Impact Of Anthropogenic Factors Research Articles

Analysis of water-ecological problems of Khmelnytsk region

At the present stage, in the conditions of growing scale of anthropogenic impact on water resources, shortage of quality drinking water and climate change, priority measures should be their rational use and comprehensive conservation. The article analyzes the environmental problems of surface waters of river basins, analyzed the existing potential of water resources and the state of water use, qualitative and quantitative indicators of surface waters of river basins of the Dnieper, Southern Bug and Dniester within Khmelnytsky region. The main problems of water resources of the region are highlighted and proposals for their effective use are formulated. A feature of the Khmelnytsky region is its location in three river basins – the rivers Dniester, Southern Bug and Dnieper. The main share of water intake in the region comes from surface objects, and s unevenly distributed throughout its territory. The study shows that in the sectoral structure of general use of water in Khmelnytsky region, the largest consumer is industry (58.6 %), and among industries electricity sector is the main and largest consumer. The main environmental problem of the region is the pollution of surface water bodies with untreated and insufficiently treated return water. In the territory of Khmelnytsky region, 80 water users discharge return water into water bodies. The average annual concentrations of manganese (2–6 times), copper (4–7 times) and nitrites (2–5 times) were exceeded in all control samples from water bodies of Khmelnytsky region. There is also an increase in the total amount of discharges of pollutants, including petroleum products, suspended solids, sulfates, total iron, and copper. In addition to pollution, the problem is the current structure of land within river basins. Excessive plowing is one of the main negative factors that contributes to the deterioration of the water regime and leads to pollution of water bodies. Within the Khmelnytsky region, arable land is the dominant form of land use, their share is 50–70 %. Restoration of the quality of water bodies involves the implementation of measures to reduce the environmental risk of deterioration based on the analysis of the impact of anthropogenic factors and a set of water protection measures.

Geoecological analysis of the impact of anthropogenic factors on outbreak of emergencies and their prediction

The purpose of this study is geoecological analysis of the risk of natural fires and other emergencies of an ecological nature based on the location of high-risk objects in the territory of the Kharkiv region. The following tasks were solved in the work: calculation of the risk of an ecologically dangerous event depending on the density of placement of objects of high danger in the region; Creation of a chart-map on the level of danger of environmental threat in the districts of the region; the search for the dependence of the area of forest fires on the density of the population, the number of high risk facilities, etc. An analysis of the influence of anthropogenic factors on the occurrence of natural fires on the example of the Kharkiv region was carried out. Distribution of potential risk and population density in the studied area allows us to obtain quantitative estimation of social risk for the population. Excessive population density in some areas of the region is one of the factors that increase the material and social risk of the territory and population of the region from natural disasters and man-made disasters. We created mapping zoning of multi-level districts of the region, the risk of an emergency reflects the patterns of spatial structure of potential sources of emergency situations and allows to increase the readiness of the executive and authorized services to act in the event of sudden emergencies and to act for their prevention. Available data allowed us to estimate the density of the placement of potential sources of man-made emergency situations for all districts of the region, which gives us the right, with a certain degree of conditionality, to speak about the extent of the technogenic danger of the territory of the studied areas of the Kharkiv region. We propose to apply a complex factor taking into account the population density, density of placement of objects of high danger and the proportion of high risk objects in the area of the forestry organization in comparison with the total number of objects in the region. For the simultaneous evaluation of both natural and anthropogenic conditions of forest fires in the region, we propose to use the methodology of scoring on which they are evaluated in a four-point system, taking into account the five main characterizing indicators : population density; forest area; the density of high risk facilities; climatic and weather conditions; the share of high risk facilities. Comparison of information on the average number of fires on the lands of the forest fund of Kharkiv region over the past ten years with the results of our typology of the areas shows some correlation. The results of studies on the assessment of the risks of the occurrence of fires depending on natural and anthropogenic factors can be used for zoning similar areas and forecasting the fire situation.

