Ethno-recreational potential of the Baikal region

An overview of ethno-recreational resources is presented, and a preliminary analysis is made of the potential for ethnographic tourism development in the Baikal region. This study is built upon the contemporary views concerning traditional culture and lifestyle of indigenous peoples living on the region’s territory; the focus is on searching for scientifically grounded approaches to conservation of ethno-cultural diversity under formation conditions for the international recreational space.     

System approach to nature management in the Baikal region

The theoretical and practical aspects of sustainable development using the system approach are considered. An analysis is made of a number of major economic projects that were implemented in the Baikal region.     

The ecogeochemical role of forest fires in the Baikal region

A study is made of the behavior of artificial radionuclides and heavy metals during a forest fire. It is shown that forest fires are accompanied by airborne migration of some heavy metals and artificial radionucleides as well as by pollution of new areas. The main depositories of elements falling out of the atmosphere are provided by forest litter, mosses, lichens, and tree needles. Up to 40% of 137Cs and 90Sr can migrate from the sites of fires, which originally were contained in the soil-vegetation cover. The elements that are carried away from the sites of fires partly deposit themselves on adjacent areas.     

Traditional life support methods of the Evenki in the Baikal region

The strategies and local varieties of life-support systems of the Evenki in the Baikal region in the pre-collectivization period are considered. The specific character and the role of traditional kinds of activity, and the resources of flexibility and sustainability of a traditional lifestyle are revealed. The culturalgeographical reconstruction of the economic adaptation of the Evenki, undertaken in this study having regard to the multivariate character of the natural and social environments, is compared with current problems of ethnic identity conservation.     

Big business in socio-economic development of cities in the Baikal region

We give a comparative characteristics to cities involving big business in the Baikal region. Three groups of cities have been identified according to the level of economic development.     

Lakes of the Jom-Bolok Volcanoes Valley in the East Sayan Mts., Baikal region

Journal of Geographical Sciences - This article describes the lake basins of the Jom-Bolok volcanic region in the East Sayan (the largest manifestation of the Holocene eruptions in Central Asia)....     

The manifestation of the pyrogenic factor in the geosystem dynamics of the southwestern Baikal region

The manifestation conditions for the pyrogenic factor in the geosystem dynamics of the southwestern Baikal region are outlined. The distribution of forest fires in the territory, and the conditions of their occurrence and spread are considered. The need to put territorially differentiated fire-control measures into effect is substantiated.     

The evolution of soils of the taiga forest-steppe ecotone of the Baikal region during the Holocene

The territorial specific character of the main stages of Holocene pedogenesis is demonstrated. The study uncovers the characteristic features of bioclimatic evolution of chernozemic and texture-differentiated soils of the Mid-Holocene into organo-accumulative (soddy) soils typical of contemporary landscapes. For the Mid-Late Holocene five stages of soil formation have been identified, which are interrupted by an intensification of denudation-accumulative processes as a consequence of global coolings.     

Assessing the fire hazard from weather conditions in mountain forests of the Southern Baikal region

We suggest the scheme for compiling scales of daily district-by-district fire-hazard assessment having regard to the weather conditions. Information on air temperature and saturation deficiency for 14 hours, and also the amount of precipitation for 24 hours are used in calculating meteorological indices of fire hazard.     

Changes in the cenoflora of dark-coniferous forests of the Northern Baikal region under current climate warming

Calculations of the activity indices and species richness of belt-zonal elements of the flora of dark-coniferous forests have been done in order to reveal the presence of climatogenic changes. It was found that there is an increase in activity of the species of the dark-coniferous belt-zonal group peculiar to these forests. It is suggested that this phenomenon is associated with current climate warming. It is concluded that with increasing climate warming and with the persisting tendency for its humidification, in the lower belt of the mountains there will be taking place an enhancement in the landscape role of dark-coniferous forests through succession from light-coniferous forests to them.     

The problems of development of the Kholodninskoye lead and zinc deposit (Northern Baikal region)

We examine the pre-project data related to development of the Kholodninskoye lead and zinc ore deposit from the standpoint of ecological and economic soundness of the proposed production and engineering aspects of the design. Some of the proposals and recommendations are aimed at improving environmental safety of the projected facilities for extraction and benefication of mineral raw materials in conditions of the Central Ecological Zone of the Baikal Natural Territory, a World Natural Heritage Site.     

Lead and its isotopic ratios in atmospheric precipitation in the Baikal region and Primorski Krai

Presented are the results from investigating the lead isotopic composition in atmospheric precipitation in the Baikal region and Primorski Krai. It is established that at three stations of the Baikal region, differing in their physical-geographical location and in the degree of anthropogenic influence, the isotopic ratios are similar to those for lead ores of Kazakhstan, the main supplier of lead to Russia. Atmospheric precipitation in Primorski Krai is intermittently influenced by the trans-boundary transport of atmospheric impurities from industrial areas of China.     

