Complex Relief Research Articles

Progress and challenges in understanding Asian palaeogeography and monsoon evolution from the perspective of the plant fossil record

Land surface elevation, climate and vegetation are intrinsically linked at a range of spatial and temporal scales. In the case of Asia, complex relief hosts some of the richest biodiversity on our planet and is dominated by a system of monsoons, the features of which are determined in large part by topography and land surface characteristics, including vegetation. Such regions have not only acted as an incubator for evolving species but also as refugia during periods of environmental crisis. The exceptional topography of Asia includes the largest and highest elevated region on Earth, the Tibetan Plateau, along with the Himalaya and the Hengduan mountains, collectively referred to here as the THH region. In recent years there has been a revolution in thinking as to how the THH was formed, how the several monsoons systems that affect it have changed, and how it has influenced regional, even global, biodiversity evolution. Accurately dated plant fossils have played key roles in these advances. Here we review the complex evolution of the THH landscape, the modernization of the biota in the Paleogene, and the transition to the modern landscape and monsoon systems in the Neogene. We show how these changes in understanding have been brought about by recent fossil discoveries and new radiometric dating of previously known assemblages, methodological advances arising from integrating improved proxy data, and numerical palaeoclimate modelling. Significant knowledge gaps remain, however, which demand further advances in proxy and numerical methodologies, as well as new fossil discoveries in key locations for specific time intervals.

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates of Arid and Semi-Arid Ecosystems of Peru

Peru is one of the megadiverse countries worldwide, displaying a great diversity of ecosystems due to its tropical location, marine currents, and complex relief, which jointly define environments differentiated by altitude and climatic conditions. The arid and semi-arid ecosystems comprising xeric and Andean shrublands, coastal deserts, and coastal hills, illustrate this diversity of ecosystems; these stretch over 177 358 km2, representing 13.8% of the Peruvian territory. Several studies on aquatic macroinvertebrates are being conducted in these ecosystems; although not so numerous yet, have shown a rise in recent years. The objective of this work was to determine the composition and distribution of aquatic macroinvertebrates in the arid and semi-arid ecosystems of Peru. To this end, we conducted a literature survey; the articles and theses found were reviewed and analyzed. The following keywords were used: macroinvertebrates, macrozoobenthos, bioindicators, diversity of aquatic organisms, and water quality; we used the Google Academic search engine, Scopus, Web of Science, ResearchGate and the thesis repositories of Peruvian universities, additionally a thesis from the University of Barcelona. Of a total of 53 sources of information, 38 are theses and 15 are scientific articles conducted from 1992 to 2020, referring to studies conducted at elevations ranging from 0 to 3,831 m asl. Most studies were conducted at the Lima and La Libertad departments, resulting in 20 and 10 publications, respectively. The topics addressed most frequently were bioindication, biodiversity, taxonomy, and distribution. Most theses were carried in the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo and the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, with 12 and 10 theses, respectively. The period 2011–2020 records the largest number of publications (40). According to the type of aquatic ecosystem, rivers (38) were the systems most intensively studied, followed by coastal wetlands (14) and lagoons (2); to note, one thesis studied two types of ecosystems. Specimens were collected mainly with the Surber and D nets; as a result, seven phyla, 10 classes, 39 orders, and 118 families were reported. The highest richness of families corresponds to rivers (110), followed by coastal wetlands (57), and lagoons (12). The western hydrographic slope recorded the highest richness at phylum, class, order, and family levels, likely because most investigations were conducted in this slope. On the other hand, the phyla Cnidaria, Nematoda, and Nematomorpha were not recorded in the eastern slope, which showed fewer orders (19) relative to the western slope (39). A similar trend is observed at the family level: of the 118 families recorded, 59 were reported for the eastern slope. The most common families at both sides were Chironomidae, Baetidae, Simuliidae, Elmidae, Hydrophilidae, Libellulidae, Physidae, Dytiscidae, Ceratopogonidae, Coenagrionidae, Hydroptilidae, Hydropsychidae, and Tipulidae. Separately, the most common families in all types of aquatic ecosystems were Chironomidae, Baetidae, and Dytiscidae. It is recommended to further promote studies on macroinvertebrates living in the eastern slope, addressing taxonomic, and ecological topics, as well as broadening the approach to an integral ecosystem view. Finally, the biotic indices should be calibrated and validated for the main hydrographic basins. This work is an initial effort to review, systematize, analyze, and gather the results of studies on aquatic macroinvertebrates in Peru, particularly in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

