The article deals with the problems of industrial territorial organization in the world and Russia under the “core – periphery” concept. The study is currently important because of the lack of systematic works considering the position of countries and regions in the “core – periphery” structure and the need to elaborate a typology of regions for the purposes of industrial policy. The object of the study is the countries of the world and the regions of Russia, and the subject is the level of their industrial development. The purpose of the study is to suggest a typology of the countries of the world and the regions of Russia in the core-periphery structure of industrial space basing on the qualitative and quantitative methodology. The novelty of the study is the application of an evolutionary and multi-scale approach to the analysis of the distribution of industrial potential across the countries of the world and the subjects of the Russian Federation. The research methodology assumes a qualitative and quantitative procedure for differentiating countries and regions of Russia by industrial productivity, its share in GDP/GRP, the evolutionary stage of development (duration of the industrialization cycle) and geographical location. The main task is to check the operability of the “core – periphery” model in relation to the cycles of industrialization for the end-to-end typology of the countries of the world and the regions of Russia. Special emphasis is placed on the study of differences in industrial productivity under the influence of such geographical factors as the level of industrialization, the resource capacity of production, the scale and branch structure of industry. While analyzing industry at the country level, the emphasis is on the duration of the period of industrialization, the per capita volume of industrial production and the share of industry in GDP. Labor productivity was calculated for the regions of Russia, and the level of innovation activity was also considered. The position of a country or a region in the “core – periphery” system depends on the branch of specialization, the “age” of industry and the industrial policy of the state: the countries and regions that modernize existing funds faster or create new industries preserve their core position. Old industrial countries and regions are shifting into sub-periphery and periphery. The sub-periphery also includes industrial and agricultural regions with a high share of agriculture and small resource regions of Siberia and the Far East. The composition of the periphery is stable and includes the underdeveloped republics of the Caucasus and southern Siberia. The current results made it possible to compare the typology of countries and regions in the “core – periphery” system, while the final results could be used to adjust Russia’s industrial policy.

The results of long-term studies of several generations of scientists at the Novosilskaya zonal agroforestry and reclamation experimental station named after A.S. Kozmenko (a branch of the Federal Research Center of Agroecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences), initiated by Professor G.P. Surmach, were summarized and analyzed. The task was to assess the nature of the spring slope runoff formation and show the role of natural factors and agricultural activities. The methodological basis of the research was the method of runoff sites. As a result of a long (64 year long) study, a number of important dependencies and features of the runoff formation under different natural and climatic conditions were identified, as well as the influence of natural factors and agricultural activities on it (structure of sown areas, cultivation history, tillage methods, etc.). Scientific materials on the elements of the spring water balance give an idea of their patterns. It has been established that only three natural factors out of a large number of them have a significant impact on the slope spring runoff, i. e. the depth of soil freezing, snow reserves and humidity of the upper soil layer (down to 30 cm). Other factors almost do not affect the amount of runoff and they could be ignored in the process of calculation. The limiting levels of these three factors have been established, under which no runoff is formed. During 64 years of study, runoff was absent for 33 years, ranging from 1 to 146 mm in other years. Among anthropogenic factors, tillage methods and the state of agricultural backgrounds have a profound influence. The runoff regulatory importance of finching and the runoff forming role of perennial grasses and winter crops are discussed. On average, runoff from compacted arable land was 10 mm higher compared to loose chick; in some years the difference was significantly greater. The results of the study are necessary for the design of erosion-control adaptive landscape farming system.