РАРИТЕТНА КОМПОНЕНТА УРБАНОФЛОРИ ПЕРЕЯСЛАВА

The article presents data on the current state of the rare component of the urban flora of Pereiaslav. Urbanization is one of the most powerful factors of anthropogenic impact on nature, which causes radical changes in the species composition, structure, evolutionary development of flora and fauna on the territory of settlements and their environs. The flora of the city becomes the most important in the environment of the person and therefore requires special research and establishment of ways to restore the natural biological diversity, in particular, the conservation of fragments of natural flora and vegetation in the city. One of the important tasks of biodiversity conservation is the study of the location and protection of the most vulnerable species - rare, relict species listed on various levels. In addition to the presence of well-preserved fragments of natural vegetation, the unique character of Pereіaslav also lies in its geographical location. The city is located on the terrace of the middle reaches of the Dnieper River, through which passes the Dnieper meridional eco-corridor, which provides for the resettlement of plants in different zones. Given that the left-bank part of the Middle Dnieper is characterized by extremely transformed vegetation cover, every area of natural vegetation in this territory, including the territories of cities where the enclaves of natural vegetation have been preserved, which is, in particular, the studied city, should be considered as a zone of potential re-naturalization. It is established that the flora of Pereіaslav and its surroundings has 968 species of vascular plants, 66 species of mosses, 28 species of lichens and 146 species of algae. It is established that rare vascular plants cover 3.5% of the total floral composition of the natural fraction of urban flora. Inventory of flora reveals 34 rare protected plant species: 10 of which are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine (2009), 4 of them are listed in the Convention for International Trade with Endangered Species (CITES), 2 of them are listed in the Berne Convention, 1 of them are listed in the European Red List, 23 of them are included in the regional list Kyiv region. A brief description of the species and their location is given.

NUTRITIONAL AND BIOLOGICAL VALUE OF FRUITS OF CRATAEGUS OXYACANTHA L.

The work involved the phytochemical study of hawthorn fruits (Crataegus oxyacantha L.). Hawthorn fruits were collected in areas with low anthropogenic impact (landscape and recreational areas) and in areas with the transport infrastructure in Kaliningrad city. The content of total phenolic compounds and subgroups: catechins, leucoanthocyanins, flavonoids, tannins); monosaccharides (glucose and fructose), pectins, organic acids, ascorbic acid, macro- and microelements, as well as antioxidant activity in hawthorn fruits were studied. The influence of the anthropogenic factor on the variability of their chemical composition was shown. It has been established that hawthorn fruits from areas with minimal impact of anthropogenic factors can accumulate phenolic compounds (up to 15.9 mg/g), leucoanthocyanins (up to 1.5 mg/g), tannins (up to 6.5 mg/g ), catechins (up to 4.1 mg/g), flavonoids (up to 6.0 mg/g), fructose (up to 14.1%), pectin (up to 11.6%), organic acids (1.45%), ascorbic acid (up to 49.3 mg/100 g), calcium (up to 12.12 mg/g), zinc (up to 39.12 mg/kg) more intensively and demonstrated higher antioxidant activity (up to 9.7 mg/g). The cluster analysis carried out on the content of phytochemicals proved the dependence of the accumulation of nutrients in hawthorn fruits on the growing conditions of plants. The obtained results allow us to consider the fruits of hawthorn C. oxyacantha as a valuable raw material for use as food additives for various purposes.

From natural to cultural mires during the last 15 ka years: An integrated approach comparing 14C ages on basal peat layers with geomorphological, palaeoecological and archaeological data (Eastern Massif Central, France)

This paper studies mire initiation modalities from the Late-Glacial to the Holocene by comparing radiocarbon ages on basal peat layers (112 sites from the Eastern French Massif Central – EFMC) with long-term land cover changes. We developed a semi-quantitative method based on the degree of openness and on Anthropogenic Impact Factors (AIF scores) from palaeoecological data (mire and lake records). Archaeological information was also considered to evaluate human impact. We compared regional mire development trends with datasets from Northern Europe, Siberia, Alaska and Canada, and with global CH4 emission. Heterogenous cases of mire initiation were highlighted during the last 15 ka years in the EMFC. From 15 to 11.7 ka cal. BP, some mires and histic horizons occurred, although further research is needed to better understand these peat accumulation phases. Related to the Early Holocene warming, a mire generation established by terrestrialization, in the southern EFMC where geomorphology favoured fens. Bogs also formed by paludification in the whole area between 10 and 7 ka cal. BP. Then, various cases of mire initiation were found from 4.4 to 2.4 ka cal. BP. The high number of mires established since 2.4 ka cal. BP could be related to major anthropogenic changes, indirectly favouring fens (in former ponds for instance) or small bogs (at the back of roads, walls or in abandoned drainage systems). This last generation was typical of Western European mountains and implied that moderate human impact may also produce socio-ecosystems with high ecological value.