3D GIS for surface modelling of magnetic fields generated by overhead power lines and their validation in a complex urban area

Residential exposure to magnetic fields generated by overhead high-voltage power lines, continues to be a matter of social concern and, for the scientific community, a challenge to model this exposure accurately enough to reliably detect even small effects in large populations complexes. In any expression of the magnetic field intensity, the source-receiver distance is a determining variable, especially in an environment closer to the electrical installation and critical with the existence of significant unevenness in the terrain. However, MF exposure studies adopt, due to their complexity, simplifications of reality where even sometimes the terrain relief and the buckling of the line are not considered. The application of 3D techniques with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allows us to address this problem. This article presents a model for generating magnetic field intensity surfaces from high-precision terrain elevation data. The series expansion of the Biot-Savart law to an infinite rectilinear conductor with variable height according to the catenary described by the cables using ArcGIS software is applied to calculate the magnetic field. For the validation, 69 control points (1035 field measurements) were used in a free urban area and another 28 points (420 field measurements) in a built-up urban area with complex relief. Good estimates were obtained, although with differences in both areas. With MAPE 9.65% and 19.51%, R2 = 0.922 and 0.949, RMSE = 0.154 and 0.094 μT, respectively. Furthermore, 86% of the points were correctly classified according to usual exposure percentiles. However, the use of a 5 m resolution digital terrain model to obtain high-precision elevation data was an indispensable condition for the good performance of our model. The result as a continuous surface of magnetic field values at the real elevation of the ground can contribute significantly to the development of new environmental and public health studies.

Hospital in the home-based management of acute diverticulitis: a safe and effective alternative to inpatient care.

The traditional approach to management of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis involves admission to hospital, antibiotic therapy, gut rest and monitoring for the development of complications. Despite evidence to suggest this can safely be performed in an outpatient setting, inpatient care remains standard practice in Australia potentially due to a variety of factors (van Dijk et al. 2018; Cirocchi et al. 2019). Hospital in the home (HIH) allows patients requiring complex care including intravenous antibiotics, intravenous fluids and complex pain relief to be managed at home. This study examined the safety and efficacy of HIH-based care for acute diverticulitis over a 16-year period. A retrospective review of cases of acute diverticulitis managed under our HIH service from the period of 1st of January 2004 to 20th of October 2020 was completed. Baseline descriptive data relating to age, co-morbidities and severity of diverticulitis was collected. Details of medical treatment provided and subsequent complications were also collected. During the study period, 23 patients with acute diverticulitis were treated under the HIH unit. Among the study population, the median age was 60 (interquartile range 15) with a slight female predominance (n= 13, 56.5%). This represented the first presentation in 60.9% of patients. Average length of stay was 3.6 days (SD=1.0) with no acute complications recorded in the study period. Two patients (8.7%) had further episodes of acute diverticulitis within 60 days. In this study, the lack of complications demonstrated indicates that HIH-based management of acute diverticulitis may be a viable and safe alternative to inpatient care.

