Volga River Basin Research Articles

The Species Diversity Assessment of Azygia Looss, 1899 (Digenea: Azygiidae) from the Volga, Ob, and Artyomovka Rivers Basins (Russia), with Description of A. sibirica n. sp.

This study is devoted to the investigation of Azygia (Digenea: Azygiidae) species diversity using classical morphological, recent molecular tools (28S rRNA and cox1 mtDNA for genetic-based inference) and robust statistical techniques (Principal component analysis, PCA). The analysis revealed that the genus Azygia included four valid species: A. lucii, A. longa, A. hwangtsiyui, and A. sibirica n. sp. The distribution of the type species A. lucii was confirmed in the largest Russian rivers: the Volga and the Ob. The worms isolated from Perccottus glenii were determined as the Chinese species A. hwangtsiyui, according to the genetic data for the cox1 mtDNA gene, at 1.32–1.56%. The new species, Azygia sibirica n. sp, was described from Esox lucius in the Ob River and differentiated from the type species A. lucii by the smaller ovary, testes and prostatic sac, wider body, very narrow pharyngeal lumen and form of anterior margin of ovary. In addition, multivariate analysis and three methods for species delimitation (ABGD, GMYC, bPTP) showed the subdivision of A. lucii and A. sibirica n. sp. into two separate groups, one from the Volga River and another from the Ob River, respectively. To conclude, A. lucii infects Esox lucius in the western (European part of Russia, the Volga River basin), and northern (Western Siberia, the Ob River basin) parts of Russia; A. sibirica n. sp. has also been found to infect Esox lucius in the Ob River, while A. hwangtsiyui infects Perccottus glenii in the South of the Russian Far East (the Artymovka River basin).

Учет и оценка нестационарности при управлении водными ресурсами речного бассейна

This paper considers the rationale for taking into account and assessing the non-stationarity of the development of hydrological processes in the Volga River basin when determining the parameters of the functioning of the Volga water management system. The main purpose of the study is to identify non-stationarity in the formation of river runoff and develop methods for its assessment. The problem of constructing a dynamic-stochastic model is solved, which takes into account the non-stationarity of the formation of river runoff in different periods of time. A generalization of the dynamic-stochastic approach for the analysis and evaluation of long-term fluctuations in the inflow of river waters of the Volga River near the city of Volgograd is made. The stochastic relationship between the runoff of adjacent years is expressed by the transition function that controls the Markov process. Stationarity (non-stationarity) of long-term fluctuations in river runoff was assessed using the Fisher criterion (homogeneity of sample variances), Student’s criterion (homogeneity of sample means), Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion (homogeneity of samples) and pair correlation (presence of a trend). The description of the nature of the flow of hydrological processes is represented by a model determined by the dynamic-stochastic approach when considering the non-stationary process of the annual flow of the Volga River. Based on the application of the concept of quasi-stationarity, the functions of the availability of the annual flow of the Volga River are obtained, which are used for a probabilistic assessment of the inflow of river waters in the Volga basin. The analysis of long-term fluctuations of the annual runoff of the Volga River made it possible to reveal that the variability of the river runoff of the studied basin has two components – deterministic and random. The deterministic component manifests itself in the change in time of the average value of the flow of the Volga River, and the random component is observed in the irregular annual deviations of the flow from its average value (norm). This approach is used in the probabilistic assessment of the inflow of river waters in the Volga river basin.

Ups and downs of infections with the broad fish tapeworm Dibothriocephalus latus in Europe (Part II) and Asia from 1900 to 2020.

