Kuma River Research Articles

Evaluation of the Peak-cut Effect of Drainage Water by Paddy Field Dam in Kuma River Watershed

Evaluation of the Peak-cut Effect of Drainage Water by Paddy Field Dam in Kuma River Watershed

Новые находки кавказской жабы (Bufo verrucosissimus, Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae) в бассейне реки Кума (Северный Кавказ, Россия)

The paper discusses the distribution of Bufo verrucosissimus in the North Caucasus. It is noted that the absolute majority of findings of this species in Russia have occurred in the Black Sea basin. All currently known habitats of B. verrucosissimus in the Caspian basin are located in the upper part of the Kuma River basin (the vicinity of Kislovodsk town and Borgustanskaya village in the Stavropol region). New points of findings are shown between the mouths of the Ugol’naya and Kladbishchenskaya Balka rivers (left tributaries of the Kuma River), as well as near Bekeshevskoye Lake (Predgorniy district, Stavropol region). The authors believe that B. verrucosissimus may be distributed along the gallery forests of the Kuma River up to Georgievsk town and Soldato-Alexandrovskoye village.

Из истории калмыцкой повседневности. Кочевание в XVIII в.

Goals. The article examines previously unpublished archival materials for an insight into 18th-century nomadic practices and routes of the Kalmyks. Results. The paper shows that the latter were controlled and systematized during the period under consideration. The total nomadic area was extensive and reached outskirts of Samara and Syzran in the north, and the Kuma River in the south. The bulk of Kalmyk communities tended to move longitudinally. However, there were some exceptions. A number of uluses were constantly occupying certain areas, although practicing somewhat micro-migrations over short distances. The era under review witnessed clashes, hostile relations — both among Kalmyks proper and with neighboring Russian groups — that resulted from claims to certain pasture territories. The articles stresses the 18th century was characterized by mass Russian population inflows to the Lower Volga and the Pre-Caucasus, which inevitably led to reductions of Kalmyk-inhabited lands. Moreover, it must be noted that the migrants tended to seize most economically advantageous lands. At the same time, both ethnic elites and government executives were seeking to settle the turbulent relationships. From the historical perspective, it was sedentarization and intensification of agriculture that could serve a way out for the Kalmyks, but in the 18th century the need was not yet that obvious.

Prediction of the Area of High-Turbidity Water in the Yatsushiro Sea, Japan, Using Machine Learning with Satellite, Meteorological, and Oceanographic Data

Turbid water is known to affect aquatic ecosystems. If the spread of turbid water can be predicted, it is expected to lead to the prediction of damage caused by turbid water in rich aquatic ecosystems and aquaculture farms, and to countermeasures against turbid water. In this study, we developed a method for predicting the area of high-turbidity water using machine learning with satellite-observed total suspended solids (TSS) product and relatively readily available meteorological and oceanographic data (rainfall, wind direction and speed, atmospheric pressure, and tide level) in the past and evaluated it for the Kuma River estuary of the Yatsushiro Sea in Japan. The results showed that the highest accuracy was obtained using random forest regression, with a coefficient of determination of 0.552, when the area of high-turbidity water based on the previous day’s TSS product and hourly meteorological and oceanographic data from the previous day were used as inputs. The most important factor for the prediction was the area of high-turbidity water, followed by wind, and tide level, but the effect of rainfall was small, which was probably due to the flood-control function of the river. Our future work will be to evaluate the applicability of the method to other areas, improve the accuracy, and predict the distribution area.

О гнездовании степного орла в Дагестане

О гнездовании степного орла в Дагестане

Новые данные по гнездовой биологии, экологии и состоянию популяции орлана-белохвоста в Дагестане, Россия

Новые данные по гнездовой биологии, экологии и состоянию популяции орлана-белохвоста в Дагестане, Россия

Reiwa 2 Kuma River Flood and Revival of the Kawabe River Dam Project and Its Problems

Reiwa 2 Kuma River Flood and Revival of the Kawabe River Dam Project and Its Problems

Результаты мониторинга гнездовых популяций солнечного орла в Дагестане (Россия) в 2022–2023 гг.

Результаты мониторинга гнездовых популяций солнечного орла в Дагестане (Россия) в 2022–2023 гг.

