Lake Bank Research Articles

Remote Sensing Assessment of Water Resources, Vegetation, and Land Surface Temperature in Eastern Saudi Arabia: Identification, Variability, and Trends

Saudi Arabia has one of the biggest water shortages and the least vegetation in the world, which is presumed to provoke this problem further due to climate change. Therefore, the present study investigates the water, vegetation, and temperature over Al-Asfar Lake region, Al Ahsa, Eastern province of Saudi Arabia using the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Land Surface Temperature (LST: °C) from Landsat-8 based operational land imager (OLI) measurements for the period 2013 to 2023. This study presented annual and seasonal (dry months: June–September and wet months: December–April) spatiotemporal distribution and variations, calculated their absolute change and trends, and examined their relationship. Results showed positive NDWI values over Al-Asfar Lake, indicating waterbodies; while positive NDVI values on the lake's bank, signifying vegetation. Notably, there were significant temporal variations in water and vegetation observed on annual, seasonal, and monthly scales. The study also found an overall decrease in vegetation areas of 5.36 km2 in 2023 compared to 2013, while waterbodies increased by 8.83 km2. The trend analysis using area-averaged data demonstrated that NDWI increased on annual (0.0075/year) and seasonal (dry: 0.0083/year and wet: 0.0049/year) scales, while NDVI decreased (annual: 0.0066/year, dry: 0.0083/year, and wet: 0.0009/year). Moreover, LST was recorded least amount over waterbodies (28.23 °C) and vegetation (32.45 °C) covered areas compared to the entire lake region (38.43 °C), respectively. Remark, LST displayed decreasing trends over waterbodies (−0.05/year), followed by vegetation (−0.17/year), and the entire lake region (−0.0001/year), signifying that water and vegetation are vital components to controlling land surface temperature in this region. Finally, the LST showed a positive correlation with NDVI and negative correlation with NDWI. There may be a direct and indirect impact of climate change upon NDVI, LST, and NDWI as shown by the decreases in NDVI and LST and an increase in NDWI. This study can be considered as a base document to monitor waterbodies, vegetation cover, and temperature changes using remote sensing measurements of NDWI, NDVI, and LST, which will assist policymakers in developing water resource management, irrigation planning, and environmental monitoring strategies.

New record of conifer wood Agathoxylon from the Upper Jurassic in the Sichuan Basin, southern China, and its palaeobiodiversity and palaeoclimatic significance

ABSTRACT Although abundant and diverse foliage fossils are well recorded in the Upper Triassic and Lower–Middle Jurassic of the Sichuan Basin in South China, the Upper Jurassic plant fossils are rarely documented due to extensively developed red beds in this basin. Decades ago, abundant fossil wood specimens were discovered from the Upper Jurassic Penglaizhen Formation in the Sichuan Basin. However, detailed investigations on the systematic palaeobotany of these wood fossils are very limited, which hinders further understanding of the terrestrial ecosystem and biota. Here, we describe anatomically well-preserved fossil wood specimens from the Penglaizhen Formation at Wangjiagou Village of Shehong City in the central Sichuan Province. These wood fossils exhibit Agathoxylon anatomy with usually uniseriate contiguous radial tracheid pitting and araucarioid cross-field pitting, representing a new record of Agathoxylon in the Sichuan Basin, and contribute to further understanding of the vegetation composition of the southern phytoprovince in China during the Late Jurassic. Independent palaeoclimatic evidence from leaf, pollen and sediments indicates that the Agathoxylon trees from Shehong area have grown under generally hot and semi-arid or arid environmental conditions, probably in habitats at the banks of rivers and lakes with locally abundant water supply, as indicated by the indistinct growth rings.