The broad fish tapeworm, Dibothriocephalus latus (Diphyllobothriidea), is the most important causative agent of diphyllobothriosis, a fish-borne zoonosis, in Europe. Part I of this review focused on the occurrence of D. latus in northwestern and central Europe, particularly in Fennoscandia, the Baltic, the Alpine lakes and Danube River regions during 1900-2020. Part II summarises data on D. latus from the European and Asian parts of Russia and from Asian countries. The tapeworm has occurred throughout Russia, with the most important foci in (i) the Republic of Karelia in the northwest of European Russia, (ii) the Volga River basin in the central and southern parts of European Russia, (iii) the Ob-Irtysh rivers region in the Ural region, (iv) the Yenisei-Lena rivers region in Siberia, and (v) the Lake Baikal basin in Siberia. The incidence of diphyllobothriosis has declined in recent decades, especially in European Russia, but zoonosis is still prevalent in some regions of Siberia. Cases reported from Arctic regions, the region around Lake Baikal, and the Pacific coast, including the Amur basin, however, were probably misidentifications with D. dendriticus and/or D. nihonkaiensis. No other Asian country where D. latus findings represented either imported cases or misidentifications had natural focus of diphyllobothriosis. Patterns of distribution of D. latus occurrence were similar in all Eurasian foci between 1900 and 2020. The numbers of records were associated with historical and epidemiological milestones of particular time periods.

ВЛИЯНИЕ ЭРОЗИОННО-РУСЛОВЫХ СИСТЕМ НА ИНФРАСТРУКТУРУ НАСЕЛЕННЫХ ПУНКТОВ ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЙ ЧАСТИ РОССИИ

The infrastructure of any settlement, whether it is a village or an urban agglomeration, ensures the functioning of the systems that serve the needs of the population. Regardless of the age of the settlement, its size and layout, the system of engineering communications depends on the features of the relief and erosion-channel processes in this area. To identify the impact of gully erosion and riverbed processes on the functioning of infrastructure, the southern megaslope of the Russian Plain was selected. There is a high degree of erosive dissection and activity of riverbed processes. Satellite images and cartographic material were used to assess the impact of erosion-channel processes. For the basins of the Volga, Oka, Don, and Dnieper rivers (within the territory of the Russian Federation), a map of the impact of erosion-channel processes on the infrastructure of settlements has been compiled. The basis for drawing up the map was a physical and geographical map of Russia on a scale of 1:8,000,000 and a map of the hazardousness of channel processes on the rivers of Russia. The resulting map shows 120 settlements: 84 – in the Volga River basin, 13 – in the Don River basin, and 24 – in the Dnieper River basin (within the Russian Federation). According to the developed methodology, each settlement was assigned a score of the impact of erosion and riverbed processes on the infrastructure. The most common are small values of such impact: 1 point – 45%, 2 points – 29.5%, 3 points – 23%, 4 points – 2.5% (only 3 settlements). The lowest (1–2 points) impact on the infrastructure corresponds to the territories within the lowlands and relicts of glacial relief. Settlements on the Central Russian and Volga Uplands are more dependent on gully erosion (3–5 points) and show a weak dependence on riverbed processes. The research results indicate an ambiguous impact of erosion and riverbed processes on the infrastructure of the settlements. Large and big cities are less dependent on erosion and riverbed processes, in contrast to small and medium-sized ones.

Многолетняя динамика численности крупных ищных птиц на ключевой орнитологической территории «Камско-Бакалдинские болота» (Нижегородская область, Россия)

