The study develops an approach to the classification of economy sectors according to the degree of their potential technogenic danger to the population. The article provides a brief analysis of the history of the RF legislation in the field of industrial safety, and a review of current regulatory legal documents. The existing classifications of hazardous facilities were analyzed based on domestic and foreign studies. Industries and types of economic activity were classified according to the degree of their potential danger. The sectors with the highest hazard class include coal mining; production of coke and oil products; chemical products; rubber and plastic products; metallurgical production; provision of electricity, gas and steam; air conditioning. The sectors with the middle class of danger are the extraction of oil and natural gas, metal ores; production of foodstuff, drinks, tobacco products; production of paper; production of medicines and materials used for medical purposes; production of other non-metallic mineral products; sub-sectors of mechanical engineering, water supply and sanitation, transport, scientific research, etc. The proposed approach was tested in Moscow and it became clear that there are 635 enterprises operating in the city that have a type of economic activity classified as medium or high hazard class, they employ about 241 thousand people (as in 2020), and most of them (more than 90 %) work at enterprises belonging to medium-hazardous industries. According to mobile operators’ data it was find out that up to a quarter of the Moscow population is daily concentrated in the areas of potential technogenic danger, which is significantly higher than indicated in official documents. Increased actual concentration of population in places of greatest danger is a serious problem from the point of view of ensuring the safety of citizens, and organizing rescue and evacuation measures in case of emergencies.

   The current stage of development of the world energy industry is taking place in line with the fourth industrial revolution, characterized by the changing ways of life and the introduction of new technologies based on R & D. Environmental pollution has reached a large scale, and as a result it has become necessary to change the structure of modern fuel and energy balance in favor of renewable and non-traditional energy sources. Asian countries vary widely in terms of the level of economic development, making it difficult to create an integrated energy market in Asia. A typology of countries according to the level of economic development was elaborated on the basis of a multiscale analysis using traditional methods of economic geography. In total these countries rank first in the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for almost 60 % of pollutants released into the environment. The fuel and energy balance of Asian countries is characterized by a high proportion of coal, which contributes to the large-scale environment pollution. In accordance with international practice, the countries of the continent adopted energy programs aimed at lesser emissions by reducing the share of coal and switching to low-carbon energy sources. The energy transition can take place primarily in the leading Asian countries that have necessary financial resources. Most Asian countries are at the early stages of industrialization, and the energy transition is almost impossible at this stage because they use energy-intensive industrial technologies. The urgent need to stop climate change comes into conflict with rising energy consumption. Asia has become the world’s leader in energy consumption, as it takes place not only in industry, but also in the utility sector, because 4.2 billion people, or more than 50 % of the world’s urban population, live in cities. China has become a leader in the introduction of renewable energy sources, the country has developed and implements new environmental standards that will achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 through the accelerated commissioning of new zero-emission power plants. The rejection of coal could aggravate socio-economic problems of Asia because of its high share in the fuel and energy balance and the large number of people employed in the industry. In line with the sustainable development goals, the Asian countries try to introduce renewable energy sources based on the local comparative advantages.

   The arable soils of Stavropol are affected by various natural and man-made factors that reduce soil fertility, therefore, the development of a number of specific soil protection measures is an important practical task. The processes affecting the soil are usually complex and include a certain number of factors (water erosion, deflation, etc.), which are more or less manifested on a certain type of chernozem and chestnut soils. The main task is to comprehensively assess the state of arable soils based on the information about the areas of factors affecting soils in the survey areas. For this purpose, the calculation method of main components is used, which allows to obtain the values of the complex indicator of the state of soil (CISS). It was found that the main component PC1 includes the following significant factors: solonchaks and saline soils; salt marshes and washed away soils. The PC2 component includes deflated and waterlogged soils. The main contribution to the PC3 component is by the following factor: soils destroyed by combined erosion and deflation. The coordinates of the calculated point BST and the values of the CISS (Di) are determined and calculated in the subspace of selected principal components. Then by the method of data grouping, the surveyed areas of the region are ranked according to the CISS values and the groups of areas with satisfactory, moderate and unsatisfactory soil conditions are formed, and the CISS data are presented in cartographic form. The analysis of the map-scheme of certain types of soils over the territory of the region and their comparison with the data of the map of soil state level at the survey points allows to conclude that in most cases certain negative factors of soil-climatic character and soil genesis correspond to the unsatisfactory level of soil state according to the CISS values (Di). Based on the comprehensive assessment of the soil state level, specific soil protection measures have been developed for basic tillage: energy–saving technologies with dump processing of semi-fallow lands in the areas with a satisfactory level; combined subsurface loosening in the areas with moderate level; and shallow mulching treatment down to 10–12 cm in deflationary areas and deep chiseling down to 40 cm on saline soils with unsatisfactory level of soil state.

