The article provides the results of an integrated macrogeographical research of allocation of stock foreign direct investment (FDI) in the modern stage of world economy evolution. The idea of the study is based on an analysis of the dynamics of the territorial diffusion of FDI, generalization of experience in the field of FDI. The place and the role of macroregions in the distribution of accumulated FDI, particularly FDI in the global center-peripheral system and changes in the geography of foreign direct investment at the end of 20th – the beginning of 21st centuries are considered. The most important investment relationships between the countries and the macroregions of the world are identifi ed. The ranking of important investment is carried out. The direction and extent of redistribution of investment resources between regions of the world is revealed. The macrosectoral structure of direct investment on a higher taxonomical level – within the framework of the integral system of world economy – is analyzed.

An overview of the most relevant problems solved under study of the landscape structure within the Russian and English landscape studies is presents. At present, the idea of polystructure of landscape is prevailed. The extension of the range of methods allows recognizing different types of landscape structure and identifying the genesis and backbone of the fl ows of matter and energy through their features. The interest of methodological studies is shifting towards ways showing the continual features of the landscape, including the use of probabilistic mapping. A variety of approaches to the description of the polystructure contributes to the improvement of adaptation of economic activity to landscape structure taking into account the multifunctionality of the landscape. The development of planning solutions taking into account the preservation of emergent properties arising from the cumulative effects of the elements of the spatial structure of geosystem is relevant. The most pressing problems are highlighted: mechanisms and conditions for the interaction or overlap of different types structures; a quantitative assessment of the degree of discreteness/continuality of borders of geosystems; the criteria of emergent properties of geosystems; accounting the multiplicity of steady states of the landscape when making planning decisions. 

An overview assessments of landscape changes in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) and their influence on the productivity of vegetation cover were conducted in 2014–2015 with the use of remote methods (remote sensing) and field studies. Multi-scale, multi-temporal and multi-directional transformations of vegetation cover in terms of the synergism of influence of changing climate and economic activities were identified. It is shown that at the present stage the processes of growth of productivity (“greening”), which is regarded as the effect of the conjugate action of climate warming and economic development, and its reduction due to focal and frontal anthropogenic disturbances of soil and vegetation cover take place simultaneously. According to the synthesis of results of field observations, the direct and indirect influence of tundra greening on the number, distribution and migration of the mammals and birds of the Arctic is revealed. The conclusion about the irreversibility of some changes and about the directional growth of areas with a destabilized state of the biota was made.

Mapping of the integral zooplankton biomass and daily production levels was performed based on the investigations conducted in the Barents Seain the summer periods of 2001–2009. In the whole sea, averaged biomass and production levels of zooplankton in 1 м² were 6.6±0.7 g dry mass and 150±15 mg dry mass, respectively. The highest zooplankton biomass was found in Arctic water mass. Maximum daily production levels of zooplankton were located in the coastal waters of the Barents Sea. Annual stock of zooplankton was estimated to be 260–275∙10⁶ tons of wet mass. 

No tree-ring chronologies were reported so far in the International Tree Ring Data Bank for the central part of the East-European Plain. This absence is traditionally explained by the lack of motivation for tree-ring research in this area. Indeed, due to the intense anthropogenic press the old trees are rare in this region and the climatic signal embedded in the ring width is not strong and is always complex. In this study we present the new tree-ring network of 9 ring width chronologies of pine (Pinus sylvestris) up to 297 years long in a large region of about 450 km in diameter in the Central Russia (54–57N, 33–40E) and analyze their climatic response. Tree ring growth in the region is controlled by both temperature and precipitation of vegetation period, and all the analyzed chronologies have signifi cant correlation with summer PDSI values (with coeffi cients up to r≤0.4). All of them were sampled after the year 2010 when a severe summer drought spread over the European part ofRussia. This allowed spatial analysis of 2010 year annual ring (and rings related to the years of other known severe droughts of 20th century) in the context of drought impact on tree growth. This study is a starting point for constructing large tree ring network for further investigation of severity and spatial distribution of droughts in European Russia in the past. 

New data in the development of the basalt plateau landscapes under multidirectional changes of climate in the late Holocene is presented. Objects for paleolandscape reconstructions were lacustrinemarsh deposits of the Larchenkov marsh. The marsh arose on the site of a paleolake that has passed several stages of development. The greatest depth and area of the lake had about 3220–4000¹⁴С years BP in the conditions of warming and increasing moisture. At the fi nal stage of its existence, there have been periods of flooding and the shallowing with general tendency to active bogging. At the top of the sections of peat bogs, the volcanic ash B-Tm of Baitoushan volcano (the eruption 969 AD) was found. Stages in the development of landscapes were highlighted and the borders of their reconstructions were defined. Natural landscape-forming factors with the analysis of change rates of the biotic components were analyzed. Conclusions on stability of geosystems are made, and the contribution of global and regional paleoclimatic events is estimated. In forest vegetation of the plateau, the share of broadleaf species has increased during warming periods, the share of the Korean pine and dark coniferous, primarily spruce, has increased in the cold periods. In forest vegetation of the plateau, the share of broadleaf species has been increasing during warming periods, the share of the Korean pine and dark coniferous, primarily spruce, has been increasing in the cold periods. The expansion of dark coniferous forests had occurred in climatic conditions similar to modern – about 2550¹⁴С years BP; coniferous-deciduous forests had retreated to the edge of the plateau. The larch (Larix komarovii) had existed framing the paleolake during the all studied period and is a relic of the Last Glacial Maximum. The formation of modern landscapes with identifying their ages was analyzed. 