Changes in the Hydrological Characteristics of the Attabad Landslide-Dammed Lake on the Karakoram Highway

Understanding the evolving hydrological characteristics of landslide-induced barrier lakes is crucial for flood control, forecasting, early warning, and safety measures in reservoir areas. This study examines the changes in the hydrological characteristics of the Attabad landslide-dammed lake over the past decade after the occurrence of the landslide, focusing on lake area dynamics and sediment concentration. High-resolution satellite images from QuickBird, Pleiades, and WorldView2 over seven periods were analyzed. The findings indicate that the lake area has gradually decreased, with the center of mass shifting towards the lake dam, indicating a trend towards stability. The suspended sediment in the barrier lake is distributed in a strip running from north to south, then northeast to southwest, with the sediment concentration decreasing from the lake entrance to the dam and from the lake bank to the center. Over time, the average sediment concentration has decreased from 2010 to 2020, with higher concentrations in summer than in winter. Notably, during the 2017–2020 period, the lower-middle parts of the lake experienced a higher sediment concentration, while the dam area witnessed lower concentrations, thereby reducing the sediment impact on the dam. Furthermore, the sediment content in the middle of the dammed lake is relatively high, which may lead to the formation of a new dammed dam in the middle and the division of the original dammed lake into two smaller lakes, which will affect the stability of the dammed lake.

Occurrence of arbovirus infections in two riverine populations in the municipality of Humaitá, Amazonas, Brazil.

The riverine communities of the Amazon comprise different social groups that inhabit the rural areas on the banks of rivers and lakes. Residents usually travel by river to rural and urban areas and are then exposed to urbanized diseases such as those caused by arbovirus infection. In Brazil, emerging diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and those caused by infection with Oropouche and Mayaro viruses necessitate epidemiological surveillance. This study was aimed at determining the frequency of positivity for immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgM antibodies against Zika, chikungunya, and dengue viruses and performing molecular analyses to detect viral RNA for the Zika, chikungunya, dengue virus, Oropouche, and Mayaro viruses, in the same serum samples obtained from riverside populations. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a riverside population in the Humaitá municipality of the Brazilian Amazon. More than 80% of the local population participated in this study. Entomological samples were collected to identify local mosquito vectors. Analysis of 205 human serological samples revealed IgG antibodies against the dengue virus in 85 individuals. No molecular positivity was observed in human samples. Entomological analyses revealed 3,187 Diptera species, with Mansonia being the most frequent genus. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus were not detected in the two collections. IgG antibodies against the dengue virus were highly prevalent, suggesting previous exposure. The absence of the arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in the samples supports the hypothesis that the infections recorded likely occurred outside the riverside communities investigated.

Численное моделирование цунами оползневого типа

The article proposes mathematical models and stable numerical algorithms for solving problems of deformation and flow of water-saturated porous materials. This class of problems arises in many engineering and applied fields, from field development to biomechanics. Of particular interest are the problems of the collapse of the banks of rivers, lakes and bays of the seas due to their catastrophic impact on possible consequences, for example, blocking the riverbed, the occurrence of a tsunami on the water surface of a reservoir, etc. For the mathematical description of the stress-strain state of saturated porous media, the Biot theory of three-dimensional consolidation is used, supplemented by the kinetics of damage accumulation in the medium and the Drucker-Prager yield conditions. After the formation of the main yield surface (or crack) in the material at the moment of the beginning of the collapse, its rheological properties are presented in the form of a Bingham model with a mathematical description similar to the Navier-Stokes equations with effective viscosity. A characteristic hydrodynamic feature of the problem under consideration is the presence of a free surface. Numerical modeling of the considered problems is carried out by the finite element method. The evolution of the free surface and the occurrence of a tsunami generated by a landslide are investigated.

Catalogue of Bombus muscorum (Linnaeus, 1758) specimens (Hymenoptera, Apidae) deposited in the State Museum of Natural History NASU, Lviv, Ukraine