   The volumes of loose-clastic material moved by modern earth surface processes were quantified for a small mid-mountain catchment area (F = 1,86 km²), located in the Baksan River basin using a number of independent methods (modeling of erosion and geomorphologic mapping). The total volume of removed material was estimated through the assessment of the thickness of bottom sediments accumulated in a reservoir located in the outlet section of the catchment area. The rates of linear and rill erosion have been found using the results of repeated UAV surveys and the pin method. The rates of rockfall processes are estimated on the basis of repeated ground-based laser scanning. Additionally, published data on the rates of earth surface processes in the mountains were used. Based on the results of field mapping and interpretation of space images, a map of the spatial pattern of leading earth surface processes was compiled. A digital terrain model of the catchment was constructed on the basis of detailed UAV survey. The volume of loose clastic material delivered to the reservoir was estimated using data on the average annual rates of leading earth surface processes, a map of their distribution over the catchment area, and the connectivity index. It has been established that the average annual denudation rate within the catchment area is 0,16 mm/year. At the same time, only about 3–10 % of the products of denudation are delivered to the reservoir. The sediment yield, calculated on the basis of the volume of sediments in the reservoir, is 514 t/km² per year. It is comparable to the sediment yield of small rivers draining the mid-mountain belt of the Alps with similar bedrock lithology, which was calculated using the results of long-term observations of water and sediment discharge at gauging stations.

   Based on data from old and modern maps and satellite images we reconstructed the arable land borders within a key plot (100 km2) in the Moscow region for 8 time periods, from the General Land Survey (1767) to the present day. Brief descriptions for the special geometric plans of the Bogorodsk, Dmitrov and Moscow districts (“uyezd”) of the Moscow province (“guberniya”) were analyzed for accurately describing the land use displayed on the General Land Survey plans. The contours of arable lands on the general land survey plans (1767) of the studied area refer to those under constant cultivation, while periodically abandoned land were described and measured separately. The dynamics of arable land borders for the studied period was analyzed using the scheme of landscape zoning, and data on the lithological and geomorphologic structure of the territory and morphometric characteristics of its relief. The prevailing slope gradients and the area of arable lands are identified for each time period. The maximum percentage of arable land under constant cultivation (42 %) is characteristic for the end of the 18^th century; the minimum (8 %) is in evidence at the present time. It was found that the proximity to settlements and the degree of soil drainage were the principal factors determining the spatial structure of arable lands.

   Garment sector as a “heart” of life-supporting industrial complex and one of the most globalized, fragmented and geographically mobile industries provides the basis for empirical research of the international division of production and consumption. The article analyses the processes of formation of global production networks in the garment industry as a result of the activities of transnational companies in various geographical contexts (cities, regions and entire states) in the Asian region. Such production networks are becoming not only more complex from the organizational point of view, but also more and more global in their geographical scope. The main spatial and structural characteristics of global production networks of the leading companies in the industry (Nike, H & M and Fast Retailing) are considered by the method of geocoding and data aggregation using geographic information systems. Cartographic material is compiled on the basis of obtained spatial distribution. Its qualitative analysis, in combination with statistical data on the industry, makes it possible to form a comprehensive picture of the key areas of clothing production in Asia. The results demonstrate that despite the differences (from the price segment of products to the procurement strategy) the production networks of these firms are very similar, and their suppliers are concentrated in the largest cities and metropolitan agglomerations of Asia. The role of the countries of the Asian region is undeniably increasing in the garment industry, as well as on the global economic landscape as a whole. It was revealed that from 55 to 92 % of suppliers of the leading firms are concentrated in Asia.