Намогильные памятники адыгов в XIV-XVI вв.: общая характеристика и проблема культур-но-этнической принадлежности

The funeral and memorial rites of the Adygs are one of the fundamental, structure-forming elements of the spiritual culture of the people. Starting from the late middle ages and up to the present time, the burial practices of the Adygs have been transformed under the effect of external and internal factors. In the late middle ages, when the predominant part of the Adygs adhered to paganism, under-barrow rite of the dead was dominated at the entire historical space of their residence. Barrows of the XIV-XVI centuries are represented by earth, stone or mixed mounds about a meter high, erected above the buried in a wooden block, usually oriented along the line W - E. Late medieval Adyghe mounds are on the plane and in the foothills. Adyghe mounds can be divided into three local groups: The Eastern Black Sea, Zakubansk (Belorechensk), Kabardino-Pyatigorsk. Each of these groups has its own specifics. The late medieval barrow burial grounds by Adyghs occupies the area from the Northern Black Sea region in the west to the borders of modern plain Chechnya in the east; from the Kuma River in the north to the foothills of the Rocky and Caucasian Ranges in the south (except for burial grounds in the mountains of the North-Western Caucasus, near the modern Karachay villages of Kart-Dzhurt, Uchkulan and Khurzuk). The belonging of the the North Caucasian barrows of the 14th – 16th centuries to the Adygs is confirmed by archeological data, narrative sources and folklore materials.

Hydrological and morphological features and geoecological condition of the territories of the plains area of the Kuma River valley and their significance in the system of civilizational development of the Central Pre‐Caucasus in the 18<sup>th</sup>–21<sup>st</sup> centuries

Aim. In this work, the main aim was a retrospective analysis of the geo‐ecological state and problems of natural territorial complexes (NTC) of the valley of the plains area of the Kuma River in the context of hydrological and morphological dynamics for the period from the 18th century to the present.Material and Methods. The paper analyses the state of the landscape’s natural components in the region, for which topographic, sectoral and cadastral maps, digital relief model, satellite images were used. Openly available data of ministries, departments, archival and stock materials were used. The degree of anthropogenic transformation of the natural‐territorial complexes was calculated based on the coefficient of ecological stability of landscapes.Result. Using the example of the plains area of the Kuma River for the period of the 18th‐21st centuries, the geo‐ecological features of valley NTC were analysed. Studies have shown that at the present stage meandering remains an important condition for land use in the Kuma River valley in terms of both agricultural land and residential areas. Cartographic schemes of land use of a modelled plot in the valley of the Kuma River were constructed, allowing the assessment of the efficiency of the economic use of the fields of oxbow lakes.Conclusion. For the last two hundred years, valley NTC have remained significant for settlement purposes and related economic activities. The modern meandering belt together with the fields of the older such features create special environment forming conditions for the functioning of the stabilising components of the landscape, floodplain forest being a basic integral factor in the preservation of regional biodiversity. It is recommended that when organising the sustainable use of the land resources of river valleys for the purposes of territorial planning, the regional features of placement of meanders and oxbow lakes be taken into account.

Estimation of Disaster Evacuation Shelter Capacity of Hitoyoshi City, Japan

Heavy rains since early July 2020 have caused flooding in the Kyushu area. The Kuma River overflowed due to heavy rain. The river itself located in Kumamoto Prefecture right in the Hitoyoshi city. Disaster shelter is one of the most important requirements for those evacuated in the event of a disaster. It is used to analyze the supply and demand of the shelter based on the distance from the point of application to the disaster evacuation shelter, using the P-median model. As a result, the demand for evacuation shelters in the city of Hitoyoshi is 48%, which indicates that the demand for evacuation centers in case of disaster is about half. In this study, the location-allocation method was used in ArcGis 10.6 to determine the supply-demand ratio for Hitoyoshi. These data are expected to be used to optimize the operation of shelters in the Hitoyoshi area, an area prone to disasters for future urban development. This allows evacuation or disaster safety planners to develop tools for their area during floods and provides a way to predict when an event will occur and when roads will become unsafe for the residents during the future evacuation process. When a natural disaster happens again in the future, the demand and supply of disaster evacuation shelters should be assessed to determine their total capacity.