BÖYÜK QAFQAZIN CƏNUB YAMACININ HİSSƏSİNİN MORFOSTRUKTUR VAHİDLƏRİNİN KOMPLEKS GEOMORFOLOJİ XARAKTERİSTİKASI VƏ RELYEFİNİN GEODİNAMİK XÜSUSİYYƏTLƏRİ

According to the modern geodynamic concept of lithosphere pans, the geological structure of the Greater Caucasus in the system of geosynclinal and platform regions is very complex. This situation, along with different conditions for the geomorphological development of the area, led to the formation of a complex and diverse relief with different ridges, massifs, inland basins, river valleys and other small morphostructures and morphosculptures. Key words: Greater Caucasus, southern part of Greater Caucasus, southern slopes, mosfostructure, geomorphological analysis, relief forms

Flexible Evanescent Wave Interference Lithography System for Sub-half-Wavelength Complex Relief Structures Fabrication

Surface microstructures impart various useful properties to objects, for example, improving optical characteristics, wettability, and sliding properties. It is well known that biomimicking relief structures are effective in making such properties arise and have been studied to be applied to various devices. Furthermore, they are expected to be utilized not only for improving a particular property but also for adding more complex functions on a device's surface by fabricating different multi-functional structures on a single surface in the future. However, to begin with, artificially fabricating such biomimicking special functional relief is difficult. One typical feature of biomimicking surfaces is the dual-scale structure, the smaller one of which is less than 200 nm. Moreover, in the case of realizing the more complex devices, it is necessary to fabricate various forms as changing process conditions dynamically. In this study, we proposed and developed a flexible evanescent wave interference lithography system as a novel fabrication method, which allows us to realize the fabrication of sub-half-wavelength complex relief structures. Firstly, we theoretically analyzed the fundamental behavior of the fabricated structure and found that the proposed concept has the potential to realize one of the target complex structures. Secondly, we developed the proposed system with high process flexibility, in which the number of beams, the azimuth angles, and the polarization can be simply manipulated. Finally, we validated the concept of the designed system by some experiments, where we fabricated dual-scale structures with 840-nm and 190-nm fringe patterns simultaneously.

THE STUDY OF THE PECULIARITIES OF THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM OF ODESSA HILLS. ODESSA FUNICULARS

Abstract. The off-street transport system of a mountainous relief is learnt in the article. The basic kinds of underground and ground transport, intended for the transportation of people and auxiliary cargoes in the conditions of a complex locality relief or the presence of water obstacles were identified: conveyor, lifting, rail, mono-rail, self-propelled. The advantages of the use of suspended and mono-rail cableways were found: functionality, profitability, manufacturability, comfort and safety. The peculiarities of the Northern-Western Black Sea shore – precipitous banks of the Odessa Bay – the hills that are a recreational zone and the most popular places for the rest of local inhabitants and quests of the Black Sea shore were studied. Despite the fact that the Odessa hills don’t have a complex and a steep locality relief, on the hills the transport system, in the conditions of a complex relief, consisting of the cableways, funiculars, an escalator, a tunnel, bridges and lifts that became the Odessa’s sightseeing was created that makes the Odessa coast more attractive for the development of the regional and the international tourism.

The Principles of the Renovation of Residential Development on a Complex Terrain (on the Example of a Residential Environment in the Area of Komarov Hill in Vladivostok)

The need for architectural and site planning development of the existing urban environment, including residential areas, is justified by the growth of living standards and the needs of the population, as well as the emergence of new trends in urban design. The purpose of this study is to formulate the principles of a comprehensive renovation and design methods for a comfortable living environment on the example of the existing residential development of Vladivostok, located on complex terrain. The study revealed: architectural and site planning shortcomings of mass typical development, features of its planning structure, the device of the road network, courtyards and public spaces, artistic inexpressiveness of the environment. It is established that the conditions of complex relief require an integrated approach to the renovation of the living environment. The main principles formulated in the study are: the creation of an affordable multifunctional infrastructure that meets the needs of various population groups; organization of safe and comfortable courtyards, pedestrian transit paths connecting different levels of the landscape; organization of cycling; creation of public spaces saturated with social activity; the organization of compact buildings with adjoining and public spaces free from car parking; increase in the total area of landscaping due to the exploited roofs, slopes and vertical landscaping of the walls; giving the building and landscaping a unique architectural appearance, taking into account modern trends in design; formation of a barrier-free environment in residential development on complex terrain and taking into account the needs of people with disabilities. Based on the developed principles, an experimental project proposal for the renovation of residential development, which takes into account the climate and topography of the city of Vladivostok, was completed.