Impact of anthropogenic factors on affiliative behaviors among bonnet macaques

In primates, allogrooming and other affiliative behaviors confer many benefits and may be influenced by many socioecological factors. Of these, the impact of anthropogenic factors remain relatively understudied. Here we ask whether interactions with humans decreased macaques' affiliative behaviors by imposing time-constraints, or increased these behaviors on account of more free-/available-time due to macaques' consumption of high-energy human foods. In Southern India, we collected data on human-macaque and macaque-macaque interactions using focal-animal sampling on two groups of semi-urban bonnet macaques for 11 months. For each macaque within each climatic season, we calculated frequencies of human-macaque interactions, rates of monitoring human activity and foraging on anthropogenic food, dominance ranks, grooming duration, number of unique grooming partners, and frequencies of other affiliative interactions. We found strong evidence for time-constraints on grooming. Macaques that monitored humans more groomed for shorter durations and groomed fewer partners, independent of their group membership, sex, dominance rank, and season. However, monitoring humans had no impact on other affiliative interactions. We found no evidence for the free-time hypothesis: foraging on anthropogenic food was unrelated to grooming and other affiliation. Our results are consistent with recent findings on other urban-dwelling species/populations. Macaques in such environments may be especially reliant on other forms of affiliation that are of short duration (e.g., coalitionary support, lip-smacking) and unaffected by time-constraints. We stress on the importance of evaluating human impact on inter-individual differences in primate/wildlife behavior for conservation efforts.

Fishery organization in the Lower Dniestr and in the Dnistrovsky liman (analytical overview)

According to official statistics, the long-term dynamics of catch of the main commercial fish species and invertebrates of the Lower Dniester, changes in the structure and variations in the volume of catches are shown. Fisheries in the lower Dniester basin are characterized by a very high level of exploitation of aquatic bioresources, which, along with other factors of anthropogenic impact, has led to changes in the structure of ichthyocenosis. The rapid increase in the number of prussian carp in the last five years indicates a significant imbalance of the ecosystem. Modern approaches to the organization and regulation of fisheries, including commercial, amateur, in the waters of the NRF are considered. The current regulatory documents governing the organization and regulation of fisheries are analyzed. The predominance of IUU fishing over the legal forms of fisheries activities was noted, which seriously threatens the state of commercial aquatic bioresources and makes their rational sustainable use impossible. The problem of reliability of statistical data on the catch volumes of aquatic biological resources is noted. Official fishery statistics provide not only significantly reduced catches but also a distorted catch structure. There are practically no reliable data on fishing by amateur fishermen. The low efficiency of measures taken for the artificial reproduction of aquatic biological resources is shown. The most promising route is the restoration of natural spawning areas downstream of the river and in the estuary, which can have a greater environmental and economic impact than artificial reproduction. Proposals to improve the protection and rational use of aquatic bioresources in the Dniester basin were considered.

Возможность использования Artemisia austriaca Jacq. в качестве индикатора загрязнения окружающей среды некоторыми тяжелыми металлами

Due to the increasing negative impact of anthropogenic factors on the state of the environment in man-made regions, the possibility of using Artemisia austriaса Jacq. as an indicator of contamination of industrial areas by some heavy metals and transformation of plant communities under the influence of human activities is being considered. In order to achieve the objective of the study, the content of heavy metals (Ti, Mn, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Sr); in plant metals (A. austriaса) and soil samples selected in the suburbs of Pavlodar and Aksu (Pavlodar region, Kazakhstan) is analyzed at different distances from existing industrial enterprises. Geobotanic studies have also been carried out (using classical methods). A. austriaca, being a digressive-active species, under human-induced conditions often becomes a dominant or subdominant in plant communities (in regions where it has historically been represented in little abundance). Therefore, its capacity to accumulate some heavy metals (according to our research results – Zn and Cr) can be used (taking into account the distance from the source of emissions, age of plants, features of nanorelief and weather conditions) to determine the presence of contamination of industrial (or adjacent) areas, especially in areas of operation of metallurgical enterprises.