   The Urup Island, located in the southern part of the Great Kuril ridge, is an interesting object of study because its relief is very contrasting and has a significant depth of vertical dissection. It was greatly influenced by the recent tectonic processes. Judging by the geological data, the island at the present stage is located in a shear stress field with the southeastern orientation of the axis of maximum compression. It can be explained by the subduction interaction of the Pacific and Sea of Okhotsk lithosphere plates at an acute angle of about 55°. Visual and automated decoding of satellite images and digital terrain models, and the analysis of the erosion network pattern made it possible to identify geomorphologic signs of shear displacements. These include the echeloned arrangement of lineaments as separation cracks in right-lateral shear zone in the area of the Rybnaya River and on the Skvoznyakovyj isthmus, where displacements of unidentified kinematics were previously revealed. The zones, which are oriented in the north-east direction and differ in the asymmetric pattern of the drainage network, were considered: within their limits, small tributaries are located on one side of the watercourse of the highest order as megatracks of separation. In the area of the epicenter of the earthquake of 1989, which occurred under the latitudinal horizontal stretching, a linear lowering of the relief with a feathery pattern of watercourses was recorded, interpreted as a morphostructure of stretching. Similar probably stretching zones, extending mainly along the azimuth of 130–140°, were recorded on the Pacific coast of the island. Their orientation, as well as the kinematics of probable shear displacements identified from the geomorphologic data, correlates with the general ideas about the stress-strain state of the Southern Kuriles, as well as the reconstruction of the main normal stress axes of the Kastricum Peninsula performed by us from the fracture measurements. All this prove that the suggested structural-geomorphologic interpretation of the Urup Island territory is quite reasonable. In general, our new data on the configuration and kinematics of probable active shear faults and extensional morphostructures complement the existing ideas about the latest deformations of the study area.

   High computer-intensity and complexity of the mechanisms for recalculating the coefficients of pricing factors affect the process of calculating the cadastral value. To solve these problems, the study substantiates the use of polygonal metric grid method to determine the values of pricing factors of the cadastral value of land plots using St. Petersburg as an example. In local modeling, the algorithm implementing the polygonal metric grid method showed a decrease in the number of operations by 49,999 % compared to the approach applied for 2018 state cadastral valuation in St. Petersburg. Calculations showed that the storage of a polygonal metric grid requires 16 GB less than that of all auxiliary information (attributes and spatial reflection of the zone of influence of each factor) required for modeling. Thus, the technological effect of the introduction of a polygonal metric grid method into the process of cadastral valuation of real estate makes it possible to make efficient use of computing power, as well as to reduce the time for recalculating the values of pricing factors if some new
objects of valuation emerge.

   The study is based on the results of multibeam echo-sounding and high-frequency seismic profiling du ring the 2018–2022 cruises of the R/V “Akademik Nikolai Strakhov” and “Akademik Boris Petrov”. Regular changes of morphometric parameters and the internal structure of pingo-like formations of the shelves of the Pechora and Kara seas were revealed. A morphometric analysis of pingo-like formations was carried out, which made it possible to draw conclusions about their relative age, as well as the role of near-bottom currents and slope processes in their modern dynamics. It was found that the density and morphological variety of pingo-like formations depend on the geological and tectonic features of the bottom area, the presence and nature of permafrost, the intensity of degassing, and the time of shelf flooding during the Holocene transgression. Pingo-like formations on the shelf, where the depth exceeds 70–80 m, emerged at the early stages of the Holocene transgression, and by now the permafrost there has largely thawed out. At the same time, pingo-like formations are still prominent in the relief and actively transformed by bottom currents, slope and, possibly, pseudovolcanic processes associated with ongoing degassing. Pingo-like formations are rare within shallow (up to 20–30 m) shelf areas close to the shore, and, apparently, continue their evolution at present. At the same time, the large thickness and continuity of permafrost prevent active fluid flow, acting as a seal. Pingo-like formations in the shallow-water zones are mainly cone-shaped mounds without intensive degassing. The density of pingo-like formations is maximum at the intermediate depths (from 20–30 to 70–80 m), in the presence of insular or discontinuous permafrost, under high fluid flow intensity within the fault zones and oil- and gas-bearing structures. Near-surface sediments in such areas are characterized by a combination of localized processes of heaving and active degassing. It predetermines a wide variety of the morphological types of pingo-like formations.

   The paper focuses on the biogeochemical diversity and heterogeneity of ornithogenic geosystems formed by large colonies of sea birds.

   The objects of the study were two islands in the Northwest Pacific with centuries-old bird bazaars of about 100,000 birds, i. e. Toporkov Island in the Commander Archipelago and Starichkov Island near the southeast coast of Kamchatka.