Identification of breeding territories and long-term population monitoring has been carried out in the Important Bird Areas (IBA) with a global importance “Kamsko-Bakaldinskiye marshes” since 1980. Five large bird species were studied here: Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Short-Toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus), Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila [Clanga] clanga), Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). In this report we will summarize the results. IBA covers the northern (Zavolzhsky) part of the Lyskovsky and Vorotynsky districts of the Nizhny Novgorod region, as well as the adjacent areas of Borsky, Semenovsky, and Voskresensky districts. Its total area is 3156.0 km2. The largest massif of upland, transitional, and lowland bogs in the Volga River basin is preserved here in its natural state. A significant part of IBA area (2265 km2) is listed as Ramsar wetland of international importance. Kamsko-Bakaldinskiye marshes has undergone significant transformation over the past 50 years. Until the 1980s, intensive logging was carried out here with an excess areas were organized by 1994, covering 54% of IBA area and leading to a decrease in logging volumes. In the 1980s drainage and peat extraction amounted to 1% of an area. Disastrous fires of 1972 and 2010 spread through about 50% of an area. The number of rare raptor species was positively influenced by the implementation of a unique project to install 62 nesting platforms in 1998–2014. Multidirectional vectors – the destruction of habitats and their conservation, combined with compensatory biotechnical measures, superimposed on the general population trends of large raptors in the center of the European part of Russia. As a result, the population dynamics of different species in Kamsko-Bakaldinskiye marshes differs significantly. The population dynamic for four out of five studied species shows a clear positive trend. Thus, the number of Osprey and White-Tailed Eagle has increased by three and six times, respectively. A project that included nesting platform installation had a significant impact on Osprey population. White-Tailed Eagle depended on it to a lesser extent, however, throughout an entire observation period, there was a general positive trend in the abundance of the species in the European part of Russia. The negative impact of catastrophic fires in 2010 on Osprey and White-Tailed Eagle was insignificant. Abundance of Short-Toed Eagle and Greater Spotted Eagle in 2000–2014 wasseverely underestimated. After 2014, additional data were collected, which allowed us to determine the abundance and distribution of these species in studied area, as well as to identify a positive population trend. In 2000–2014, actual Short-Toed Eagle abundance was twice as high as estimates made in the period. Subsequently, a favorable factor for Short-Toed Eagle was the large burnt area left by fires, which the birds used as new hunting grounds. A twofold increase in Short-Toed Eagle population happened in 2011–2023. The difference in estimates of Greater Spotted Eagle abundance in 2014 and 2018 is mainly due to the results of additional research efforts. Breeding territories have been identified in previously poorly studied floodplain habitats. In addition, the number of Greater Spotted Eagle increased slightly after the fires of 2010 destroyed most of its breeding territories in Kamsko-Bakaldinskiye marshes. The number of Golden Eagle significantly increased in 2000–2010 due to the use of nesting platforms. Then it began to decline due to the long-term depression in Mountain Hare and Grouse populations, as well as catastrophic fires that affected most of breeding territories. Thus, Golden Eagle turned out to be the most vulnerable to pyrogenic changes in their habitat. The number of the species has fallen to the lowest point, almost reaching level of the 1980s. Species’ breeding territories are only preserved in areas unaffected by fires. Golden Eagle’s population decline has had a positive impact on populations of other large raptor species, especially noticeable for Greater Spotted Eagle. The emergence of its breeding territories was noted where Golden Eagle’s breeding territories were lost due to fires. Kamsko-Bakaldinskiye Marshes currently remains the most important refugium for rare large raptor species in Nizhny Novgorod Region, where it is advisable to expand and strengthen protected areas and restore permanent implementation of biotechnical projects.

Имитационная модель для анализа и оценки многолетнего и сезонного колебания элементов водного баланса бассейна реки Волги

The purpose of the study is to improve the method of water balance of the river basin in terms of difficult-to-measure elements of water balance, such as total evaporation from the land surface and change in basin moisture reserves. For these purposes, the water balance equation of the river basin and the correlation equation connecting the patterns of formation of the river flow of the current period with the flow of previous years have been modified. A simulation model is presented, the structure of which includes systems of water balance equations and a correlation equation of a river basin. As a result of the joint use of these reference hydrological and meteorological stations, the results of simulation modeling were obtained and, on this basis, fairly long time series of water balance elements (EVB) of the Volga River basin in the formation zone to Volgograd were organized. Based on the obtained long series of EVB of the Volga River basin, a conjugate retrospective analysis of the interannual and seasonal variability of the EVB of the Volga River basin in the formation zone up to Volgograd was carried out.

Гравитационное движение грунтов на склонах и их влияние на состояние водных объектов

The purpose of the research is to study the features of the movement of particles, aggregates and geological bodies (landslides) downhill under the influence of a number of natural and man-made factors, to study the most common natural and man-made objects that reduce the activity of the development of slope processes. Two of the most common slope exogenous geological processes are considered – surface flushing and landslide. These processes contribute to the entry of silt fraction into the sediments of water bodies. The study of pollution of water bodies with heavy metals still remains relevant when assessing the geo ecological state of the environment. On the Volga River basin the principles are proposed and the zoning is presented. According to natural and technogenic objects, four categories of sites were allocated hierarchically for monitoring the pollution of the territory with heavy metals. The zoning of the bed of water bodies for the distribution of silty sediments – sorbents of pollutants was carried out. The elements of the energy approach are presented, giving an understanding of the most likely locations of pollutants – energy traps and potential barriers. Practical examples of the spread of pollutants in the natural and man-made environment and the interaction of natural and man-made processes in the landslide system are given. For the landslide process, the most typical interactions between a geological body and man-made objects are presented. On the example of the most typical landslides for the European part of Russia, the measures aimed at their stabilization, as well as the impacts contributing to their activation, are presented. Natural and man-made potential barriers to the landslide process are considered.

