From theeditor-in-chief

The problems of international cooperation and competition of the Arctic countries in the delimitation of the borders and the future using of the Arctic region are examined.

On the basis of data for the 1989–2002 and 2003–2010 the migration of young people is analyzed for cities and districts of 19 regions of Russia. Migration is estimated by the age shift for the relevant periods between censuses, which provides more accurate estimations in comparison with the data of the current statistics. Migration of young people everywhere ishighlycentripetal, the loss of young people on the periphery is growing with distance from the regional centers. All the regional capitals attracted young people in the period under review, what had a positive effect on the age structure of the population, but only large cities managed to hold the youth. The loss of youth on periphery are sustainable, they depend on common migration attractiveness of regions and reach the greatest extent in the east of Russia and in the depressed areas of the Center. In small and medium-sized cities in the periphery of regions the out- fl ows of young people almost always reaches the same intensity as in the countryside.

Periodization of the development of the Russian Far East from the perspective of the macro changes in the migration processes is proposed on the basis of retrospective analysis of the processes of settling of the region. The factors of formation and dynamics of migration processes in the three periods are analyzed. The features and the reasons for the unsatisfactory development of the Far East by settlers from the European part of Russia during the fi rst period, on the one hand, and characteristics of the labor of Chinese and Korean farmers in the Russian territory, on the other hand, are shown. The dynamics of forced and voluntary migration, the reasons for reducing the number of attracted foreign labor force in the region in the second period are investigated. The formation of oppositely directed migration fl ows (inner and international) during the third period is shown.

Transformation of urban space in Nizhny Novgorod in the period of post-industrial development is analyzed on the example of the tertiary sector of the economy of the city. The density of trade and services in Nizhny Novgorod districtsis calculated.

The article presents a retrospective analysis of the formation of settlement pattern in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO) sincethe 1930s to the present. Current (1990–2010) geo-demographic situation in the municipal districts of the region is reviewed and three types ofdistricts are identifi ed. Integral index of socio-demographic security of municipalities is calculated . It is concluded that since 2000 municipal districts concentrating more than 70% of the population belong to the area of social tension. It is shown that function of social control over the territory is of paramount importance for JAO due to border location and the weak development of the territory. Features of settlement pattern are analyzed and presented in the schematic map, as well as the difference between the JAO and the border areas of Chinaby the density of population and its activity

The spatial and temporal characteristics of the peak heat and prolonged drought of 2010 summer in the European part of Russia (EPR) are considered. Periods of high temperatures and prolonged drought are marked. Based on historical sources, the sampling of qualitatively similar situations in the era prior to the meteorological measurements up to the period prior to the Mongol-Tatar invasion is done. In the 14th–16th centuries 2–3 strong droughts in a century took placein Russia, as well as several droughts of moderate intensity. Modern methods of multivariate statisticsare used for analysis of large-scale atmospheric circulation mechanisms that contributed to the formation of a record drought. It is shown that WP mechanism (Western Pacific), particularly noticeable since the 1980s, i.e. during the modern warmingplays a significant role in the formation of blocking anticyclones in Eastern Europe.

In this paper the spatial and temporal characteristics of the spring-summer atmospheric drought were investigated using various drought indicators on the base of meteorological stations observations in the European Russia for May–August ofthe 20th – early 21st century. The highest correlation was found between the time series of the normalized values of HTC and Palmer Drought Severity Index, and the lowest – between Ped’ Index and Palmer Drought Severity Index. The area, intensity and duration as well as regional drought features were estimated for Northwest, Central, Volga and Southern Federal Districts of Russia. It is shown that the strong and extreme drought in May dominated at the beginning of the period under consideration. Large-scale atmospheric droughts were observed from May to August in 1936–1939, 1972 and 2010. Regional characteristics of the spring-summer drought 2010 in the federal districts of the European Russia are examined.

A method of calculation of the water balance components and its structural indices on the territory of the natural zones and the whole Volga river basin during low- and high-water phases of the multi-year fluctuationis worked out. The maps are presented to show the allocation of the water balance components during these phases as well as deviations from multi-year average for the subjects of the Russian Federation located on the territory of the Volgariver basin. Evaluation of the calculation method accuracy is conducted. The greatest calculation accuracy is observed for water-balance components for the forest natural zone and less accuracy is proved for the forest-steppe zone. Calculations for the steppe zone require refi nement of the parameters to calculate evaporation from large areas over a sufficiently long period.

Long-term changes of water balance components in medium sized river basins of bogging southern taiga subzone of Western Siberia are analyzed. Redistribution of river fl ow is mentioned with the certain increase in January–March and in autumn and decrease in April, June, July, November and December. Statistically signifi cant reduction of losses of fl ow in May and their increase in June is shown, as well as decrease of evaporation in March–May, its increase in July and in autumn. The revealed tendencies appreciably are determined by reduction of total humifying of river basins in May and its increase in July. In the nearest and intermediate term favorable conditions for the further bogging of the territory will continue.

The dynamics of the musk ox and primitive bison ranges during the ten different intervals of the Late Pleistocene – Holocene is analyzed, as well as their changes under the climatic infl uence. The cold-adapted musk ox had the maximum range during LGM and LGT (the coldest intervals of the last glaciation). The more temperate bison had the maximum range during the Denekamp (=Briansk) Interstadial. Bison’ area became signifi cantly smaller during the LGM under the infl uence of cold climate. The velocity of decreasing of musk ox range was higher than decreasing of bison range during the Holocene, what could be explained by progressive warming, uncomfortable for the musk ox. The new 14 C data obtained during this work in Groningen and other radiocarbon laboratories help to reconstruct the distribution of musk ox and primitive bison in Northern Eurasia during last 50 000 years.

The article deals with the reasons of fl ood damage growth despite expensive measures of protection. The main reasons are extensive economic use of periodically and potentially fl ooded territories, growth in economic value of these areas, growth of population, increase in natural-anthropogenic and naturaltechnogenic fl oods, insuffi cient engineering systems of protection.

Brief review of the state of the problem of stability in forest ecology is presented, and the known mathematical models of ecosystem sustainability are estimated in the context of their applicability to landscape-ecological systems. The iterative procedure of quantifying the potential sustainability of forest biogeocenosis as integral elementary chronological units of the biosphere is presented. Statistically signifi cant equations have been obtained for the relations between the stability indices of forest biogeocenosis and their metabolic parameters and environmental factors. The presented large-scale matrix maps of resistance and resilience stability of forest communities (by the example of Samarskaya Luka) characterizes their sensitivity to climatic changes and subsequent succession-restoration potential, respectively.

The analysis of subjects of the reports presented at the international conference “Baikal – the World Heritage”, held in April, 2012 in the UNESCO headquarters is given. Perspectives of hydrospacestudy ingareconsidered.

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