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The process of laboratory compilation of the natural landscape chorological map of one of the uluses (administrative districts) of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic is presented at a scale of 1:2 500 000. The GIS tools were used to reference thematic carto graphic documents to the topographic base of the ulus containing contour lines, elevations and the main river network. The final river network is drawn on the basis of other data sources. A significant role in the subsequent map compilation stages was played by data from the Google Earth website: 2D and 3D images were used to identify floodplains. Units of glacial landforms of foot hill areas and the main types of geological and geomorphological units of the ulus were determined using both published data sources and the Google Earth imagery. The map of natural vegetation has been compiled having regard to the humidity conditions and the vertical zonation of the climate and soils. The digital map layers in GIS were gradually combined into the synthetic natural landscape map of the ulus, and the identified natural landscape units were also incorporated into the regional classifica tion of the landscapes of Siberia. It is established that the hierarchical system of natural landscapes of the ulus differentiates three levels of classification: high (the landscapes are differentiated with respect to their geographical location into the landscapes of lowlands and high mountains), intermediate (the differentiation of the landscapes with respect to the genesis and topography dissection in a relevant climatic zone) and low (the natural landscapes are determined by a combination of vegetation covering the type of soil that developed on a given geological substrate).

Presented are the first data of a structural analysis of the river basins in the Upper Angara region, and the spatial features of the distribution of the values of the structural indices for the third-order basins are determined. As a representative area for identifying the structural features of the river basins in the low-water karst region, we used the basin of the Oek river (the right tributary of the Kuda river). Using the methodological approach based on the Horton analysis, we determined the main struc tural indices of the basin, namely, bifurcation indices, lengths, areas, slopes and geomorphic work, for third-order basins. Map ping of the territory used the technique of automated identification of catchment basins in terms of SRTM v.4 DEM, followed by data processing in the SAGA GIS. An analysis of the distribution of the indices showed the largest dissection of the western part of the basin in the upper components of the erosion network. It is determined that the highest homogeneity of the structural in dices is characteristic for the third-order sub-basins located in the western part of the Oek basin within the Irkutsk-Cheremk hovo plain, while the largest diversity in the diversity of the structural indices corresponds to the basins of the Kuda depression. An analysis of the distribution of the indicators of geomorphologic work showed that a significant part of the matter transport is done by the first-order channels in the western part of the basin. An analysis was made of the territory for the distribution of the basins with a different potential to accumulate/remove matter. According to this indicator, most of the basins are defined as transit basins, and the accumulation basins occupy one-third of the territory and are concentrated within the Irkutsk-Cherem khovo plain in the lower part of the basin. Two releasing basins, small in area, are located in the northern part of the basin.

To study the structure of geosystems within the key area (125.3 km ² ) on the northern slope of Khamar-Daban Range, we used method of factorial-dynamical series of facies as developed by A. A. Krauklis. Because of the composite and mosaic pattern of the study area, the typization was carried out according to the commonalty of the functional attributes. Comprehensive physical-geographical descriptions of 83 sample plots were used in compiling the hierarchical classification of geosystems and mapping of geosystems at level of groups of facies at scale of 1:50 000. Results of an automatic pixel-based classification of Landsat-8 and Aster images and a processing of the SRTM digital elevation model were used in delineating boundaries of the landscape units. On the key area we identified 46 types of facies which were grouped into the following hierarchical levels: groups of facies - classes of facies - geoms. The types of facies are represented on the territory by climax states as well as by succession stages. The entire diversity of the geosystems is presented by five geoms: the subgoltzy shrub geom on rocky ground and corroms which includes one class of facies with one group of facies; the sub-alpinotype high-mountain-meadow geom (one class and three groups); the mountain-taiga dark-coniferous/open woodland geom (two classes and two groups); the mountain-taiga dark-co niferous geom (two classes and four groups), and the piedmont plain dark-coniferous geom (two classes and four groups). The territory is dominated by the following groups of facies: spruce-fir and fir-spruce forb and forb-fern forests with bilberries on steep slopes on combinations of Entic Podzols and Regosols; Siberian stone pine-spruce (with fir krummholz) subshrub small grass-sedge sphagnum forests on combinations of Folic Entic Podzols, Histic Cryosols and Fibric Histisols, and fir (with spruce and Siberian stone pine) forests with forbs and elephant’s-ears saxifrage in herbaceous layer on combinations of Humic Leptosols and Dystric Cambisols with rock outcrops on steep slopes. The created map of geosystems allows to take into account the char acteristic properties of the mountainous territory in the process of planning and projecting of recreational activity on the studied area.