The joint dynamics of the Black Sea phytoplankton parameters (primary production, specific growth rate, biomass) and the amount of precipitation over the period from 1998 to 2015 was studied in coastal areas and the open coast of the northern part of the Black Sea. The analysis used satellite data (SG) (GPCPMON) GPCP Version 3.2, TRMM TMPA (3B42RT), as well as SeaWiFS from 1998 to 2010, MODIS-Aqua from 2002 to 2015 and MODIS-Terra from 2000 to 2015. Phytoplankton indicators were calculated according to the models developed earlier by the authors. The average monthly values of all considered values were evaluated, as well as bi-weekly and daily values for atmospheric precipitation. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the role of atmospheric precipitation for the variability of phytoplankton characteristics is not significant in vast water areas over long time intervals, and it could be neglected. In some cases in the presence of large rivers and coastal runoff it increases up to 30% in the offshore areas. There was also a more noticeable effect of atmospheric precipitation on the biological productivity of phytoplankton in small, limited water areas over short time intervals. According to our data during the 18-year period there was a more noticeable correlation between the specific growth rate and precipitation in winter than in other seasons for the open coast of the Black Sea. The correlation of biomass and primary production with atmospheric precipitation is less pronounced. The specific growth rate correlated more than other studied phytoplankton indicators with the amount of precipitation. In three districts, an increase in the amount of precipitation relative to the previous level with monthly averages above 0,6 mm/day led to an increase in the specific growth rate, or maintained it at the same level. The increase in the specific growth rate was not the same everywhere and was not proportional to the amount of atmospheric precipitation. This indicates the influence of many factors on phytoplankton characteristics; however, precipitation could have an additional stimulating role.

The paper presents the recent response of dark coniferous forest and cedar undergrowth in the forests of the Western Tannu-Ola Range to the observed climate change in the region. According to the nearby Chadan meteorological station, the anomaly of the average annual air temperature was 1,6 ± 0,8°С, the anomaly of the growing season was 1,0 ± 0,7°С. Key study areas are located in the Tyva Republic within 50°55′–51°15′N and 91°30’–92°20’E, which corresponds to three altitudinal levels: the lower belt of the middle mountains (1100–1300 m a.s.l.) bordering the steppe and covered with larch forests with birch; the middle belt of the middle mountains (1300–1800 m a.s.l.) covered with larch and cedar forests; larch and cedar forests of the upper belt of the middle mountains (1800–2120 m a.s.l.). In the course of field work, the increment of the top shoot of cedar sapling (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) was measured, as well as its height, age and total number. Correlations between the increment, air temperature and relative humidity were quantitatively determined using data from the Chadan weather station for a number of years. The results indicate a positive correlation with humidity in the lower zone of the middle mountains and with air temperature in the upper zone of the middle mountains. Higher amounts of cedar sapling in the lower zone of the middle mountains and in the upper zone of the midd le mountains confirm the shift of dark coniferous forests down and up the ridge under the regional climate warming. Space images of Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI show the increasing values of NDVI and NDWI vegetation indices. According to satellite images, an increase in the area of dark coniferous forests over the past decades was calculated for the territory of key areas; however, the reliability of these data was not evaluated statistically. The work needs to be continued in the field.

Detailed multiproxy (lithology, micropaleontology, palynology) study of a 455 cm thick marine sediment sequence overlying the Moscovian till exposed in Bychye-2 section on the Pyoza River allowed for reconstructing past environmental changes during the Boreal transgression. Stratigraphic subdivision is based on the succession of local palynological zones that were correlated with previously established regional zones. The latter are constrained on the basis of correlation with the West European palynological zones. Marine sediments of Bychye-2 section accumulated from the end of the Moscovian glacial (>131 ka BP) until ca. 119,5 ka BP. Five ecological zones were established in the section in accordance with the upward trends in the changes in lithology and variability in the taxonomic composition of fossil assemblages of benthic foraminifers and ostracods and associations of marine dinocysts and freshwater green microalgae. Taken together, they are indicative of the progressive shallowing of the basin under the improving climatic conditions, which primarily influenced the degree of sea-ice cover extent. Three successive phases in the evolution of the Boreal transgression have been identified: 1) a seasonally sea-ice covered relatively deep freshened basin of the initial phases of flooding (455–360 cm, >131–130,5 ka BP); 2) a deep basin of the maximum phase of flooding with less extensive sea-ice cover (360–290 cm, 130,5–130,25 ka BP); 3) a shallow basin with reduced seasonal sea-ice cover (290–0 cm, 130,25–119,5 ka BP). The flooding of the territory with cold Arctic waters was rapid, as evidenced by the composition of microfossil assemblages represented by river-proximal Arctic species in combination with the species that prefer water depths of at least 40–50 m. The regression in the region started about 130 ka BP, which indicates that the glacioisostatic rebound of the territory was ahead of the global eustatic sea level rise. The most warm-water and taxonomically diverse assemblages of foraminifers and ostracods, containing species typical of the Baltic Sea, were recorded during the regressive stage, especially in the time interval of ~128–124 ka BP. This probably gives evidence for a rather long-lasting connection of the White and Baltic seas.