Bombus muscorum (Linnaeus, 1758) belongs to the subgenus Thoracobombus and is one of the 40 bumblebee species that occur in Ukraine. This Palaearctic species has been found from Ireland in the west to Mongolia in the east, and from the latitude of Stockholm to Crete. It is generally uncommon to very uncommon in all its continental locations (Rasmont, Iserbyt, 2010–2012). It is very rare south of the latitude 40N. The species has not been observed in many of the locations of west, central and south-east Europe where it occurred one century ago, and considered to be threatened: vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of European Bees (Rasmont et al., 2015). B. muscorum is currently declining where its extinction is projected for the future. It is assumed to have a low dispersal capability. The species queens emerge in late spring, make nests on or under the ground surface and develop small colonies. In Ukraine B. muscorum has patchy distribution and inhabits grasslands in river valleys, water meadows, and wet meadows on the banks of lakes and ponds, rich in forbs containing floral resources, suitable for this species. The species is included into the Red Data Book of Ukraine as rare one. Recently its populations have significantly declined due to loss of natural habitats (Konovalova, 2010). In the entomological collection of the State Museum of Natural History, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 57 specimens of B. muscorum have been deposited. Eight specimens belong to an old historical collection, made between the sixties of the 19-th century and 1939. All were collected in Lvivska and Ternopilska provinces of Ukraine. Judging by the writing style on labels, four of them with high probability were collected by A. Wierzejski, and the remaining four – by J. Snieżek. The recent part of the collection includes specimens, found from 1998 to 2006 in Lvivska, Ternopilska, Volynska, Mykolaivska and Khersonska provinces of Ukraine (fig. 1), and in France (1 spec.). The collection represents the following physiographic regions: FZB: ROp: Roztochchia; FZB: ROp: Opillia; FZB: West Podillia Upland; FZM: Volynske Polissia; SZ: SZN: DnDpL: South Dnipro Upland; SZ: SZS: CBAzL: Syvash-Azov Lowland. The bumblebee specimens were collected by the collectors as follows: O. Holovachov, I. Konovalova, V. Rizun, O. Vovk.

Protected areas maintain neotropical freshwater bird biodiversity in the face of human activity

Because of their accessibility, freshwater ecosystems are particularly sensitive to deforestation and bank habitat fragmentation. Their responses to human activities in general, and specifically to small-scale extractive activities, are not well understood. Protected Areas (PAs) can be an effective tool to secure the conservation of freshwater animal assemblages. Given their ability to respond to changes in site quality and local resources, waterbirds could be suitable wetland ecosystem indicators. To examine the effectiveness of PAs in protecting neotropical biodiversity, we used repeated visual count surveys of freshwater and forest-associated birds, comparing species richness and abundance in protected oxbow lakes with lakes subject to gold mining and fishing activities. Bird community structure was predicted by the proportion of mined area in lake banks and water quality. Bird richness was reduced in unprotected oxbow lakes, and this pattern was stronger for aquatic species. Land protection was the most important predictor of bird abundance. Over half the species (53%) showed markedly reduced abundance in the unprotected sites. Our results provide evidence for the effectiveness of PAs in maintaining freshwater biodiversity and for the impacts of human activities on neotropical wetland bird assemblages. Our findings also suggest that water-associated species may be sensitive to the deterioration in hydrological processes promoted by these activities. By documenting the maintenance of elevated freshwater bird biodiversity within two PAs, our results inform the debate on their effectiveness. We recommend the extension of legal protections for freshwater ecosystems and their banks to prevent further degradation of essential habitats and animal communities, driven by expanding informal and illegal mining activities.

Spatio-temporal Dynamics of the Aquatic Plant Colonisation of Lake Dang in the Sudano-Guinean Zone (Adamaoua-Cameroon)

Very little information exist on lake environment in Northern Cameroon. The objective of this study is to determine the colonisation plant of Lake Dang using field and remote sensing data from LM, Landsat5, Landsat7 and Landsat8 images, over a 45-year period (1975-2020), spaced 15 years apart (1975; 1990; 2005; 2020). The method of diachronic analysis of satellite data was used and the supervised classification approach based on colour compositions and bands were chosen for class discrimination. The overall accuracies obtained ranged from 96.35 to 89.28%, followed by Kappa indices of 74.43 to 90.18% for the years 1975 and 2020 respectively. The results on the spatio-temporal dynamics of water bodies from 1975 to 2020 show an average annual rate of regression of the water surface of -1.35%/year, i.e. 0.099 km2/year, in favour of vegetation. The period from 1987 to 2002 shows a more marked evolution, with a rate of plant colonisation of 1.98%/year, i.e. 0.145 km2/year, compared to the periods from 1975 to 1990 (rate of plant colonisation of 0.85%/year, i.e. 0.062 km2/year) and 2005-2020 (1.23%/year, i.e. 0.090 km2/year). Today, 73% (5.376 km2) of the total surface area (7.365 km2) of the water body is colonised by vegetation. Moreover, bathymetry shows a maximum depth of 2.70 to 2.80 m, which is discriminating for a lake ecosystem in the Sudano-Guinean zone. Consequently, the preliminary results of this study shows that Lake Dang is marked by a strong eutrophication due to anthropic activities caused by agriculture, urbanization and non-rational deforestation which have strongly affected the occupation of the lake banks.

