Vol 25, No 1 (2025)
Geography
Integratedmodelfor assessing the ecologicalfunctionof valley complexesfor surface runoff treatment
Abstract
The article discusses the methodological aspects of urban area assessment based on the integration of basin, vector, landscape-geochemical and ecological-functional models. Tokmakovsky ravine, located on the southern outskirts of Saratov, was chosen as the object of research. The valley of the ravine is a typical element of the landscape structure of the Volga upland and has preserved traditional forms of nature management. The structural and functional analysis of the model valley complex shows the possibility of using the properties of an erosion network for collecting and cleaning surface runoff. A spatial scheme for the placement of biological compensators based on the existing cascade of ponds has been developed. A town planning solution has also been proposed for the organization of recreational areas in the upper reaches of the catchment area, areas of multi-storey buildings and at the confluence of the Tokmakovsky Creek into the Volgograd reservoir.
News of Saratov University. Ser. Earth sciences. 2025;25(1):4-12
4-12
Optimizing the placement of municipal solid waste collection and processing facilities (using the example of Balashovsky district of the Saratov region)
Abstract
The problem of solid municipal waste (SMW) management in Russia is becoming increasingly relevant, requiring the implementation of effective territorially-oriented solutions. The article analyzes the issues of optimizing the placement of SMW collection and processing facilities using the example of Balashovsky district of the Saratov region. The main focus is on using linear programming methods and geoinformation modeling to select optimal locations for waste processing plants. The application of GIS technologies and spatial analysis methods allowed for zoning of the territory and assessment of environmental risks. An optimal scheme for the placement of SMW collection and processing facilities for Balashovsky district of the Saratov region has been developed. The proposed scheme minimizes waste transportation costs and maximizes processing efficiency, contributing to the creation of a more sustainable and economically viable waste management system in the region.
News of Saratov University. Ser. Earth sciences. 2025;25(1):13-19
13-19
The disparity in development across the Volga-Ural region: A fragile semi-periphery
Abstract
The issue of regional development in relation to the reproduction of human capital is becoming increasingly urgent every year. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the potential for redistributing human resources within meso- and macro-territorial systems. Using the example of the Volga-Ural macro-region in Russia, the main areas with varying growth potential are considered. Special attention is given to the semi-peripheral or equilibrium zone. Based on data from 2018 to 2023, we analyze changes in the quality of urban environments and urban population dynamics in the Volga-Ural region. Using the example of the Saratov region, we show changes in the distribution of cities according to population size. Factors at different spatial levels that influence the balance between developing, equilibrium, and depressive areas are identified. The conclusion is drawn about the difficult economic situation of settlements in the equilibrium zone and their exhaustion as a source of human capital for central cities.
News of Saratov University. Ser. Earth sciences. 2025;25(1):20-29
20-29
Territorial barriers in urban environments: Conceptualisation of the term and assessment methodology (case study of the central area of Perm)
Abstract
Introduction. This study focuses on the examination of territorial barriers in urban environments. It analyses the main types of barriers, their role in the spatial development of the city, and their impact on the formation of socio-economic interactions. Data and Methods. A methodology for calculating the permeability coefficient of territorial barriers has been developed. This methodology is based on a combination of objective criteria (accessibility, traversability) and subjective evaluations (type of crossing, accessibility, isolation, type of surface, surface quality). Results and Discussion. The methodology was tested using segments of the boundary of the central area of Perm. Calculations confirmed the highest permeability of contact boundaries, which primarily serve as nominal demarcation lines. Restrictive and divisive boundary segments show varying degrees of barrier effects depending on the level of infrastructural development. Problematic segments are characteristic of zones with changing functions. Conclusions. The proposed methodology allowed for a more objective characterisation of boundary types, clarification of their functional features, and the development of recommendations for altering specific boundary segments. For instance, segments near Chernyaevsky Forest Park and the Solovyov Garden were recommended to be designated as contact boundaries.