Diatoms of large flat reservoirs of the Volga River basin: ecological and cenotic aspects

Based on long-term studies of phytoplankton of the Volga River basin reservoirs, from the 1950s to the present, the main patterns of spatio-temporal changes in the ecological-floristic and coenotic parameters of diatoms are presented. A correlation was established between the species richness of diatoms and the morphometry of reservoirs. It is shown that under conditions of increasing trophy of reservoirs and climate change against the background of an increase in the diversity of diatoms due to alien invaders, their biomass began to decrease. The spring peak of diatoms became lower than the summer peak of cyanobacteria. The long-term variation of diatoms biomass was significantly associated with changes in hydrometeorological parameters. Between dominant species an increase of limnophilic species abundance tolerant to a high content of organic matter and salts was observed. The influence of zoning on the distribution of ecological and floristic groups of diatoms along the longitudinal profile of reservoirs has been established.

ПИТАНИЕ РОТАНА PERCCOTTUS GLENII (PERCIFORMES: ODONTOBUTIDAE) В ПОЙМЕННЫХ ВОДОЕМАХ САРАТОВСКОГО ВОДОХРАНИЛИЩА

An alien species, Perccottusglenii, penetrated more than two decades ago into the reservoirs of the Volga River basin in the Samara region. Amur sleeper feeding in some floodplain reservoirs of the Saratov reservoir is shown. Field observations have shown that the basis of amur sleeper nutrition from the reservoirs of the Mordovian floodplain are insects and their own juvenile fish, and juveniles of other fish species.

Birds of prey from 4th to 18th centuries AD of the Volga River basin of Russia

AbstractThe article analyzes studies of bone assemblages of birds of prey from medieval and post‐medieval archaeological sites in the Volga River basin territory. We provide data on the presence of birds of prey: Accipitriformes (hawks and eagles), Falconiformes (falcons), and Strigiformes (owls) within the Volga region during the Middle Ages and post‐Middle Ages (4th–18th centuries AD) in bird communities from 15 archaeological sites. Archaeological bird of prey remains from the Volga basin could contribute to the understanding of the interaction between different ethnic groups in the region within the context of human–nature interaction. In quantitative terms, the clear predominance of the northern goshawk and white‐tailed sea‐eagle, as well as the high proportion of the Eurasian sparrowhawk and relatively high species diversity of falcons and owls observed in medieval time, indicates social or environmental context has changed in a short period of time. The use of birds of prey by the various ethnic groups in the Volga River basin was multifaceted, including for falconry/hawking practice, feathers, amulets, or ornaments and for religious/politics ceremonies.

New Record of Mysis relicta (Malacostraca, Mysidae) in the Volga River Basin, Russia

New Record of Mysis relicta (Malacostraca, Mysidae) in the Volga River Basin, Russia

First Find of Pontogammarus robustoides in the Upper Volga River Basin (Russia)

First Find of Pontogammarus robustoides in the Upper Volga River Basin (Russia)

FIRST FINDING OF <i>BRANCHIURA SOWERBYI </i>BEDDARD, 1892 (OLIGOCHAETA, TUBIFICIDAE) IN THE RYBINSK RESERVOIR

The first finding of the cosmopolite freshwater oligochaete Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, 1892 in the Rybinsk Reservoir is reported. The oligochaete B. sowerbyi was first recorded in the Volga River basin. The species was found in the biotope of grеy silt at a depth of 8 m near Vaganikha Island in the Sheksna Reach of the Rybinsk Reservoir in October 2019.