Accurate Measurement of Surface Areas of Anatomical Structures Including Areas with an Irregular Relief: a Modern Solution to the Problem

Relevance. The currently available methods for measuring anatomical areas with irregular relief do not claim to be accurate and easy to use.The aim of the study was to develop a method for measuring the surface area of an anatomical region (substructure) with an irregular relief.Material and methods. There was developed an option to measure the surface area of an anatomical region (substructure) with a complex relief in patients with pathology of the maxillofacial region and perineum using realistic 3D modeling.Results. The principle of the developed method is that, firstly, it is necessary to determine the patient's "zone of interest", where it is planned to measure the surface area; after that, digital photographs of the defined area are taken to obtain a sufficient number of images from the maximum number of available angles using a template with predefined dimensions for scaling. Then the obtained photographs are processed in the program for the 3D model reconstruction, and a realistic 3D model that correctly repeats the relief of the "zone of interest" and guarantees measurements of the surface area taking into account all its individual features is obtained. The method has been tested in obstetrics and gynecology, dentistry, maxillofacial surgery.Conclusion. This technique has been proved to be simple, accessible, fast, highly accurate in measuring the area of anatomical regions with complex relief. At the same time, the investigated object does not need fixation and prolonged immobility. A digital optical device is used contactless, the fact being significant in situations where it is necessary to comply with the rules of asepsis and antisepsis.

ОПЫТ ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ ВЫСОКОЧАСТОТНОГО ГЕОРАДАРА ДЛЯ ЛАНДШАФТНОЙ СНЕГОМЕРНОЙ СЪЁМКИ В ОКРЕСТНОСТЯХ ГОРОДОВ КИРОВСК (ХИБИНЫ) И АПАТИТЫ

The results of processing of a profile snow-measuring survey of snow cover in the Khibiny Mountains are presented. The survey was performed during the period of maximum snow accumulation (March of 2020) on the main elements of the landscape: mixed forest on the plain, open woodlands at the bottom of valleys, plateaus, wooded slopes, and upper slopes without woody vegetation. The averaged values of snow storage for different types of the landscapes were obtained for the period of the maximum snow accumulation in the snowy winter of 2019/20. The maximum snow storage (> 700 mm w.e.) was determined for areas on the high plateaus and open woodlands at the bottom of valleys. Minimum snow storage (> 400 mm w.e.) was recorded in areas of mixed forest on the plain and on an ice cover of lakes. Measurements of snow depth were carried out by the standard method (a handspike) and the ground-based radio-echo sounding using georadar with the frequency of 1600 MHz. The accuracy of this method allows measuring of the snow depth with accuracy of 1 cm for a dense snow and 2 cm for a loose one. Thus, the accuracy of measuring the snow depth with the radar is comparable to the accuracy of a handspike. A large number of radar measurements of snow depth on the profiles makes possible to determine the spatial variability of this value and its statistical characteristics. As a result, a vertical gradient of snow accumulation was defined as 25 mm w.e. per 100 m. The smallest spatial variability of snow depth was observed on profiles in the forests on the plain, in woodlands, and on the upper slopes. On profiles with complex relief (plateau, lower slopes), the spatial variability of snow depth is significant – the standard deviation was within limits of 30%. Based on the results of processing the field data, a map of snow storage over the studying area during the period of maximum snow accumulation was constructed. When constructing the map, we took into account the averaged data of the measurements for each type of landscape, the boundaries of woody vegetation, the height, steepness of slopes, and the high-altitude gradient of snow accumulation. It was found that features of the spatial distribution of snow cover were primarily due to the location of natural landscape complexes. The role of changes in snow storages with altitude was found to be insignificant.