   To identify their biogeochemical heterogeneity, special schemes reflecting the catenary structure of the islands, the neighborhood and diversity of elementary geochemical landscapes of different types and genera, the variability of herbaceous phytomass depending on the species composition of phytocenoses, the bird population and the degree of its influence were compiled. The fractional structure of phytomass and the stocks of chemical elements in it showing various modifications of elementary landscapes under the ornithogenic pressures were used as informative indicators. It was found that the biogeochemical heterogeneity of the islands is initially preconditioned by the history of their evolution and the differentiating influence of abiotic factors on the structure of catenas, which were subsequently overlaid by the influence of birds. It is shown that specific impact of the bird population results in the multidirectional transformation of the species composition of phytocenoses, which is modified by the bird numbers and the inflow of their metabolites into the soil, increasing the heterogeneity of resulting biogeochemical fields. The ornithophile species change the activity of autotrophic biogenesis, the capacity of phytobarriers and the accumulation of biogenic elements (P, Zn, B) on them depending on the phylogenetic specialization of plants and the fractional structure of herbaceous phytomass. It was revealed that the number of elementary geochemical landscapes could differ almost twice within the same area of islands. The increase in biogeochemical heterogeneity is promoted by increasing absolute height of the island, the complexity of the structure of catenas, and formation of new types of landscapes with different resistance to ornithogenic effects. Local contrasts in phytomass reserves and chemical element accumulation at the intra-landscape level may differ by an order of magnitude. This determines the specificity of ornithogenic geosystems, where birds are the leading factor of structural and functional organization.

   The secondary processes of alongshore transport and accumulation of sediments are the consequences of reshaping the shores of the Volgograd Reservoir. Alongshore sediment transfer promoted the segregation of bays from the main water area of the Volgograd Reservoir with abrasion-accumulative barriers. Classification of the bays according to the degree of evolution of abrasion-accumulative barriers in their entrance gates is the initial stage of complex research which is necessary to reveal the main patterns of the separation process. Application of the Earth remote sensing data and geoinformation technologies is the most effective to study the process in addition to field methods. The study is based on the satellite imagery of Google Earth program and data of field research of the bays in 2008, 2010–2016 and 2019–2020. Both analytical (cartographic, graphical, mathematical methods and methods of working with satellite images) and field (geometric leveling of abrasion-accumulative barriers and spits, and bathymetric survey of bays) research methods were applied. Morphometric parameters of the entrance gates to the bays of right and left coast of the Volgograd Reservoir were measured using the satellite images of Google Earth. Expedition materials and data received from satellite images were then compared. The difference in absolute values does not exceed double standard error. This indicates the reliability of applied research method. We calculated two coefficients for classification of bays. These coefficients considered width of the bay at the entrance gate, width of the coastal shallow water area at the entrance gate and length of above-water part of a sand bar or spit. Six classes of bays were identified according to the degree of evolution of abrasion-accumulative barriers at the entrance gates: opened bays (class 1), bays at the initial stage of segregation (2), bays at the active stage of segregation (3), bays at the final stage of segregation (4), closed bays, (5) and a specific class – bays with the entrance gates subjected to anthropogenic impact (6). The bay segregation becomes more active with the expansion of the coastal shallow water area at its entrance gate. Quick overgrowth by higher aquatic, herbaceous and tree-shrub vegetation takes place under the active formation of abrasion-accumulative barriers.

   The Tjörnes Transform Zone connects the Kolbeinsey spreading ridge and the Northern rift zone of Iceland. It includes two overlapping rift segments resulting from the rift zones propagating. Nowadays it includes several morphostructures that vary in their organization and dynamics, such as magmatic and amagmatic rifts, oblique fault zones, or tectonic-volcanic rises. They often overlap with each other promoting the development of block morphostructures of different scale. Using the morphometric analysis of present-day fault scraps we revealed the areas of different recent tectonic activity and faulting intensity, and explained geodynamic reasons of these differences. For instance, the most active morphostructures are spreading and rift segments of the western branch of the transform zone. The eastern branch has significantly weaker tectonic activity which is mainly due to the intensive volcanic processes. Nowadays the eastern branch of the transform zone continues its development that is expressed through the formation of block rises between the overlapping rift segments. The western branch has less complicated structure and gradually fading tectonic-magmatic activity. We also showed the functional changes of amagmatic rifts: at the early stages of transform zone development, they probably evolved as a continuation of adjacent spreading centers. Meanwhile now they have their own independent extension centers. All explored morphostructures influence each other in the process of overlapping that significantly impacts the endogenic relief formation, especially faulting, at different sections of the morphostructures.