The study of socio-economic development is an ever-relevant topic. Significant opportunities for the implementation of the topic are provided by the use of atlas information systems (AIS). The paper describes the basic concept of creating a specialized AIS for monitoring, calculating and mapping integral indices of socioeconomic development. A step-by-step process of forming a multilevel system of socio-economic development indices and their calculation is described. Using the example of modeling and mapping of the integral index of socio-demographic development, an approximate description of the system’s functionality is given, as well as a brief geographical description of the results obtained. The issues of developing a universal system of indices and indicators of socio-economic development at the national and regional levels are also considered. The combination of cartographic, geoinformation and statistical approaches implemented within the framework of the AIS concept allows not only creating ample opportunities for visualization and design of cartographic images, but also using the system to analyze and forecast the socio-economic development of a territory according to various parameters, and forming a set of recommendations for decision-making in this sphere.

The article seeks to identify the features of creative industries in Japanese cities with a population over 1 million people. Since there is no universal definition of creative industries in Japan and no officially adopted classification, we analyzed and aggregated various sources of information to develop a classification of crea creative industries in the largest cities has revealed that the advanced creative industry, i. e. “IT and computer services”, is the most developed creative sector in Japan. The most widely spread traditional industries include “crafts and applied arts” and “architecture”. For all 12 cities included in the analysis we calculated specialization coefficients, i.e. the ratio of the share of creative organizations and employed in the creative industries in a city to the corresponding shares of the industry in the country, and built petal diagrams for all creative industries. As a result, we have obtained an understanding about creative profiles of all largest Japanese cities. We applied a comparative-geographical method to identify territorial differences in the development of creative industries in Japanese cities, and a cartographic method to reveal the territorial structure of creative industries at the national level. The study has shown that the creative industries are unevenly distributed over the country and the territorial structure of creative industries in Japan is monocentric with hyperconcentration in Tokyo, the “creative hub” of the whole country, which is intended to become a creative center of Asia. Our study revealed that as the city’s population decreases, the number of creative organizations and people employed in creative industries is declining quite steadily. The progress of the creative sector is an important component of the “Cool Japan” national policy, which views Japanese traditions and cultural heritage as innovations for economic growth and the development of creative industries. Depending on the number of found creative industries we identified first-, second-, and third-order “creative cores” which have a potential to become creative centers in their regions.

The analysis of the spatial structure of landscapes of arid highlands was carried out by combinations of se veral morphometric characteristics based on the high-resolution remote sensing data. The choice of the Mongun Taiga Mountains located in the west of the Republic of Tyva (Russia), as a model site, is due to the possibility of verifying the results of morphometric analysis using the extensive material from long-term field studies of the massif. It is shown that the territory could be split into sections relatively homogeneous in terms of relief morphometric parameters in order to describe the locations with a sufficiently high accuracy. It has been established that the entropy of the distribution of plant community groups, averaged over altitudinal intervals, significantly decreases when locations are identified based on combinations of morphometric values for the entire altitudinal profile, regardless of the macroslope.
Combining field trials, cartographic and remote sensing methods makes it possible to assert that proposed set of morphometric characteristics is able to output plant cover horizontal structure. It can be used for automatic interpretation of hardly accessible areas of Inner Asia as well as for the forecast of landscape structure transformation as a result of spontaneous or human-induced changes.