СОВРЕМЕННАЯ ДОЛГОВАЯ ПРОБЛЕМА США В КОНТЕКСТЕ РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЯ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО НЕРАВЕНСТВА

Global debt has risen dangerously since the early 2000s, but most governments and central banks are more supportive of investors, because they keep printing money and buying back financial assets to provide markets and economy with liquidity. In this regard, we can see increasing concern not only about the growing debt burden of the world economy, but also about the impact of this problem on the dynamics of economic inequality. The aim of the work is to analyse and clarify the relationships between public debt and economic inequality in the USA for the period of 1910–2018. This study concludes that the level of economic inequality is not directly related to the specific level of public debt and changes under the influence of other factors, such as taxes and government spending on combating poverty, financed by the new government debt. Modern financial policies lead to increased economic inequality in wealth, which is confirmed by the data for most countries. In many developed countries, there is a progressive taxation system that curbs the rising income inequality. However, in most of them, there are complex tax relief and deduction systems for long-term investors, the problem of offshore and tax avoidance remains unresolved, which creates great obstacles to solving the problem of the growing economic inequality. In the context of the galloping inflation of financial assets, the growth rate of labor income is guaranteed to be lower than the growth rate of investment income. In the recommendations, the author justifies the modern problem of the public debt growth. The main risk in addressing this problem in the context of economic inequality regulation is the risk of increasing intergenerational economic inequality. We see how the tax burden is being transferred to future generations, while modern taxpayers have better opportunities to improve their quality of life, accumulate adequate pension capital and generally live with a higher level of financing of public goods. All this may not be the case for future generations of taxpayers due to the likely exacerbation of the debt problem in the future, since they will either have to pay more taxes on their income, pay a high inflation tax, or go to reduce public spending and finance public goods to solve the “unsolvable debt problem”. In this regard, the main recommendations today are to make every possible effort to contain the growth of public debt to a rate no higher than the growth of the economy; to develop a system of fiscal regulation of investor wealth and investment income; to optimize inheritance taxes; and, of course, to continue solving the problem of tax avoidance and offshore.

On the Planar Geometric Patterns of the Exoskeletal Relief Formation in Early Vertebrates (Osteostraci, Agnatha).

A study of the diversity of sculpture and histological structure of the exoskeleton in various osteostracan taxa (Osteostraci, Agnatha) enabled the first characterization of the main elements (geometric modules) of the planar organization of the complex relief on their armor surface. The armor relief was analyzed using a circular model of the formation of exoskeletal hard structures. The model was applied to unique material, fragments of a shield of the osteostracan Oeselaspis pustulata (Patten, 1931) from the Silurian of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago (Russia).

Использование морфометрических показателей рельефа для почвенного картографирования пашни в условиях средней тайги в северной части Пермского края

The digital elevation model (DEM) matrix allows to reveal the relationship of the soil cover with morphometric parameters. Therefore, in the absence of the possibility of a large-scale field survey of soils, for territories with a high degree of erosion hazard, the data on the relief make it possible to carry out predictive large-scale soil maps. The aim of the work is to create a cartographic model of the soil cover of agricultural land based on the extrapolation of the results of DEM processing and to compare it with the existing large-scale soil map in similar natural conditions. The object of research is the territory of LLC “Selskoe” located in the Solikamsk urban district of the Perm region. Agricultural land use belongs to the northernmost agricultural lands in the region. The total area of research was 429 hectares of arable land. The plot includes 8 fields. For soil mapping, a digital elevation model ALOS 30 and a large-scale soil map of the key site were used, which characterizes part of the land use of the subsidiary farm “Voskhod”. Using the results of the classification of the relief according to the GIS SAGA TPI based landform classification algorithm as a contour base and the existing soil map of the key site, a soil map of LLC “Selskoe” was made by the extrapolation method. The steepness of the slopes and the topographic moisture index were used as auxiliary data. In conditions of complex relief, a clear dependence of the location of soils on relief elements has been established. By extrapolating data from a large-scale soil survey, 10 soil cartographic units were identified. According to the relief elements, podzolic, sod-podzolic, bog-podzolic and alluvial soils were identified. In terms of granulometric composition, light soils prevail, a small area is occupied by medium loamy soils.