PENYULUHAN MENGENAI KONSERVASI EKOSISTIM PERAIRAN DAN PENATAAN LANSKAP BANTARAN SITU PANGARENGAN KOTA DEPOK

Damage to the ecosystem there will cause problems for the city. The factors causing the damage to the lake in Depok City are changes in land use in the catchment area, sedimentation, pollution and eutrophication resulting in reduced aesthetic value. Basically, this lake ecosystem can be turned into a tourist destination. Situ Pangarengan, which is located in Cisalak Village, Sukma Jaya District, Depok City, initially has an area of about 10.00 Ha, but now it is 8.00 Ha and shrinks in the dry season to 6.70 Ha. Therefore, saving this ecosystem needs to be done by conducting outreach to the people who live around it. The purpose of this activity is to provide counseling on management by implementing conservation and structuring the landscape along Situ Pangarengan. The activity was carried out on August 18, 2022, attended by 40 people. The PKM method is carried out with counseling in the form of lectures, discussions. The training atmosphere is designed to be interactive so that participants can more easily understand with case examples in the field. The results of this PkM activity participants gain knowledge about the benefits of managing and conserving the Situ Pangarengan ecosystem properly; participants get information about the landscape design for the lake bank; participants get a forum to exchange opinions and provide input regarding the management of the Situ Pangarengan ecosystem and the necessary communication occurs between extension workers and participants for the preparation of further action plans

Археологическое наследие на территории Муниципального образования «город Екатеринбург»: общий обзор, итоги инвентаризации 2023 г.

There are almost all types of archaeological monuments (settlements, burial grounds, pictograms, ancient production sites) on the territory of the municipal formation of the city of Ekaterinburg, most of them are represented by settlements located along the banks of watercourses and lakes. The dating of the sites covers a wide range from the Mesolithic to the Late Iron Age. At the same time, no more than 10 % of the sites have been explored. The number of archaeological sites in the Ekaterinburg municipality as of 2023 totals 124 objects (according to the State Security authorities). At 66 objects of cultural (archaeological) heritage, the boundaries of the distribution of the cultural layer are defined, and information about them is included in the Unified Register of Objects of Cultural Heritage of Russia. The remaining sites are in the status of identified objects of cultural (archaeological) heritage. They have yet to be added to the register. This article presents a general overview and characteristics of objects of cultural (archaeological) heritage located within the modern boundaries of the municipal formation of the city of Ekaterinburg. It also considers the results of work to determine the boundaries of the spread of the cultural layer on objects of cultural (archaeological) heritage from 2013 to 2022, necessary for entering information about sites in the state cadaster of real estate, methodology and prospects of work in this direction, as well as the need to define the boundaries of all scientifically significant archaeological heritage sites on the territory of Ekaterinburg.

High‐resolution drone imagery reveals drivers of fine‐scale giant otter habitat selection in the land‐water interface