The system of shelterbelt forests is a long-lasting ecological framework of an agrarian territory. Their main function is to prevent the degradation of arable soils, improve the microclimate of fields, and preserve the stability and biological diversity of landscape. However, the presence of forest belts complicates field cultivation, and along their borders zones (strips) of depression in crop development could formed, reducing the productivity of lands. This impedes field-protective afforestation, and, consequently, the solution of the problem of reliable protection of land resources. The aim of the work is to establish the causes and regularities of formation of depressive zones in agrocenoses, and to determine the possibility and methods of suppressing their development. The research has been conducted for 8 years in the experimental-production system of 30 to 53-year old 2 to 4-row forest belts of Betula pendula ROTH, Pinus silvestris L., Ulmus laevis PALL. and other species on the automorphic chestnut soil of the Kulunda steppe (the Altai territory) by the generally accepted methods.
It was found that the depressive zone in agrocenoses is the least wide for relatively sparse forest belts of birch and pine, and also for forest belts with marginal rows of xerophytic shrubs (3–7 m in total on windward and leeward sides), and the largest (up to 25–30 m) for elm and poplar (Populus laurifolia LEDEB.), i. e. for plantations of hydrophylous tall species with dense crowns. It is 1–3 m wider on the leeward side of forest belts, where more snow is deposited in winter and soil moisture is better in spring. The increase in height and density of stands, influencing the length and intensity of day-time soil shading, stimulates the expansion of the zone. Crop depression is more pronounced in wet years. The increased amount of atmospheric precipitation during the cold season, as well as at the beginning of the growing season and during the reaping season till the onset of stable cold weather also contributes to it. The development of depressive zones is suppressed by abundant precipitation during the period of active growth of field crops.
Thus, the formation of depressive zone in agrocenoses of shelterbelt forests depends on many factors. Under arid conditions, the most effective factors are the need for soil moisture and moisture availability for the stand. The most active expansion of the tree root system in the field and the suppression of crops occur in wet years and during the periods with high soil moisture in the absence or weakened competition of field crops. To reduce damage to their productivity, it is necessary to implement a set of coordinated organizational, silvicultural and agrotechnological measures aimed at increasing moisture availability and limiting the expansion of tree root system of forest belts in the field.

The scale of anthropogenic terrain transformation within the Norilsk industrial region was quantified and a classification of its consequences has been elaborated. The work is based on the results of 2021 expeditionary geomorphologic studies, interpretation and analysis of remote sensing materials and digital elevation models. It has been established that the total area of direct terrain transformation during the territory development was about 122,4 km2, and that of indirect transformation – 23,6 km2. The volume of anthropogenic landforms is at least 1,8 billion m3; accumulative forms account for 93% of the area and 72,6% of the volume of direct landform transformations. The types of anthropogenic landforms were identified, it was found that the largest area is occupied by embankments for industrial development and tailings, and the largest volume is characteristic of slope dumps. Indirect terrain transformation is mainly activation of gravitational processes, linear erosion, suffusion, thermokarst, heaving and deflation. The mass displacement of slope dumps by landslides or stone glaciers are the most dangerous for infrastructure facilities. Separate areas of indirect transformations are mainly limited to the lacustrine-alluvial lowlands and the bottoms of river valleys. Among them, the largest area (up to 20 km2) is occupied by segments of river valleys affected by spills of oil products and tailings. It has been established that the accumulation of pollutants in river valleys of the Norilsk industrial region occurs within the internal deltas and ice glades where the longitudinal slope decreases. Three stages of anthropogenic development of the territory are distinguished (I – 1920–1953; II – 1953–1986; III – 1986–2021); the most significant increment in the area of anthropogenic terrain occurred from 1953 to 1986. The average rate of anthropogenic terrain area increment over the past 36 years amounted to 0,81 km2/year. The highest rates of area growth are characteristic of the Kayerkan and Talnakh regions, which is associated with ongoing mining.