Деревні рослини у формуванні обрису ландшафту ландшафтного парку по вулиці Солом’янській у м. Києві

An important factor in shaping the three-dimensional structure of park landscapes is the construction of landscape paintings. Under conditions of complex relief, the visual perception of the territory, in addition to the features of orography, is influenced by plant elements of the composition. A review of the literature showed insufficient coverage of the research issue, especially in terms of determining the specific three-dimensional parameters of the influence of woody vegetation on the landscape. Assessment of changes in the visual qualities of park landscapes under conditions of complex terrain is based on field survey and detection of changes in the contour of the landscape through a formal analysis of the silhouettes of the terrain and woody plants. This study considers the possibilities of a park environment forming by modelling the outline of the landscape of complex terrain plantings. A visual analysis of the landscape outline was carried out and methods of its modelling with woody plants were established in the Landscape Park on Solomyanska Street in Kyiv, which is located in the ridge and ravine system of the Mokra Kuchmyny Yar River. As a result of research, three methods of modelling the relief contour according to four typical schemes in these orographic conditions were revealed: reinforcement by trees and bushes, reinforcement by trees, repetition by trees, and levelling by trees. The conditions for the formation of existing modelling techniques according to the parameters of exposure, steepness and the existing difference in slope heights are determined. Their influence on the perception of landscape park paintings by the observer is established. The results of the study show a significant level of influence of plants on the aesthetic qualities of the park landscape. Vegetation is the main tool for creating space in the park landscape and can be used as structural elements. The decorative properties of plants often play a supporting role in these situations. The identified features of the landscape space, including the topography of the area and vegetation, will contribute to the further formation of the visual concept under conditions of complex terrain. Further research is planned to program the observer's perception of the park space using the techniques of modelling the outline of the landscape with woody plants.

Seismic vibrations of complex relief of the surface of the naryn canyon (on the Norin river in Kyrgyzstan) during large-scale underground explosions

In this paper the problem of the propagation of seismic blast waves in a deformable half-space with complex free surfaces of the Noryn Canyon (on the Noryn River in Kyrgyzstan) during large-scale underground explosions is discussed. In the explosion, according to a specially developed technique camouflage action charges were used. It was found that, granites in the fault zone are intensely fragmented and fractured. On the plane of the cracks, traces of sliding and friction clay are noticeable. The lowest values of elastic wave velocities are observed in the zones of tectonic cracks and in the surface of the massif. With depth, the velocity increases similarly to the change in fracturing. A theoretical formulation, solution methods and algorithm for the problem of propagation of seismic blast waves in a viscoelastic half-space (with a complex relief of the free surface) are proposed. The aim of the work is to study their dynamic behavior, create a methodology, develop and implement ideas when conducting full-scale experiments and measuring parameters that determine the dynamic behavior of half-space with complex surface and ground rails under seismic and explosive effects. Field experiments and corresponding theoretical studies in this formulation were carried out for the first time.

Карта растительности Норского заповедника (Амурская область)