A comparison of the two approaches to zoning water area based on score classifications and expert assessments of influencing factors: the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the method of direct influence (MoDI), is made. Methods were tested for the zoning of theWhite Seaaccording to the degree of environmental tension of tanker transportations. It is shown that the application of these methods to the same object produce different results – a change of borders and areas of different environmental tension ranging from 2.9 to 14.7%, and for the whole water area – from 3 to 33%, which is very significant in practical applications, particularly when placing bases emergency response to oil spills at sea. It is suggested requiring further verification assumption that the most adequate method is the method of direct influence. 

The article discusses resource opportunities for the development of recreational-сommercial tourism inPermkrai. This direction of tourism has the form of travels based on collecting activity, which includes mainly the forest collecting wild edible mushrooms, berries, medicinal plants. The prospectivity of development of this type of tourism in the krai is determined by the presence of the respective biological resources and landscape features. In this regard, the regional research was conducted, the purpose of which was the assessment and geographical analysis of the resource capabilities ofPermkrai for the development of recreational-сommercial tourism. The proposed method of assessing the capacity is based on the application of mathematical-statistical methods of information processing. It is based on the rating assessment and typology of municipal districts ofPermkrai according to resource tourist opportunities using mathematical statistics methods – factor and cluster analysis. The study used an integrated approach based on such signifi cant evaluation criteria for this type of tourism as the availability of forest resources, landscape diversity, transport availability and accessibility, limiting factors of the natural environment. The results of a rating estimation of districts of Perm Krai are presented. The geographical analysis of territories ofPermkrai according to the resource potential is conducted based on typology of districts of the krai, which allows combining districts into groups (types) with similar opportunities for the development of recreational-сommercial tourism. Areas ofPermkrai with different potentials are determined that to a certain extent affect the priority and sequence of development of this direction of tourism in different areas of the krai. 

A detailed study of the bottom relief was performed on the submarine continental margin near Gelendzhik and in theBlueBay. The obtained data were the basis for the compilation of bathymetric, geomorphological maps, charts and the overview profiles of the bottom relief. Their content is considered in conjunction with the peculiarities of orography of the land and with the published results of geological and geophysical work. Based on the results of cartographic analysis and synthesis the main relief-forming factors are determined, of which the most significant role belongs to neotectonic processes. This is reflected in both the formation and development of this region in a whole and the external area of the continental shelf in particular. The results are clearly reflected in the relief of the shelf edge, which is represented in projection on a vertical plane. 

Study of temporal and spatial variability of maximum water flow is of particular relevance in connection with the increasing incidence of flooding on the territory of theRussian Federation, including on individual rivers of theRepublicofBashkortostan. In this regard, there is an urgent need for a full-scale study flow-forming factors that influence the conditions of formation and variability of maximum water flow. Specified with high reliability allows to perform predictive calculations and to carry out early evaluation of possible scenarios. This will reduce the extent of the negative economic and environmental impacts of water during spring flood. To allow a detailed analysis of the dependence of maximum flow of spring floods from major flow-forming factors within the study area were selected 15 basins of small and medium rivers. It should be noted that the location of meteorological stations to these river basins are not bound. In line with this, we carried out spatial interpolation factors for 14 meteorological stations. With respect to each of the river basins were identified gravitating points, typical indicators, which have been determined by conducting a correlation analysis between the studied factors and maximum water flow by closing sections of the rivers. In the following, relative to the center of the basin progressively defined a weighted average of the basic factors that were used to build regression models describing the dependence of the maximum water flow from them. 

In large territorially distributed information and communication networks author proposed to allocate regions as backbone networks with blurred boundaries. Idea of an elementary postal network is entered. Contours of “evolutionary” approach to allocation of regions when temporal identity of adjacent elementary networks becomes the basis for such allocation are planned. In addition to the new approach in regionalization considered two traditional approaches that identify homogeneous and nodal regions. It is shown that when connected in one algorithm zoning three approaches offer the opportunity to interpret the sub-region as an unstable part of the region. The results of subsidiary evolution (1782–1916) and total (1916) postal-network regionalization of the Russian territory from the Urals to thePacific Oceanare given. It is established that the identified network regions are characterized by linear territorial structure.