THE DYNAMICS OF TREMATODE PREVALENCE IN TWO PERMANENT SETTLEMENTS OF THE PONTO-AZOV MOLLUSK <i>LITHOGLYPHUS NATICOIDES</i> (C. PFEIFFER, 1828) (GASTROPODA, HYDROBIIDAE) AT THE NORTH-EASTERN BORDER OF ITS RANGE

The freshwater gastropod mollusk Lithoglyphus naticoides (C. Pfeiffer, 1828) is one of the most successful invasive species in waterbodies of the Volga River basin. One of the negative consequences of its spread is range expansion of trematode species, some of which are highly pathogenic for fish, fish-eating birds and mammals. The aim of this study is to analyze the formation features of the trematode fauna in settlements of L. naticoides at the north-eastern border of its range (the Rybinsk Reservoir). It is found that the formation of the first permanent settlement of L. naticoides took place in 2005-2010 in coastal shallow waters in the lower part of the Volga reach of the reservoir. There was no rapid spread of the mollusk throughout the entire water area of the reservoir outside the Volga reach zone with a relatively high mineral content of water. However, in 2011-2019, the formation of a new large settlement of L. naticoides was recorded in the upper part of the Volga reach characterized by faster flow. A relatively low density of mature individuals in the settlements of L. naticoides (up to 50 ind./m) makes it possible for at least five trematode species to complete their life cycle: Apophallus muehlingi (Jägerskiöld, 1899), Apophallus (= Rossicotrema ) donicus (Skrjabin et Lindtrop, 1919), Parasymphylodora markewitschi Kulakowskaja, 1947, Nicolla skrjabini (Iwanitzky, 1928), Sanguinicola volgensis (Razin, 1929). The prevalence of parthenitae of certain species depends on the reservoir water level regime but the overall infection of L. naticoides can exceed 90%. The slow-flowing lower part of the Volga reach is characterized by the dominance of P. markewitschi and trematodes of the genus Apophallus , but N. skrjabini and S. volgensis dominate in the upper section, which is close to the river type. In the future in the Rybinsk reservoir, we can expect naturalization of other trematode species associated with L. naticoides within its range.

Hydrological and Meteorological Variability in the Volga River Basin under Global Warming by 1.5 and 2 Degrees

The idea of the research to assess the impact of 1.5 °C and 2 °C global warming in the 21st century on the runoff formation in the Volga basin corresponds to the Paris agreement on climate change 2016 with the main goal to keep the global air temperature rise to below 2 °C relative to the pre-industrial level and to take measures to limit warming to 1.5 °C by the end of the 21st century. The purpose of this study was to obtain physically based results of changes in the water regime of the Volga basin rivers under global warming by 1.5 °C and 2 °C relative to pre-industrial values. The physical and mathematical model of runoff generation ECOMAG (ECOlogical Model for Applied Geophysics) was applied in calculations using data from global climate models (GCMs). The estimation of flow anomalies of the Volga River and its major tributaries showed a decrease in annual runoff by 10–11% relative to the period from 1970 to 1999. The largest relative decrease in runoff by 17–20% was noted for the Oka and Upper Volga rivers, while the Kama River had only a 1–5% decrease. The Volga winter runoff increased by 17% and 28% under global warming by 1.5 °C and 2 °C, respectively, and negative runoff anomalies during the spring flood and the summer–autumn period turned out to be in the range of 21 to 23%. Despite the increase in precipitation, the role of evaporation in the water balance of the Volga basin will only increase.

Technological Solutions Used of the Development Segment of the Flood Monitoring Information System in the Volga River Basin

A satellite segment of the flood monitoring and forecasting information system in the Volga River basin (GIS Volga) has been developed at the Federal State Budget Institution «Scientific-research center for space hydrometeorology «Planeta». The satellite segment contains web services of high and medium spatial resolution data of Russian and foreign spacecraft of the Canopus-B series, Meteor M series, Sentinel-1 series, Sentinel-2 series, EOS, SUOMI NPP and NOAA-20 series, as well as satellite information products (relative soil moisture, daily precipitation, snow cover, etc.). User gets quick access in near real-time mode to all types of satellite, ground-based, predictive information in the GIS Volga information system to make timely decisions to reduce the consequences of floods.