A FIND OF THE NORTH-CAUCASIAN CERAMICS IN THE ELITE BURIAL OF THE ISAKOVKA I BURIAL GROUND (WESTERN SIBERIA)

We present the results of a multi-disciplinary analysis of a jug and its contents from the elite burial complex of the Sargat culture in Middle Irtysh Basin (burial Isakovka I, mound 3, burial 6). The burial, along with military equipment and various metallic import, contained a ceramic jug, the closest analogies to which are found in the production centers of the settled population of the foothill zone of the central and partially eastern regions of the North Caucasus, as well as the steppe territory (the basin of the Kuma River). The studied piece is distinguished by its massive form and traces of repair of the upper part. The jug was placed in the burial filled with a granular substance with fragments of light and gray-black color. Laboratory analysis found no traces of tartrates, i.e. the jug was not used for cooking or transporting beverages of grape juice. The detected fractions of biogenic apatite could possibly originate from fish bones and scales, used for the production of glue, which was added for clarification of wine, beer and mead. At the same time, the composition of the filling contains organic substances related to the production of a low-alcohol drink based on honey, fermented with the addition of cereal grains (local wild or coming from agricultural centers). There are two versions for defining this drink: either it was beer – one of the oldest ritual drinks, the use of which in pastoral cultures is confirmed by texts of the Nart sagas and is confirmed by similar forms of words of Iranian origin; or an infusion of herbs/cereals based on honey, also common in the ritual practices of ancient and traditional cultures. This find is considered exceptional, since the North Caucasian antiquities of the Early Iron Age have been previously unknown in the forest-steppe monuments of the Trans-Urals and Western Siberia. It is possible that the area of the Sargat culture is so far the easternmost territory of distribution of such ceramics.

Temporal changes in benthos at intertidal zones' communities in the Kuma River system: ecological monitoring before, during, and after the Arase dam removal

Temporal changes in benthos at intertidal zones' communities in the Kuma River system: ecological monitoring before, during, and after the Arase dam removal

The Velocity of Flood Flow of the Kuma River in Heavy Rain of July 2020 and Flood Damages

The Velocity of Flood Flow of the Kuma River in Heavy Rain of July 2020 and Flood Damages

Isolation of purple nonsulfur bacteria from the digestive tract of ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis).

Purple nonsulfur bacteria (PNSB) reportedly have probiotic effects in fish, but whether they are indigenous in the digestive tract of fish is a question that requires answering. We attempted to isolate PNSB from the digestive tract of ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) from the Kuma River (Kumamoto, Japan) and successfully isolated 12 PNSB strains. All the isolated PNSB belonged to the genus Rhodopseudomonas. Five Rhodopseudomonas strains were also isolated from the soil samples collected along the Kuma River. The phylogenetic tree based on the partial sequence of pufLM gene indicated that the PNSB from ayu and soil were similar. The effects of NaCl concentration in growth medium on growth were also compared between the PNSB from ayu and soil. The PNSB from ayu showed a better growth performance at a higher NaCl concentration, suggesting that the intestinal tract of ayu, a euryhaline fish, might provide suitable environment for halophilic microorganisms.

Исследование берегоукрепительных сооружений на р. Куме в Ставропольском крае

Purpose: substantiation of the required width of a stable channel while carrying out bank protection works on the Kuma river near the town Zelenokumsk Stavropol Territory. The analysis of the river feeding conditions in the design area is carried out, the main reasons for the erosion-accumulative processes of the Kuma river in the central part of Zelenokumsk, Stavropol Territory are considered. Materials and methods. The considered basin of the Kuma river is located in two natural zones – the foothills of the North Caucasus and the steppes of the Ciscaucasia, that affects the stable groundwater feed and the flood regime in the warm season due to heavy rainfall. Spring flood is not observed here due to the gradual snow melting along the high-altitude zones, therefore, there is a gradual transition from the winter runoff low period to the high-water-flood period. As a result of double feeding, the originality of the water regime of the Kuma basin rivers is formed, in which spring floods, multi-peak summer floods and a stable autumn-winter low-water period are combined. Results. The width of the stable channel was checked by Altunin's recommendations, and the fastening options based on the available morphometric characteristics were assigned. Conclusions. The gabion structure has an excellent quality of stability, that is, the structure can help the plant fixation or the vegetation reproduction within the structural frame. Root growth actually helps the structure to become more stable. Consequently, the operation process of such structures improves the ecosystem. Besides, the gabion construction regulates the environment in terms of climate and humidity. A good design can effectively regulate the velocity of the flowing water, increasing the roughness, thus minimizing the probability of flooding.