News of Saratov University. Ser. Earth sciences. 2025;25(1):30-39
30-39
Knowledge spillovers as a factor in the development of agriculture in the regions of Russia
Abstract
The article considers the influence of knowledge spillovers as a factor of innovative development on the efficiency and intensity of agricultural production in the regions of Russia. The territorial distribution of agricultural patents and references to them in the regions of the country was analyzed, which is one of the methods for identifying knowledge spillovers. Based on this, a typology of Russian regions was carried out on innovative functions of agriculture and the level of creativity. Four types of regions were identified: creative, acceptor-creative, acceptor and innovative peripheries. For each type, indicators of patent activity, level of innovative development, per capita production, efficiency and intensity of agricultural production were analyzed. It was revealed that the most efficient agriculture is typical for regions of the creative type, which indicates a significant influence of innovative factors on the modern development of agriculture. The efficiency of agricultural production naturally decreases in acceptor regions and innovative periphery. The presence of higher education institutions and scientific organizations of an agrarian profile has a significant impact on the innovative development of agriculture in the regions of the country. At the same time, scientific and technological factors are currently not leading in the development of the agricultural sector, which opens up great opportunities for further improvement of the technology and efficiency of agriculture.
News of Saratov University. Ser. Earth sciences. 2025;25(1):40-50
40-50
Peculiarities of summer transformation of air masses in the Lower Volga region of stationary arctic anticyclones
Abstract
Introduction. Transformation is understood as a change in the properties of an air mass: its temperature, humidity, and stability. Transformation changes are especially strong in the summer when cold air from the Arctic basin shifts to the continental regions of Eurasia. When empirically studying the transformation process, there are difficulties associated with determining its beginning and end. Considering that transformation processes are highly dependent on geographical and meteorological factors, it is interesting to study the specifics of this process in the Lower Volga region. Theoretical analysis. The intensity and speed of transformation are considered. The magnitude of the increase in the average daily temperature during the stationary state of the Arctic anticyclone is taken as the intensity of transformation. The speed of transformation was estimated by the magnitude of the inter-day temperature variability. Conclusion. The average duration of stationarity of Arctic anticyclones in the Lower Volga region is five days. During their stationarity, the air mass warms up by 5–8°C, and the intensity of transformation decreases when shifting from north to south. The maximum transformation speed is on the second day in Saratov and Volgograd, on the third – in Samara and Astrakhan. In July and August, the highest transformation speed is noted on the fourth day in Samara, on the third – in Saratov, and on the second – in Volgograd and Astrakhan.
News of Saratov University. Ser. Earth sciences. 2025;25(1):51-55
51-55
Geology
Innovative geological and technological research technologies in the process of construction of oil and gas wells
Abstract
The relevance of the work is determined by the fact that Russian oil and gas companies are faced with the task of creating domestic information and measurement systems used in the process of drilling directional and horizontal wells. The presented article discusses the experience of implementing a high-tech complex of instruments and devices, which allows solving the problems of determining the expanded composition of hydrocarbons in the drilling fluid, sludge and core, ensuring the optimal mode of drilling and opening productive formations, monitoring the cleaning of the bottom of the wellbore and identifying rock fall intervals. The prospects for using a preparation system for gas analysis (constant volume degasser) and a gas analyzer unit are shown. A unique intelligent video monitoring system for drilled rock volume is described, which allows replacing expensive imported slurry weighing machines.
News of Saratov University. Ser. Earth sciences. 2025;25(1):56-61
56-61
Genus Polyptycha Defretin-Lefranc, 1960 (Porifera, Hexactinellida)
Abstract
The Polyptycha sponges have been registered for the first time in the Upper Cretaceous beds from the Volga Region. The skeletons of those true colonies are peculiar for bushy morphotype complicated by anastomoses of the parent modules at their bending. The systematic position of the genus is disputable. This results from the incomplete understanding of the diverse skeleton morphologies in the Late Cretaceous hexactinellids and, correspondingly, from the lack of any standard criteria as regards the taxa of the “family” and the “genus” levels.
News of Saratov University. Ser. Earth sciences. 2025;25(1):62-75
62-75