Undrowned Story: The Landscape on the Volgo–Baltic Waterway as the Volga Hydropower Cascade Submersions Memorial

Vast territories along the Volga River basin were intentionally submerged in the 1930s to 1980s for the sake of creating the Volga hydropower cascade. Many people suffered displacement, and hundreds of cultural and historical sites were destroyed or left under water. However, these events were never recognized as a national tragedy in the official public narrative. This article is dedicated to a grassroots project aimed at creating a ‘lieu de mémoire’ for this difficult heritage by preserving the ruins of a submerged church. The ruins marking the transformed landscape bear memories of the events that accompanied that transformation as well as the role of an individual and local community in commemorating the traumatic events. Intentionally preserved ruins are extremely rare for Russia, yet they powerfully link tangible and intangible heritage and give voice to repressed narratives.

Analysis of the Relationship between the Phylogenetic Diversity of Benthic Communities and Degree of Mineralization of Plain Rivers of the Lower Volga River Basin

Analysis of the Relationship between the Phylogenetic Diversity of Benthic Communities and Degree of Mineralization of Plain Rivers of the Lower Volga River Basin

River Routing in the INM RAS-MSU Land Surface Model: Numerical Scheme and Parallel Implementation on Hybrid Supercomputers

The land surface model (LSM) is a necessary compartment of any numerical weather forecast system or the Earth system model. This paper presents a new version of the INM RAS-MSU land surface model where the river hydrodynamic and thermodynamic scheme is embedded into the parallel execution framework using MPI and OpenMP. Numerical experiments have been performed for the East European domain with resolution 0.5°× 0.5°. The soil model parallel efficiency at 1–144 MPI cores was 0.52–0.79 and limited by the presence of ocean area, and by imbalance of computational load between soil columns. The acceleration of the river model at MPI level was defined by the size of the largest river basin in the domain. At the OpenMP level, the potential for acceleration of large river basin simulation is shown to be close to number of threads used, based on fractal properties of the river networks. This acceleration was hindered in our numerical experiments by the reduced river orders at the coarse land surface model resolution, so that the optimal speedup for the Volga river basin was 2.5–3 times attained at 4–6 threads. This performance is projected to improve with refinement of the LSM spatial resolution.

Bolreal ecotone of the East-European Plain: Empirical statistical modeling

The solution of multipurpose tasks of ecological forecasting may depend to a great extent on the results of system analysis of nature-territorial structures, which are most sensitive to external effects including anthropogenic. The scientific search in this direction focuses more and more attention on the natural boundaries – both individual and complex, where the most significant natural or anthropogenic shifts in the structure and function of geo(eco)systems are observed. Considering one or another natural boundary as a vector (connection, cascade, para-dynamical, etc.) landscape system with a clearly defined spatial polarization of its different properties, we obtain a "fast-flowing" model of state response and resistance of geo(eco)systems to the action of certain ecological factors. The study of the structural-functional organization of natural ecosystems at the geographical ecotones is also of scientific and methodical importance, which is common with geo-ecology and, in addition, most important for regional and local landscape-ecological forecasts. Geographical ecotones are the most sensitive (and, in this sense, the least stable) fragments of natural-territorial mosaic. The boreal biogeographic ecotone of the Volga River basin is described as an example for considering the theoretical and scientific-methodical problems of geographical zonality: the fundamental ecological-geographical conception at the present-day stage of biosphere evolution associated with the global anthropogenic impact on the climate. A conception on regional bioclimatic system, characterizing climate-genic exo-dynamic characteristics of soil-vegetation "core" of natural com-plexes is presented. It can survey as a scientific-methodological base of paleogeographical reconstructions and landscape-ecological forecasts. Climate nishes of the phytocoenological and soil’ units are the elements of bioclimatic system and the forms of display of soil-vegatation cover’ hydrothermal stability during the changing climate. Zonal boundaries are considered as modern spatial analogs of the future landscape changes in time. The work dwells on the basic "trigger" mechanisms of zonal boundary formation at the interaction of background climatic signals and their refraction by local (mainly lithe-genic) factors.