AbstractNeotropical freshwater habitats are particularly sensitive to degradation by human activity. Piscivorous semi‐aquatic freshwater megafauna inhabit both the terrestrial and aquatic mediums and thus may be good indicators of wetland habitat quality. However, the drivers of their space use at the terrestrial and aquatic landscape levels are not well understood. We studied the spatial behavior and habitat use of giant otters in Madre de Dios, Peru, inhabiting areas with variable levels of protection. We combined unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and satellite images to develop different terrestrial and water‐associated land cover variables. We tested the influence of these predictors on giant otter habitat use at multiple spatial scales, comparing used and available locations. Giant otters favored bank areas with dense forest canopy cover. In the aquatic medium, giant otters showed positive selection for open water and fallen logs and avoided floating vegetation. These findings may be explained by preference for optimal fish habitat to maximize foraging yield and bank areas that provide more cover from predators and higher quality denning locations. Variables developed from UAV images outperformed satellite‐derived variables. Despite recent signs of deforestation in lake banks in unprotected areas, spatial model predictions indicated that unprotected oxbow lakes did not differ in their habitat suitability from protected freshwater habitats. Management implications of our findings include identification of factors driving habitat suitability to guide policy and decisions regarding protection or restoration of oxbow lake ecosystems to support giant otter populations. In addition, we demonstrate that UAVs have value in complementing satellite‐derived images and providing a cost‐effective methodology to assess habitat quality for semi‐aquatic species at the land‐water interface.

Risk assessment of open pit lake using in situ observations and advanced numerical modelling – application on Most Lake

Almost all post-exploitation open pit mines in the world are shaped as a final reservoir intended to be filled with water. In Europe, the creation of water lakes is the most common way of reclaiming post open pit mines. The safety and the security of mine lakes is one of the mine regions priorities. Several hazards related to mine activities should be assessed. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were suggested based on the existing data. One of the main hazards identified is the slope stability of lake banks. To develop a reliability methodology for assessing the long-term stability of flooded open pit mines, a large-scale numerical model of the lake was carried out and was applied on lake Most, which is one of the largest mining lakes in Europe (Czech Republic). The large-scale numerical model was built, based on site observations, large-scale LiDAR data and geotechnical data. The results highlighted the reliability of the methodology to combine the geometric model with the geological model to create a large-scale numerical model, and to identify local potentially instable zones..

Phytochemical Screening of Putat Air [Barringtonia racemosa (L.)] Spreng Herbal Plants Found in Bireun, Aceh, Indonesia

Indonesia has a variety of medicinal plants. This medicinal plant has been widely used by the public in an effort to overcome health problems such as wound healing amid advances in science and technology. The discovery of various new medicinal compounds from natural materials further clarifies the important role of secondary metabolites of plants as medicinal raw materials. A natural ingredient that can be used as an alternative biological therapy for wound management is the putat air [Barringtonia racemosa (L.) Spreng.]. This plant is found in Gampong Pulo village, District of Peudada Bireun Regency, Aceh Province, Indonesia. B. racemosa is a type of local mangrove plant known as putat air. It grows wild along the banks of rivers, lakes and rice fields. Phytochemical screening results with Shinoda test of B. racemosa seeds in ethanol extract, ethyl acetate fraction and water containing flavonoids. Molisch test on ethanol extract, fraction of ethyl acetate and water containing glycosides. Foam test on ethanol extract, hexan fraction, ethyl acetate fraction and water fraction detected saponins. Using iron reaxation (III) chloride on ethanol extract and water fraction contains tannins Liebermann-Burchard test on fraction n – hexants containing steroids and triterpenoids. As the conclusion, B. racemosa seeds contain many secondary metabolites that can be used by the public as an alternative treatment of the disease.

3D large-scale numerical model of open-pit lake slope stability—case study of Lake Most

Almost all post-exploitation open pit mines in the world are shaped as a final water reservoir. One of the main hazards is the slope stability of lake banks. To develop a reliability methodology for assessing the long-term stability of flooded open-pit lake, a back analysis was conducted using 2D and 3D large-scale numerical models of Lake Most, which is one of the largest mining lakes in Europe (Czech Republic). The large-scale numerical model was built, based on the site observations, large scale LiDAR data, in situ characterisation tests, and statistical analysis of geotechnical data, on DTMs defining the complex geology of the site and on numerous piezometric levels to build the water table. Local and global safety factor (SF) were calculated using the strength reduction method. The results highlighted the reliability of the methodology to combine the geometric model with the geological model to create a large-scale numerical model, to identify local and potentially instable zones, and to highlight the role of a weak contact layer. The calculation of 3D SF has shown a very good correlation between the lowest SF and the ground movement observations noted by the Czech authorities.