GIS-based landslide susceptibility mapping for the 2005 Kashmir earthquake region

The M_w 7.6 October 8, 2005 Kashmir earthquake triggered several thousand landslides throughout the Himalaya of northern Pakistan and India. These were concentrated in six different geomorphic–geologic–anthropogenic settings. A spatial database, which included 2252 landslides, was developed and analyzed using ASTER satellite imagery and geographical information system (GIS) technology. A multi-criterion evaluation was applied to determine the significance of event-controlling parameters in triggering the landslides. The parameters included lithology, faults, slope gradient, slope aspect, elevation, land cover, rivers and roads. The results showed four classes of landslide susceptibility. Furthermore, they indicated that lithology had the strongest influence on landsliding, particularly when the rock is highly fractured, such as in shale, slate, clastic sediments, and limestone and dolomite. Moreover, the proximity of the landslides to faults, rivers, and roads was also an important factor in helping to initiate failures. In addition, landslides occurred particularly in moderate elevations on south facing slopes. Shrub land, grassland, and also agricultural land were highly susceptible to failures, while forested slopes had few landslides. One-third of the study area was highly or very highly susceptible to future landsliding and requires immediate mitigation action. The rest of the region had a low or moderate susceptibility to landsliding and remains relatively stable. This study supports the view that (1) earthquake-triggered landslides are concentrated in specific zones associated with event-controlling parameters; and (2) in the western Himalaya deforestation and road construction contributed significantly to landsliding during and shortly after earthquakes.     

Flood Hazard on the Rivers of the Baikal Region

A comprehensive characterization of the flood hazard on the rivers of the Baikal region is presented, which was obtained by investigating the streams within the basins of the Angara, Upper Lena (with the Vitim and Olekma), Lower Tunguska (headwaters), Upper Amur and Lake Baikal (including the entire Selenga basin). The main flood indicators for the period 1985–2017 are estimated: the genesis, recurrence, duration, flooded area and the force of impact. The influence of changes in the river runoff characteristics on the flood risk is shown by results of correlation analysis and analysis of integro-differential curves. An assessment is made of the changes in the flood frequency at gauging stations during the period of pronounced climatic changes (from 1981 to 2014), compared with the earlier period. The flood hazard within the spatial context for municipalities in the rank of administrative districts is determined on the basis of the dual (socio-economic and natural) nature of floods. It has been confirmed that the most dangerous in the Baikal region are rainfall floods in the southern areas of Irkutsk oblast, the Republic of Buryatia and Zabaikalskii krai. They have the highest frequency, and the largest flooding areas and force of impact and are characterized by the greatest damage and by the largest number of victims and evacuated people. At the same time, the frequency of floods at gauging stations in recent years has decreased compared to the earlier period against the background of the observed low-water period, which is most pronounced on the rivers of South Baikal and in the Selenga river basin.     

Radiophysical Monitoring of the Lake Baikal Ice Cover

Presented are the results of the winter 2014 radiophysical expedition, within the framework of which the Baikal ice cover was investigated by electromagnetic methods. The primary objectives the expedition were to detect irregularities in the ice cover, such as cracks and thawing steamed holes in the ice, and to determine the ice thickness and structure in the area of the thawing holes by the GPR sounding method. We used in the experiments the OKO-2 ground-penetrating radar (GPR) of the decimeter band and the nanosecond radar with the wavelength of 3 cm. The measurements were made carried out from the Khivus hovercraft and from the UAZ automobile. The ice thickness of Lake Baikal was determined by non-contact electromagnetic measurement methods. Radargrams of reflected signals from the ice cover are presented. Radar patterns of reflected signals from artificial irregularities of the ice cover were obtained by the short-pulse radar method. The concept of radiophysical monitoring is suggested, which provides a means of determining the ice cover parameters of a water body with high spatial resolution. We present an integral approach to investigating the conditions of the ice cover in order to integrate different physicochemical methods for diagnosing the objects studied. A further development of the concept of integrated ice cover research, and the creation of the monitoring network involves solving a number of scientific and engineering tasks that include developing physical models and information and measurement systems as well as the rationale for an integrated monitoring network.     

Small hollows in the Baikal Rift Zone

Large grabens, or rift valleys, are of the utmost significance in the neotectonic structure of the Baikal Rift Zone. It is also the home for numerous small hollows which are distinguished by their morphological diversity, structural positions and special features of neogeodynamics. The distribution and types of small hollows are considered, and their structural-morphological classification is suggested.     

Siliceous microfossil distribution in the surficial sediments of Lake Baikal

Examination of surficial sediments at 16 stations shows minor, but consistent differences in the numbers and kinds of siliceous microfossils deposited in different regions of Lake Baikal. There is a general north-south decreasing trend in total microfossil abundance on a weight basis. Endemic plankton diatom species are the most abundant component of assemblages at all stations. Chrysophyte cysts are present at all stations, but most forms are more abundant at northern stations. Non-endemic plankton diatom species are most abundant at southern stations. Small numbers of benthic diatoms and sponge spicules are found in all samples. Although low numbers are present in offshore sediments, the benthic diatom flora is very diverse. Principal components analysis confirms primary north-south abundance trends and suggests further differentiation by station location and depth.     

A Bayesian belief network approach for mapping water conservation ecosystem service optimization region

Journal of Geographical Sciences - Water conservation is one of the most important ecosystem services of terrestrial ecosystems. Identifying the optimization regions of water conservation using...