The Norsky State Nature Reserve is located in Selemdzhinsky district of the Amurskaya oblast. Its area is 211 168 ha. Currently the flora of the Norsky Nature Reserve is studied in details. A species list has been published and an analysis of the flora has been made (Starchenko, Chuvasheva, 1993; Veklich, 2009). The vegetation cover is poorly studied; so far no geobotanical map of the Reserve has been compiled. Only the overview map (scale 1 : 2 500 000) of the vegetation of the Amur basin (1969) gives an idea of the vegetation as a whole. The climatic characteristics of the territory and the complex relief determine the diversity of plant habitats and their communities. The climate of the Norsky Reserve is continental with monsoon features and even ultracontinental (after A. I. Kaigorodov (1955). The modern relief of the Reserve includes wide floodplains of Nora and Selemdzha rivers, accumulative delta-terraces plain, Norskaya accumulative denudation plain (Geomorphologiya..., 1973) and hills. According to the latest botanical and geographical zoning of the Amurskaya oblast, the Norsky Reserve belongs to the Mamynskiy and Ulmsko-Aldikonskiy districts of the Turan-Mamyn province of the Manchurian subdistrict of the East Asian area (Borisova,Starchenko, 2018). The province belongs to southern taiga with some elements of nemoral forests (Quercus mongolica, Tilia amurensis and etc.) along the valleys of Selemdzha River and its major tributaries. The southern taiga includes different larch forests (often disturbed), derived birch-larch forests with Pinus sylvestris, Picea ajanensis and Abies nephrolepis. The presence of nemoral species in forest cenoses increases in the direction from north to south. A province peculiarity is the wide distribution of larch peatmoss forests, swamps and wet meadows. The scientific-reference typological map of vegetation on a medium scale (1 : 300 000) was compiled for the Norsky Nature Reserve for the first time. It shows spatial patterns of vegetation distribution in connection with the natural features of the territory (Fig. 5). The vegetation map legend is based on an ecologic and phytocoenotic classification. A zonal distribution of plant communities is presented in the legend. Plant communities are divided into some categories: dark-coniferous, light-coniferous and derived forests, which are represented as formations. The main cartographic units are groups of associations and their various combinations. The legend shows the vegetation of floodplains, rocks, and disturbed areas. Vegetation divisions are represented on the vegetation map by seventeen colors and one extra scale sign. All symbols have their own serial number, which is marked in the map legend. The largest areas on the territory of the Reserve are occupied by larch forests — 42 % (Fig. 6). The forested territory as a whole occupies 36.5 %, of which the largest areas are rhododendron larch (9.7 %) and floodplain (9.5 %) forests. Ledum larch and moss-shrub forests occupy 5.7 %. Larch mixed-grass-shrub forests cover some small areas (2.0 %). Sub-taiga larch forests with nemoral grasses and often with oak and black birch trees occupy 0.6 %. Pine and larch-pine forests extend 1.3 % of the Reserve’s area. Fir-spruce forests on watersheds have limited distribution — about 1 %. They are a chain of ecologic-dynamic series on floodplain occupying 2.7 % of the Reserve’s area. To conclude, the vegetation cover of the Norsky Nature Reserve reflects the zonal and provincial features of the territory.

The topographic evolution of the Tibetan Region as revealed by palaeontology

The Tibetan Plateau was built through a succession of Gondwanan terranes colliding with Asia during the Mesozoic. These accretions produced a complex Paleogene topography of several predominantly east–west trending mountain ranges separated by deep valleys. Despite this piecemeal assembly and resultant complex relief, Tibet has traditionally been thought of as a coherent entity rising as one unit. This has led to the widely used phrase ‘the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau’, which is a false concept borne of simplistic modelling and confounds understanding the complex interactions between topography climate and biodiversity. Here, using the rich palaeontological record of the Tibetan region, we review what is known about the past topography of the Tibetan region using a combination of quantitative isotope and fossil palaeoaltimetric proxies, and present a new synthesis of the orography of Tibet throughout the Paleogene. We show why ‘the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau’ never occurred, and quantify a new pattern of topographic and landscape evolution that contributed to the development of today’s extraordinary Asian biodiversity.