Crack Patterns of Environmental Plastic Fragments.

Secondary microplastics usually come from the breakdown of larger plastics due to weathering and environmental stress cracking of plastic wastes. In the present study, 5013 plastic fragments were collected from coastal beaches, estuary dikes, and lake banks in China. The fragment sizes ranged from 0.2 to 17.1 cm, and the dominant polymers were polypropylene and polyethylene. Cracks were observed on the surfaces of 49-56% of the fragments. Based on the extracted crack images, we proposed a general crack pattern system including four crack types with specific definitions, abbreviations, and symbols. The two-dimensional spectral analysis of the cracks suggests that the first three patterns showed good regularity and supported the rationality of the pattern system. Some crack metrics (e.g., line density) were closely correlated with the carbonyl index and additives (e.g., phthalate esters) of fragments. For crack investigation in field, we proposed a succinct protocol, in which five crack ranks were established to directly characterize the degree of cracking based on the line density values. The system was successfully applied to distinguish the differences in crack features at two representative sites, which indicates that crack pattern is a useful tool to describe the morphological changes of plastic surfaces in the environment.

Organic matter quality by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and lead and arsenic adsorption.

The organic soils (Histosols) are important as filters for organic and inorganic pollutants, mainly because they are usually located on the banks of rivers and lakes. The aim of this study was to evaluate which functional groups of soil organic matter (SOM) most contribute for the Pb2+ and H2AsO4- adsorption in Histosols. This study used 20 samples (160 ~ 290gkg-1 of organic carbon (OC) collected at 0-5cm in five areas of Histosols from Curitiba, Southern of Brazil. Hydrofluoric acid (10%) was used to solubilize minerals to concentrate organic matter (391 to 510gkg-1 of OC) in the samples. Samples having been submitted to pyrolysis in combination with gas chromatography (Py-GC/MS) that identified 186 organic compounds grouped based on their chemical similarity. The samples were saturated separately with Pb2+ and H2AsO4- under acid conditions (pH 4.0). The exchangeable (electrostatic interactions with SOM charges) and nonexchangeable (complexed to SOM) Pb2+ and H2AsO4- were determined for sequential methods (Ca(NO3)2 and EPA 3051A, respectively. Positive correlations occurred between exchangeable Pb2+ and phenolic compounds (r = 0.6, p < 0.05), lignin phenols (r = 0.5, p < 0.05), and sterols (r = 0.6, p < 0.05). For nonexchangeable Pb2+, there was a significant correlation with alkenes (r = 0.8, p < 0.01), alkanes (r = 0.8, p < 0.01), and methyl ketones (r = 0.7 p < 0.01). The exchangeable H2AsO4- is related to alkanes, alkenes, and methyl ketones. Therefore, in acid Histosols constituted of aliphatic organic matter tend to have less environmental fragility, due to the lesser transportation of these contaminants to other compartments like surface and subsurface waters.

Types of Landslides along Lake Balaton, Hungary

Landslides are often triggered by various mechanisms such as precipitation, increase in the groundwater table, surface load, etc. and are classified according to the geometry and intensity of the motion. This paper provides an inventory considering all these factors by interpreting landslide records and available maps of the lakeside banks of the largest lake in Central Europe, Lake Balaton. Landslides in these areas severely damaged roads and railway networks. These disasters are linked to the mass movements of hundreds of m3 in the past years. The study area, the coastal regions of the lake, is divided into three geographically and geologically different sections (Eastern Basin, North Coast, South Coast). The landslide forms and the proportion of various movements and their timing also differ in these areas: at the south coast, falls and toppling prevail, while in the eastern basin, slidings prevail. The leading cause of mass movements is soaking and human interventions in all areas. Continuous monitoring of these landslide-prone areas contributes to the prediction of sliding and help in the design of remediation actions.