Радиотепловое излучение ледяного покрова озера Арахлей как геоиндикатор изменения водного объекта

The object of this study was the ecosystem of a water body; the subject was the radio-thermal radiation of the ice cover as a geo-indicator of changes in the ecological state of the Lake Arakhley. On the basis of a systematic approach, the work assessed the contribution of the seasonal variability of the properties of the ice cover to the intensity of radio-thermal radiation as a geo-indicator of the ecological system. At present, the influence of the ice cover deformation during the crack formation period on the intensity of radio-thermal radiation has not been sufficiently studied, which determined the relevance of an experimental study for use in problems of assessing anthropogenic factors of influence. The aim of the study was to measure the seasonal variability of the intensity of radio-thermal radiation as a background geo-indicator of the temperature regime and deformation of the ice cover during the crack formation period in the absence of direct anthropogenic factors. In January-March 2020, remote radio-physical methods were used to study the intensity of radio-thermal radiation of the microwave range for the test area of the ice cover of the Lake Arakhley during synchronous contact measurements of deformation and temperature in a niche at a depth of 40 cm from the surface. According to the data obtained, the reaction of the deformation sensor signal to daily temperature variations with a time lag of 1…3 hours was recorded. According to the results of the study, the correlation coefficient of the data of the ice deformation channel and the intensity of radio-thermal radiation in the range of 8…14 mm exceeded ± 0.7 (with a window of 1000 s), with the data of the temperature sensor in most areas exceeded ± 0.9. This proves the relationship between the temperature and deformation of the ice surface with the intensity of radio-thermal radiation, as a seasonal geo-indicator in determining the ecological state of the lake. The increments in the brightness temperature during the period of increased crack formation in the 14 mm channel, with a significant correlation with the deformation data, were about 3…6 K, which can also serve as a geo-indicator of seasonal changes in the properties of the ice cover. The results of the study were obtained in the absence of direct anthropogenic factors and are background geoindicators of the seasonal state of the ice cover during the period of temperature and dynamic loads during deformation and cracking, and in the future will be used in practice for correction in assessing the impact of anthropogenic factors

Baseline and stress-induced corticosterone levels across birds and reptiles do not reflect urbanization levels.

Rates of human-induced environmental change continue increasing with human population size, potentially altering animal physiology and negatively affecting wildlife. Researchers often use glucocorticoid concentrations (hormones that can be associated with stressors) to gauge the impact of anthropogenic factors (e.g. urbanization, noise and light pollution). Yet, no general relationships between human-induced environmental change and glucocorticoids have emerged. Given the number of recent studies reporting baseline and stress-induced corticosterone (the primary glucocorticoid in birds and reptiles) concentrations worldwide, it is now possible to conduct large-scale comparative analyses to test for general associations between disturbance and baseline and stress-induced corticosterone across species. Additionally, we can control for factors that may influence context, such as life history stage, environmental conditions and urban adaptability of a species. Here, we take a phylogenetically informed approach and use data from HormoneBase to test if baseline and stress-induced corticosterone are valid indicators of exposure to human footprint index, human population density, anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night in birds and reptiles. Our results show a negative relationship between anthropogenic noise and baseline corticosterone for birds characterized as urban avoiders. While our results potentially indicate that urban avoiders are more sensitive to noise than other species, overall our study suggests that the relationship between human-induced environmental change and corticosterone varies across species and contexts; we found no general relationship between human impacts and baseline and stress-induced corticosterone in birds, nor baseline corticosterone in reptiles. Therefore, it should not be assumed that high or low levels of exposure to human-induced environmental change are associated with high or low corticosterone levels, respectively, or that closely related species, or even individuals, will respond similarly. Moving forward, measuring alternative physiological traits alongside reproductive success, health and survival may provide context to better understand the potential negative effects of human-induced environmental change.

