the remote RS. The bulk of immigrants to Waldheim RS are middle-aged families moving from other, more remote villages of the JAR, as well as from the town of Birobidzhan. As a result of the study, it has been shown that the accuracy of statistical accounting of the population is higher in the suburban village and much lower in the remote one. This is due to the fact that the outflow of population from the suburban village is relatively low, and that from the remote one is much larger-scale. The structure of emigrants in the considered RSs is different. The majority of those who left the Waldheim RS are young people after graduating from the secondary school; middle-aged families and the elderly people rank second and third. The migration decline in population in the peripheral Krasivoe RS is associated with the departure of families with school-age children. The percentage of school graduates among those moved out is insignificant due to their small numbers.

The comparison of two RSs with different population numbers results in conclusion that a small population provides for serious distortions of statistics in assessing the migration loss of population. Thus, the population of the suburban village is more permanent and official data are more consistent with the actual data. The reliability of statistical data largely depends on the population numbers in a RS rather than on its status. 

Many experts correlate the growing tension in international relations and the aggravation of almost all global problems with the approach of the era of the next ‟world economic transition”. This actualizes the interdisciplinary studying of trends in the development of the global economy and identifying the ways to reduce risks and threats to the global development. The paper analyzes the formation of a youngest branch of the Russian human geography in the Moscow University, i.e. the geography of world economy. Its methodological foundation was laid by professors N.V. Alisov and N.S. Mironenko; and its recent developments are useful in understanding new global challenges and their impact on the intensity and nature of changes in the sectoral and spatial structure of the world economy. The paper, firstly, reasons the changes in the world system from the standpoint of the concept of ‟hard” power and the stages of the approaching world economic transition; se condly, introduces and explains by several examples the concept of ‟economic geographical transition”; thirdly, proves the diversification and complexity of the world industry markets with a certain territorial shift in favor of the global South. Fourth, a phenomenon of increasingly tangible impact of TNCs on the overall architecture and territorial organization of the world economy is suggested to become an object of a new scientific problem area, i.e. corporate geography; fifth, the special role of China in changing the balance of power between the center and the periphery of world economy and the high probability of the emergence of a Chinacentered system of the world order is reasoned.

Based on the synthesis of materials from reputable international organizations and a package of documents for the Strategy of Scientific and Technological Development of Russia until 2035, seven priority areas of research in the field of the geography of world economy are formulated for the near future, with the geography of ‟world economic transition” becoming a key one. We suppose that the geography of world economy could contribute a lot to the implementation of strategic projects and the progress of three emerging Interdisciplinary scientific and educational schools of the Moscow University, namely ‟Mathematical Methods for Analyzing Complex Systems”, ‟Preserving the World Cultural and Historical Heritage” and ‟The Future of the Planet and Global Environmental Changes”.