Современное природопользование в Национальном парке «Тункинский»

Since the formation of Tunkinsky National Park in 1991, the territory of which completely coincides with the boundaries of the Tunkinsky district of the Republic of Buryatia, the nature resource management of the region has undergone significant changes. The national park is being developed in accordance with the environmental legislation provided for economic activities within such protected areas. The purpose of the creation of the national park was the need to preserve the diversity of landscapes of the Tunkinsky mountain valley and the mountain ranges surrounding it, the protection of biodiversity, natural, historical and cultural monuments in combination with tourism. The regulation of the use of the park territory is carried out in accordance with its functional zoning for environmental education, scientific, recreational and limited economic purposes. The study area has long been a place of traditional use of natural resources. Here people hunted, fished, grazed cattle, gathered wild plants, people settled along the banks of lakes and rivers. In the Soviet years, this area received intensive recreational development due to active tourist development, which was facilitated by good transport accessibility and the existing settlement infrastructure. A sociological survey, as well as conversations in local administration bodies, showed that such types of economic activity as agriculture, cattle breeding, recreation (serving tourists), gathering, crafts, etc. remain the main ones in the livelihood of the local population. All these forms of economic activity affect nature in different ways, transform it. The practical significance of the research lies in the possibility of using the results of the study by various organizations, including administrative bodies of any level, to assess the current socio-economic situation and forecast its development, to prevent conflicts in nature resource management, to make effective decisions in management, choosing strategies for the possible development of the territory.

Magical spherical ice (ice balls, ice eggs)

大量球状冰集聚排列是自然界中较为罕见的现象，一般发生在浅滩、湖岸和河岸处.因球状冰形态特征的特殊性，常被称之为冰球、冰蛋.球状冰的形成与发展受气象、水动力和水滨地形条件等多因素共同控制，且具有一定的时空限制，必须在短时间内多因素协同干预才可能引发冰球集聚.正是凭借“制造”条件的苛刻性导致了冰球集聚现象的罕见，也造成了全球各地冰球出现的位置、形态和数量之间存在差异.已有来自于德国、俄罗斯、芬兰和加拿大等多个国家关于冰球现象的报道，但发生频率极少，约20~30年一次.近年来在吉林省的查干湖和四海湖发现了冰蛋现象，但关于球状冰从形成到大量集聚之间的定量研究依然缺少实测数据分析支撑.毫无疑问，来自大自然的神奇现象为科学探索研究提供了更多的动力和乐趣.;A large number of spherical ice accumulations are relatively rare in nature, and generally occur in shallows, lake banks and river banks. Due to the particularity of the morphological characteristics of spherical ice, it is often called ice balls or ice eggs. The formation and development of spherical ice are jointly controlled by meteorological, hydrodynamic and waterfront topographic conditions, and have certain spatial and temporal constraints. Multi-factor synergistic intervention in a short period of time is required to initiate ice balls to aggregate. Those rigorous conditions leads to the rarity of ice balls agglomeration, as well as the differences in the location, shape and number of ice balls pucks around the world. Up to now, there have been several reports on the ice balls phenomenon from Germany, Russia, Finland, Canada and other countries, whereas the frequency is very rare, about once every 20 to 30 years. In recent years, the ice egg phenomenon has also been discovered in Lake Chagan and Lake Sihai in Jilin Province, China, but the quantitative research on the formation of spherical ice from the formation to mass accumulation still lacks supporting measured data in situ. There is no doubt that the magical phenomena from nature provide more motivation and fun for scientific exploration and research.

РЕТРОСПЕКТИВА ПРОСТРАНСТВЕННОГО РАЗВИТИЯ ЯРОСЛАВСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

The article considers the principles of spatial settlement in the modern territory of the Yaroslavl region, urban planning and the main social and economic factors influenced the development of regional cities. From the second half of the 11th century in Russia intensified the tendency of building towns along the banks of rivers and lakes, and this one determined the peculiarities of urban planning of the region. Cities of Yaroslavl region were characterized by fan layout. During several first five-year plans Yaroslavl became one of the main industrial centers of the country. The current strategy of social and economic development of Yaroslavl region is aimed at strengthening small and medium-sized cities, taking advantage of the proximity to Moscow agglomeration.