At the beginning of the 20th century the Mordovian villages in the Fedorovsky district of the Bashkortostan Republic were characterized by the maximum growth rates and population density among settlements with another ethnic structure of the population. During the 20th century, the average population of Mordovian villages in the district decreased by 79%, and many of the settlements disappeared. High rates of depopulation of Mordovian villages within zone with favorable agro-climatic conditions have no analogues among villages with another ethnic structure of the population. The article provides a geographical analysis of a rapid growth of the Mordvins ethnic area in the 18–19th centuries and its reduction in the 20th century. Specific features of the development of Mordovian villages influenced by natural conditions (attraction to water sources and forest areas), the “periphery of settlement”, the peculiarities of the economic structure (gardening) and dominant psychological universals (closeness, individualism, etc.) are discussed. The evolution of factors driving the transformation of Mordovian villages at different stages of its development is described. The main factors of the “Mordovian village crisis” in the 20th–21st centuries – migration, institutional, economic and ethno-cultural, are identified. To demonstrate the scope of settlement transformation, a modern schematic map of the Alyoshkino (typical Mordovian) village has been compiled showing inhabited and inoccupied homesteads, abandoned and developed territories. Based on the results of in-depth interviews and characteristics of the population, the main groups of residents of the modern Mordovian village are identified: “old people”, “young families”, “new kulaks (farmers)” and “urban cottagers”.

The article analyses the changes caused by the Soviet plans to transform the countryside, considering a specific example of a settlement in the Tver (former Kalinin) region. In the 1970s the studied village of the Verkhnyaya Troitsa was classified as a “viable” one; it was also included in a small number of villages chosen as “experimental and demonstrative”. Among the reasons for the close attention by the Soviet authorities was the fact that the village was a birthplace of M.I. Kalinin – the famous Soviet political figure. On the basis of statistical data, local history materials and our own field studies, a “portrait” of the Verkhnyaya Troitsa village was compiled for each of the four identified stages, i. e. pre-revolutionary, pre-war, late Soviet and modern. The dualistic consequences of the projects implemented during the Soviet period are shown. On the one hand, an ordinary village has become a large rural center; on the other hand, the remaining industrial and social facilities do not meet modern needs.

During the 2000–2010-s many rural schools faced the optimization process in Russia. In this context, the Tambov Region is of exceptional interest due to the highest rates of rural schools reorganization in 2001–2019. The aim of the study is to assess at a qualitative level the pros and cons of optimizing the educational infrastructure considering the example of the Uvarovsky district, typical for the Tambov region. Based on the field data collected in July 2022, the following positive consequences of optimization could be identified: the largest villages strengthen their position in the hierarchy of rural social services; the normative distance for transporting children (30 km) contributes to the preservation of small schools and their staff in remote villages. The problem of the staff shortage in rural schools could be solved using mixed full-time – distance learning format with the involvement of teachers from cities or large rural settlements, since during the COVID-19 pandemic, children mastered the curriculum in such format without reducing the quality of education. The main negative consequences are as follows: the rate of depopulation of small villages increases with the closure of branch schools; small schools located less than 30 km away from a larger school will be closed, and the daily commuting will have a negative impact on academic performance and general well-being of pupils. The discrepancy between registered and actual residents (including children) results in incorrect decisions at the regional level regarding the preservation of social infrastructure facilities, therefore updating information on those actually living in villages gains the utmost importance. The results of field data analysis for the Uvarovsky district of the Tambov region could be useful for further study of optimization processes in other moderately populated regions of Russia.