Results from investigating atmospheric aerosols in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) 2005-2014 are presented. It is found that the largest sources of suspended particles are represented by fuel combustion and the concomitant exhaust gases, thermal power 2 generation, industrial facilities and mineral dust transport; the main components of aerosol particles are SO4 ^- , NO3 ^- , Cl^-, NH4 ⁺ , Ca²⁺, and Na⁺ . It is determined that in the wintertime, as a result of an increase in fuel consumption, calm weather and orographic characteristics of topography which contribute to accumulation of contaminants in the urban atmosphere, the average sum of ions increases to 43.9-114.6 μ g/m ³ against 7.44-18.48 μ g/m ³ during a warm season. Interannual differences in aerosol composition were noted; the total ion content averaged 43.9 μ g/m ³ during December 2011, 114.6 μ g/m ³ during De cember 2012, 68.7 μ g/m ³ during December 2013, and 64.7 μ g/m ³ during December 2014. It was found that the concentration of the sum of ions in the aerosol during the winter period is by a factor of 6 higher than during the summer. The highest exceed ance of the concentrations was observed for the alkaline earth ions Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ (by a factor of more than 20) forming part of the ash components. There is a difference in the chemical composition of the aerosol sampled in the center of the city and on its outskirts. It is established that the aerosol composition and concentration in Ulaanbaatar during the winter pe riod are comparable the aerosol composition in the industrial cities of China.

In the lead-up to the 100 ^th anniversary of the Institute of Geography RAS, we summarized the salient features and chronol ogy of its field investigations into the country’s nature and resources during the 20 ^th -21 ^st centuries. It is shown that the institute’s history has embodied all stages of evolution of national geography: the traditions of the late 19 ^th century with their departure from the perception of geography as a «descriptive» science and the development of genetic (V. V. Dokuchaev’s) and chorologi cal (A. Hettner’s) approaches, the development of the sectoral specialization of science, the introduction of modern methods: remote sensing, navigation and geoinformation technologies, and the formation of the geography of the 21 ^st century as a philo sophical phenomenon and a synthetic discipline with profound prospects for a better understanding a rapidly changing world. This was all facilitated by the institute’s continual expedition activity that began in the first years of its functioning and has continued to date. For the first time in the historiography of the national academic geography, we determined the vectors of field investigations at the time of change of the paradigm of its interaction with practice and the relatively poorly studied territory of the country. A brief history of the permanent stations operated by the institute is given as well as identifying the periods of its functioning according to the character of expedition work: the 1920s, 1930s, the period of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945, 1946-1965, 1966-1990, and from 1991 till the present.

We consider the research activity of the talented scientist Dashi-Dondok Bazarov. This paper briefly reviews the main stages of his creative life and lists his major scientific achievements. Dashi-Dondok Bazarov was a very versatile scientist. In addition to applied research, he was also interested in basic research, such as stratigraphy of Cenozoic deposits, reconstruction of paleogeographical and paleolandscape settings of the Quaternary, history of relief evolution, compilation of geomorphological and engineering-geological maps, schemes of neotectonics for separate areas of Cisbaikalia and Transbaikalia, paleozoology and paleobotany, paleoecology and natural environmental protection. The thematic maps generated by Dashi-Dondok Bazarov or with his participation have been and are widely used for applied and educational purposes, mineral exploration and geological forecasts. It is emphasized that his principal merit was the creation of his school of Transbaikalian Quaternary geologists and geomorphologists, a school that has been successfully working and showing excellent results to date.

The tendency for the progressive establishment of the formation of a broad integration association of a continental scale, «Greater Eurasia», on the basis of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is highlighted. A common geographical feature of the countries referred involved in this partnership is revealed, i. e. the unique ultra-continen tal location of their remote inland territories at the world’s largest distance from economical sea routes and major world markets. An example of the countries of Central Asia, Russian Siberia and western regions of China shows the negative influence of the ultra-continentality factor manifesting itself primarily in increased transportation costs, which creates considerable barriers to economic growth and foreign trade activity. It is suggested that the accelerated creation of international transport corridors of both latitudinal and meridional orientation be regarded as a potential powerful means for closer economic consolidation and interdependent economic development of the remote inland territories of «Greater Eurasia». The new development opportunities for Siberia opening up before Siberia with the establishment of «Greater Eurasia» are pointed out: access of the Siberian regions via the transport corridors to nearby inland markets, the creation of preconditions for a deeper onsite processing of Siberian raw materials by organizing final process stages and obtaining transportable products with high added value, and by overcoming the depressing effect of the ultra-continentality on economic growth through the construction of the transport corridor on the basis of the Trans-Siberian Railroad using advanced technological solutions.