Ecological Condition of the Sapalayivka River in the Conditions of Lutsk Urbosystem

Purpose. Determination of the main factors of anthropogenic impact of the urban system of the city of Lutsk on the river basin of the river Sapalaivka and assessment of the ecological condition of the river on the basis of MIR "Macrophytic index of rivers". Methods. Comparative-geographical, generalization, systematization, statistical, comparative-analytical, descriptive, cartographic. Results. In the Sapalaivka River, 21 indicator species of macrophytes were found in the surveyed test areas, among which - 8 plants belong to dicotyledons, and 13 plants belong to monocotyledons, using which the MIR values ​​were calculated. Depletion of macrophyte species composition from 15-16 in test plots 1 and 2 to 2 species in test plot 3 indicates deterioration of the ecological condition of the river and the emergence of unfavorable conditions for macrophyte habitats. On the territory of the city, the section of the Sapalaivka riverbed, from the beginning of Potapova Street to the mouth, is mostly canalized, the species composition of macrophytes is depleted here and there is a specific smell of sewage. The part of the river that flows in the city (before Potapova Street), which was renaturalized in 2012-2016, has a richer species composition of macrophytes. Outside the city, the Sarpalaivka river basin is in good condition, as evidenced by the species composition of flora and fauna, as well as the intensive development of higher aquatic vegetation. Conclusion. As a result of the calculated ecological index of macrophytes MIR it is established that the water quality in the river Sapalaivka on the test site № 1, belongs to the II class, category - good and by trophic status is mesotrophic; on the test site № 2, belongs to the III class, category - satisfactory and eutrophic in trophic status; on the test site № 3, belongs to class IV, category - poor and trophic status is polytrophic. It is advisable to carry out further environmental measures, especially in the lower reaches of the river, in order to eliminate sources of water pollution, and to monitor the ecological status of the reservoir in order to restore the species composition of macrophytes and the ability to self-clean.

Assessment of anthropogenic pressure on the environment in Rostov region

Improvement of the methodology for determining the anthropogenic pressure on the region's environment, assessment of individual components and the total anthropogenic pressure, analysis of its formation and distribution in Rostov region. The main factors of anthropogenic impact on the environment are divided into four groups and presented in the form of demographic, industrial, agricultural and transport pressure, which, when summed up, give the total anthropogenic pressure. When determining certain types of anthropogenic pressure in the calculations, materials of statistical yearbooks and official data of regional reports on the state of the environment were used. For each type of anthropogenic pressure, indicators of anthropogenic impact and their numerical values were determined. The total anthropogenic pressure was determined by the sum of points. The features of the formation of anthropogenic pressure in Rostov region have been established. In cities with an industrial type of nature management, an increased and average anthropogenic pressure prevails. In rural areas of suburban urbanized zones and the development of mineral raw materials with an agrarian-industrial type of natural resource use, maximum indicators of environmental impact for agrarian areas, increased and average values of industrial, demographic and agricultural pressure have been established. Rural areas with an agrarian type, remote from industrial centers, are characterized by an increased agricultural pressure, lower and low values of the total pressure.

Assessment of species diversity of biocenosis in the city of Dnipro

Problem statement. Measures for improving the urban environment should be of great importance in the correction and neutralization of the negative impact of anthropogenic factors on the formation of an environmentally safe environment of human life. Taking into account the data of ecological-hygienic monitoring, the state of morbidity of the residents of Dnipro, it becomes clear that green spaces, which perform sanitary-hygienic, decorative-planning and emotional-psychological functions are of significant importance. Determining the species diversity of Dnipro biocenoses, such as the T.H. Shevchenko’s Park of Culture and Recreation, the Dnipro-Oril Nature Reserve and Lazar Hloba’s Park, is an urgent scientific and practical task in the modern urban environment. The purpose of the study is the determination of the conditions necessary to increase the species diversity of biocenoses of Dnipro; as well as increasing the sustainability of biocenoses to the effects of urbanization through reconstruction by sanitary measures. Methods. In order to assess the diversity of vegetation in natural ecosystems b-diversity was calculated (dimensionless indicators − similarity coefficients or the community indices). There were used the species richness indices: Margalef, Shannon-Weaver, Simpson, Mackintosh and the community indices: Jacquard and Sjorensen-Chekanovskyi. As a result of studies, it was found that an increase in species diversity in urban biocenoses leads to an increase in their stability and productivity. Conclusions.Biocenoses of parks are characterized by a high commonality of species, and nature reserves are somewhat smaller. When assessing the total area of biocenoses of urbanized sites, it was revealed that more species of tree species were planted on them than in parks, the areas of which exceed the area of urbanized biocenoses by several times. Such reconstruction leads to a decrease in the stability of the biocenosis to the effects of urbanization, and requires sanitary and recreational measures.