Оценка качества воды водных объектов, применяемых для наполнения и использования Чограйского водохранилища

Purpose: to assess water quality in water bodies and canals that fill the Chogray reservoir (ChR) and feed the Chernozemelskaya irrigation-water distribution system (ChIS). Methods. Water sampling was carried out from the Kuma river, the ChR, Tersko-Kumsky (TKC), Kumo-Manychsky and Chernozemelsky main canals. The collected samples were analyzed by generally accepted methods. The water quality assessment was carried out in several directions: the content of harmful substances in accordance with the maximum permissible concentrations, determination of water class by salinity and hazard of developing unfavorable soil processes, determination of water suitability for drip irrigation systems. Results. It was found that the best quality is inherent to TKC water: in terms of mineralization (198 mg/dm³) and the hazard of developing unfavorable soil processes, it corresponds to the first class, the use of this water allows cultivation of various agricultural crops, filling the ChR with this water contributed to the minimum accumulation of salts. In the section from the Otkaznensky reservoir to the Levokumsky waterworks, deterioration of water quality indicators was found out. Mineralization increases 1.77 times from 592 to 1050 mg/dm³. The water class deteriorates from the second to the third in terms of mineralization, there is a hazard of sodium alkalinization development. The main problem in operating drip irrigation systems is the danger of physical and chemical clogging of emitters caused by a high content of suspended substances and an alkaline reaction of the water samples under study. Conclusions. When carrying out irrigation and drainage in the territories adjacent to the reclamation canals that fill ChR, and along the ChIS in the Republic of Kalmykia, the impact of water quality on soils and agricultural crops predicted in this article should be taken into consideration in order to prevent the development of negative phenomena. It is advisable to identify and eliminate sources that deteriorate water quality in the area of the Levokumsky waterworks.

Monuments from Area Town of Madjary (the North Caucasus): current research developments

The paper features the problem of selection of Golden Horde era sites located in the area neighbouring the town of Majary in the territory of the Middle Kuma valley. The bulk of information about the sites is mostly contained in archival documents relating to the 16th – 18th centuries. At present there is information about 9 sites. The locations of five of them have been discovered. Two sites could possibly be locations of the towns of Majary-al-Jedid and Karakogun, which are known due to numismatic and written sources. The medieval climate and landscape in the region allowed to a certain extent cultivating the Kuma river valley, prone to seasonal flooding. Permanent settlements in the area neighbouring Majary could have been founded in the Upland of the Kuma river valley or the terrace areas above the flood plain in the Kuma river valley or the Kuma tributaries. The areas of the estuaries of the left and the right tributaries of the Kuma river seem promising for the search of Golden Horde era artefacts of everyday life. The sites (“Orlovskoye-1”, 13th – 14th centuries, “Preobrazhenskoye-1”) which are situated in the neighborhood of the Madjary hillfort could relate to the rural area around Majary. Specification of a number of sites situated in some distance from Majary requires a more precise definition.

The July 2020 Rainfall-Induced Sediment Disasters in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan

On July 4, 2020, heavy rainfall was observed in the southern part of Kumamoto Prefecture and the northern part of Kagoshima Prefecture. Due to heavy rainfall, floods and sediment disasters such as collapses and debris flows occurred predominantly in the Kuma River basin of Kumamoto Prefecture. We conducted field investigations at four sites in Ashikita Town and Tsunagi Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, where collapses and debris flows caused deaths. We also conducted field investigations in the Kawauchi River branch of the Kuma River, where vast amounts of sediment discharge caused damage to houses. The objectives of these investigations were to clarify the situation and mechanism of the disasters and to propose procedures to recover from the disasters. This report briefly summarizes the results of these investigations.

球磨川の橋梁被害調査 「令和2年7月豪雨」対応チーム活動報告（3）

球磨川の橋梁被害調査 「令和2年7月豪雨」対応チーム活動報告（3）