Multiresolution Satellite-Derived Bathymetry in Shallow Coral Reefs: Improving Linear Algorithms with Geographical Analysis

da Silveira, C.B.L.; Strenzel, G.M.R.; Maida, M.; Araujo, T.C.M., and Ferreira, B.P., 2020. Multiresolution satellite-derived bathymetry in shallow coral reefs: Improving linear algorithms with geographical analysis. Journal of Coastal Research, 36(6), 1247–1265. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Bathymetric maps are one of the first steps for most hydrological and ecological studies of the seascape, as depth is a determinant factor in the distribution of organisms, patterns of wave exposure, and coastal circulation. The coral reefs of Tamandare-Brazil, located at Costa dos Corais marine protected area (MPA), encompass a mosaic of interconnected habitats of complex geomorphology, including coral reefs, algal, and seagrass beds. These coastal habitats are subjected to chronic impacts such as sedimentation, reef erosion, and increasing human use, leading to habitat loss. Despite their social and ecological importance and the conservation measures in place, bathymetric and habitat maps of this coast are lacking. Indeed, in situ surveys are not always feasible in shallow coral reef areas. The present study offers a detailed bathymetric mapping of the area using multiresolution satellite imagery. One Landsat-8 (December 2016) and one WorldView-03 (February 2017) imagery were used to derive medium (30-m) and high-resolution (2-m) bathymetry of the study area. Single-beam echo sounder surveys were performed to obtain field data to calibrate the depth-retrieving algorithms: linear model, ratio band model, principal component analyses of the transformed bands, and geographically weighted regressions (GWR). For both resolution datasets, results showed that the algorithms' RMS were significantly improved by the GWR technique (RMS > 0.9) because of adaptability to the bottom heterogeneity found in complex areas such as coral reefs. Specific geomorphological reef zones were recognizable in the resulting bathymetric maps, such as intrareef lagoon, reef crest, fore-reef, and reef flat. This research concluded that affordable methods such as single-beam data coupled with satellite imagery through GWR can provide the required inputs for mapping shallow areas with complex relief. Such results may be further used to habitat mapping, necessary to inform the multiple-use zonation foreseen in MPA management plans.

Modeling of Nonhydrostatic Dynamics and Hydrology of the Lombok Strait

The long-wave dynamics of the Lombok Strait, which is the most important link of the West Indonesian throughflow connecting the Pacific and Indian Ocean waters, was simulated and analyzed. A feature of the strait is its extremely complex relief, on which water transport creates a field of pronounced vertical velocities, which requires consideration of the nonhydrostatic component of pressure. The work presents a 3-D nonhydrostatic model in curvilinear coordinates, which is verified on a test problem. Particular attention is paid to the method of solving the 3-D elliptical solver for a nonhydrostatic problem in boundary-matched coordinates and a vertical σ level. The difference in transport through the Lombok Strait is determined by the difference in atmospheric pressure over the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Based on the results of the global simulation, the role of these factors in terms of their variability is analyzed, and the value of nonhydrostatic pressure in the dynamics of the Lombok Strait is revealed and evaluated. The vertical dynamics of the Lombok Strait are considered in detail based on hydrostatic and nonhydrostatic approaches.

CAD-technologies in archaeological reconstructions: scientific and educational experience of Vyatka State University

Russian regional scientific schools demonstrate examples of applied research at the frontier of sciences, including a combination of accurate / engineering and archaeological research. Vyatka State University has gained some experience in such cooperation. Sources for this work are the archaeological collections of the village. Lalsk, research methods and techniques - archaeological techniques and digital technology. Using digital processing of collections and other archaeological excavations as an example in the northern Vyatka borderlands, computer applications for theoretical analysis of archaeological artifacts and the application of its results are shown. The article presents the algorithms for using digital software. Certain technologies make it possible to reconstruct old household items from fragments, form collections of 3D models, and copy objects with a complex relief or artistic value to preserve the originals. It is indicative of compiling a relief and multidimensional copy of the excavation site, a databank of archaeological objects and some related information. The features of building a virtual archaeological museum and its use by different target groups of the region are outlined - by age and social affiliation. The traditional spheres of using the obtained results — science and education — have been significantly expanded at the expense of cultural, tourism, cadastral and urban planning institutions, and law enforcement agencies. The directions of development of museum and engineering pedagogy are outlined. Digital technologies in archeology allow them to be applied remotely, remotely to small and medium-sized businesses, and to increase the quality of life in the region.