Obtaining Mycelial Biomass of Medicinal Fungi Grifola frondosa and Laetiporus sulphureus on Synthetic Media

Background. The negative impact of anthropogenic factors on the environment and the wrong way of life of a significant part of the population leads to the need to search and develop new food products and therapeutic and preventive medicines or to improve existing technologies for their production, based on different biological objects, including xylotrophic basidium fungi. Therefore, definition of condition influence of submerged cultivation for strains Grifola frondosa and Laetiporus sulphureus and definition of principal factors which favour the accumulation of mycelial biomass to work out home biotechnologies of receiving food, medical preventive, and cosmetic preparations is relevant.Objective. The purpose of the paper is analysis of strains G. frondosa and L. sulphureus under condition of submerged cultivation on synthetic medium, definition of physiological-biochemical peculiarities of these fungi and determination of liquid medium parameters, promoting the accumulation of biomass.Methods. Submerged cultivation of strains 1707 Grifola frondosa (Dicks: Fr.) S.F. Gray and 1518 Laetiporus sulphureus (Bull.: Fr.) Murrill was carried out in Erlenmeyer flaks on an orbital rocking-chair on liquid synthetic nutrient medium with different pH values, nitrogen and carbon sources, under conditions of constant stirring at temperature of +28 °С. The influence of different values of the studied factors was defined by the level of accumulation of mycelial biomass determined by the weight method. The acidity of the nutrient and culture fluid was determined by potentiometric method.Results. The influence of the initial pH value of a liquid synthetic nutrient medium and various sources of carbon and nitrogen on the biomass accumulation during the cultivation of basidium fungi G. frondosa and L. sulphureus was studied. pH values, as well as sources of carbon and nitrogen favourable for obtaining mycelial biomass were defined.Conclusions. The growth of two species of medicinal xylotrophic basidium fungi Grifola frondosa 1707 and Laetiporus sulphureus 1518 on synthetic medium under condition of submerged cultivation at different initial pH values and with different sources of carbon and nitrogen was studied. The pH value favourable for the growth of submerged mycelium was determined and it was established that the best sources for the accumulation of mycelial biomass for G. frondosa 1707 strain are carbon ones – starch and glucose, and nitrogen source – peptone and ammonium nitraten. For L. sulphureus 1518, the favorable carbon source is starch, a source of nitrogen is peptone. For the submerged cultivation of two types of xylotrophic medicinal basidium fungi, the use of a synthetic medium has been proposed: for G. frondosa 1707 – with an initial pH 6.9, glucose and ammonium nitrate, and for L. sulphureus 1518 – with an initial pH 6.6, starch and peptone.

Impact of Anthropogenic Factors on Runoff Formation in the Southern Urals

Impact of Anthropogenic Factors on Runoff Formation in the Southern Urals

Recreational loading as a factor of changes in the process of moisture ground soil in protected natural territories of the Black Sea coast of Russia

The article presents the results of studies on how the unsystematic impact of recreational loads leads to deterioration in the soil cover of the Black Sea coast. The impact of anthropogenic factors leads to severe degradation of the soil cover and greatly changes the level of soil moisture reserve. The objectives of the study included studying the composition of soils in the forest territories of the Novorossiysk, Gelendzhiks, Abinsky, Afipsky forestry, analysis of the properties and condition of soils, and the assessment of various indicators as a result of the impact of recreation. The main problem in the conditions of recreation is the decrease in thickness and fertile layer in forest soils of the Black Sea coast due to trampling and degradation of the litter. The main quantitative indicators of damage to the soil cover during recreation affects the dynamics of soil moisture are presented in the tables 1 and 2, where the soils in the pine and rock oak formations (the main forest-forming species of the Krasnodar Territory). The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that studies of the state of forest soils under conditions of increasing recreational loads are rarely carried out. Scientists and forestry workers study the soil as a biological source for the growth of woody plants in various types of soils. Novelty is that the study of soils is carried out not only under conditions of recreational stress, but also in mountainous terrain.