This paper outlines the principles of using GIS technologies in conjunction with methods from natural sciences in geoar chaeological research. We examine the model of the development of geoinformatics demonstrating the technological transition from «data» through «information» to new «knowledge». The relevance and importance of these categories are highlighted for different stages of geoarchaeological analysis. It is determined that the technology for generation of archaeological and geo graphical databases providing a means of dealing with two problems: cataloging of archaeological sites and retrospective model ing of the historical process with the archaeological landscape, is the key element of the suggested approaches in accumulation and processing of information on artifacts. Central to the conceptual model of GIS-based mapping of archaeological sites used in this study is the technology of mathematical-cartographic mapping based on the synthesis of mathematical, information, geo information, cartographic and other models. Special attention in this cognitive process is paid to the fundamentally new capa bilities of the geoarchaeological analysis and archaeological reconstructions whose potential has not yet been revealed. It is emphasized that the cartographic and geoinformation-based methods are the key tools in the spatiotemporal analysis. Experience and results of experiments as obtained in the course of investigations showed considerable prospects for a further development of archaeological geoinformatics and cartography. It is established that algorithmization of the procedures of geoarchaeological data collection and GIS model construction is an integral part of the spatial analysis of geoarchaeological sites. By testing in practice some of the technological methods, it was possible to make a comprehensive geoarchaeological analysis of the study territory during the era of the Great Silk Road as well as realizing in full measure one of the classes of cartographic models and develop ing on their basis a series of thematic maps.

It is determined that nowadays the creation of atlases of a large region requires its integrated study (by combining eco logical, environmental and socio-economic components), which is only possible subject to the availability of explicitly developed integrated mapping programs. It is shown that for the transformation of research material to a constructive mapping model, it is necessary to determine the range of topical issues to be studied, establish the procedure of developing them, and select methodol ogy and technology of cartographic modeling of results from theoretical frameworks. We outline how a further development of the scientific principles, methodology and technology of system-ecological mapping furnishes a means of making a prospective targeted cartographic analysis and interpretation of social, economic and physical-geographical information thus enabling easy switchover to the creation of assessment, optimization and other environmental maps of new constructive contents. On the basis of summarizing experience of developing All-Russian and regional ecological atlases covering the territory of the Baikal region, we examine the conceptual approaches and organizational-methodological principles of creating a new type of atlas by using, as an example, the draft of the Atlas of the Baikal region: Nature and Society.

Long-term comprehensive field investigations of landscapes on the territory of Donskoi Natural Park and Elton Natural Park in Volgograd oblast suggested the conclusions about the pyrogenic dynamics of geosystems. A monitoring has revealed that fires have a negative influence on steppe and desert steppe landscapes. It was determined that fires lead to a reduction in biodi versity of geosystems, an attenuation of the self-regulation processes and a decrease in resistance to external effects. It is found that the structure is simplified in steppe geosystems, the homogeneity of vegetation cover increases, the height of the grass stand overall projective cover decrease by a factor of 2-3 and 1.5-2, respectively, and woody-shrubby vegetation dies. The color aspects of steppe are only poorly pronounced. Frequent fires in virgin steppes cause changes in the phytocenosis structure, namely, mesophilic grasses and forbs disappear, Festuca valesiaca replaces Stipa, and sagebrush and other weeds invade ter ritories. Biological productivity of geosystems decreases considerably within a long period (3-5 years). Consequences of the pyrogenic influence have been recorded. Aneolation and ablation come into action. Landscapes of calciphilous steppes and desert steppes suffer the most from the harm done by fire. It has been recorded that the most serious damage is inflicted by late summer and autumn fires when there is a considerable amount of leaf litter accumulated on the soil surface. It has been con cluded that the pyrogenic transformation of geosystems presents the most serious threat to biological and landscape diversity of steppes.