ECOLOGY AND PREVENTIVE MEDICINE: PROBLEMS OF INTERACTION

The authors made an attempt to show the differentiation and integration of preventive medical Sciences and ecological disciplines as a complex dialectical process characteristic for the development of the science of the late 20th - early 21st centuries, and to analyze the methodological links of preventive medical Sciences with numerous ecological disciplines developed in recent decades. The article deals with the processes of formation of new ecological disciplines studying the system “environment - human”, a comparative analysis of preventive medical and environmental Sciences on their goals, subjects and objects of study. The study of the environmental impact on human health was shown to be carried out by already formed medical Sciences, and primarily preventive orientation (General hygiene, Social hygiene, Communal hygiene, Food hygiene, Occupational health, Military hygiene, Radiation hygiene, etc.), having accumulated considerable experience in the areas of knowledge studied by them. Disciplines arising from the differentiation of the environment and studying the preservation of life and health, in essence, duplicate preventive medical Sciences, which inevitably leads to the repetition of the path and does not give the desired results in the increment and development of new scientific knowledge. At the same time, the process of interaction and unification of efforts of preventive medical Sciences and environmental disciplines can make a significant contribution to the successful solution of such important state tasks as the preservation of public health and environmental protection from the negative impact of anthropogenic factors. The application of a systematic interdisciplinary approach in the interaction of preventive medical Sciences and environmental disciplines involves the presence of scientific facts, a complex of deep knowledge in the areas under study, the development of a number of theories, as well as the analysis of environmental and medical problems.

On the contribution of climatic and anthropogenic factors to changes in the flow of large rivers of the Russian plain and Siberia

Changes of annual and seasonal flow of Volga, Don, Yenisei and Lena are estimated by two methods. One of them is to restore the natural flow of recent decades, during which there were observed its significant anthropogenic changes. For these purposes, we used data on the runoff of rivers (tributaries of the considered rivers and their upper parts), the water regime of which is relatively weakly changed by the anthropogenic impact. Another uses the data of water management statistics. Subsequently, the data on the naturalized river flow were compared with the anthropogenic-modified runoff for this and for the previous base period, when anthropogenic impact can be neglected. It is shown that climatic and anthropogenic factors perform either unidirectionally, increasing or decreasing the flow, or in opposite directions. Moreover, the impact of anthropogenic factors, mainly of reservoirs and water consumption, is of the same scale as the influence of climatic factors, while in many cases exceeds it.

Contribution of Climatic and Anthropogenic Factors to Changes in the Flow of Large Rivers of the Russian Plain and Siberia

Changes in the annual and seasonal flow of the Volga, Don, Yenisei, and Lena rivers were estimated by two independent methods. One of them is based on the data of water management statistics. The other method is based on reconstruction of the natural flow over recent decades, during which the flow experienced significant anthropogenic changes. The naturalized flow is subsequently compared with the real-time (anthropogenically modified) flow for this period and for the preceding base period, when the anthropogenic impact can be neglected. It was shown that climatic and anthropogenic factors affect the flow either unidirectionally, increasing or decreasing it, or in opposite ways. In addition, the impact of anthropogenic factors, including the regulating effect of reservoirs and water consumption, is comparable with the impact of climatic factors and even exceeds it in many cases.

Water Resources in Mongolia and Their Current State

The inland location of Mongolia and its relatively high general elevation above sea level combined with the arid climate favor the formation of the specific hydrological regime of water bodies which are highly vulnerable to climate changes. The formation features and the current state of water resources in Mongolia are considered. A brief description of the main water bodies is given. The available estimates of the impact of anthropogenic factors and climate changes on some components of water balance are discussed.