Rainfall and temperature are the two major climatic variables affecting humans and the environment. Hence, it is essential to study rainfall and temperature variability over urban areas. This study focused on analyzing the spatiotemporal trends and variability of rainfall and temperature over Benin metropolitan region, Nigeria. Time series analysis was used to determine temporal trends in rainfall as well as minimum and maximum atmospheric temperatures over a study period of 30 years (1990 to 2019). Analysis of variance was used to understand spatiotemporal variations of climatic elements among the spatial units (urban core, intermediate and peripheral areas). Land surface temperature (LST) and land use/land cover (LULC) classes of the study area were analyzed from Landsat TM Imagery of 2020. Results revealed a decreasing trend for rainfall and increasing trend for minimum and maximum atmospheric temperatures in all the spatial units. Rainfall distribution and temperature among the spatial units were statistically insignificant; however, significant temporal decadal variations were noticed for minimum and maximum air temperatures. This investigation provided valuable information for assessing changes in rainfall and temperature and concluded that the study area is becoming warmer; an indication of global warming and climate change.

Ambrosia artemisiifolia first appeared on the Eurasian continent in the 18th century. In the south of the Russian Far East Ambrosia first appeared in the middle Holocene. The presence of its pollen in the sediments on west of the lacustrine Khanka Plain is correlated with the appearance of early men. The presence of Ambrosia pollen in Holocene deposits can be considered as an indicator of ancient agriculture in the south of the Russian Far East. The interval from the 19th century to the 1960s is marked by a complete absence of Ambrosia in this region. On boundary of early Holocene and middle Holocene population of ragweed existed on eastern part of Eurasia simultaneously and independently from Northern America population. The modern isolated centre of the Ambrosia expansion in the south of the Russian Far East began later than the 1960s – 1970s. The modern secondary settling of this species in the east and west parts of Eurasia formed independently. The ranges of the species in China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and the south of the Russian Far East also formed independently.

Digital inequality extends beyond mere access to technology. This study explores the concept of third-level digital inequality, which describes the situation where individuals or communities have access to technology and the Internet, have required skills, but still struggle to use it effectively. However, there is currently a lack of data and methods for assessing thirdlevel digital inequality. To address this gap, this study aimed to evaluate it on a regional scale by analyzing the popularity of Google search queries. In proposed method, the data are categorized into three groups: everyday services, education, science, and technology, and entertainment. On this basis authors calculated the index of Internet usage efficiency. The study’s findings revealed the territorial patterns of digital inequality in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Regions in North Caucasus and Siberia showed low Internet usage efficiency, while regions in the Urals and Central Russia had high Internet usage efficiency. The study’s methodology is quick, cost-effective, and easy to implement, but it also has limitations. The method only considers the popularity of certain search queries and does not consider the frequency or duration of internet usage, or the specific websites or services accessed, and does not consider individual-level factors that may influence internet usage patterns. The authors emphasize the importance of addressing not only differences in Internet access but also the lack of technology skills, digital literacy, and motivation among certain groups. They conclude that public policies aimed at enhancing internet skills can reduce digital inequality and improve the quality of life of the population.

In Goa, the tourism industry is the major cornerstone of the economy. With the increasing number of tourists along the coastal areas, more tourism-related infrastructure is emerging within the Coastal Regulation Zone. The sensitive and fragile coastal zones are being covered by concrete structures and the coastal environment becomes vulnerable to degradation. The objective of the paper was to study the changes in landuse and landcover in the Coastal Regulation Zone of Salcete taluka using remote sensing data and geospatial techniques. To fulfill the objective, both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data was based on personal observations and field visits while secondary data consisted of topographic maps, LANDSAT 7 ETM, and LANDSAT 8 satellite images, which were processed and analyzed using ArcGIS 10.3, ERDAS IMAGINE 2014, SAGA (System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses) and MS Excel. From the landuse and landcover analysis for a period of 17 years (2000-2017), it was found that the land cover within the CRZ underwent a tremendous change with the increase in tourism activity and related infrastructure. The analysis revealed that the agricultural area has decreased, whereas built-up areas, barren land, and vegetation area increased. The change detection analysis using SAGA software allowed to understand the conversion between different classes. The study revealed that the increasing number of tourists and tourism activities along the Salcete Coast is deteriorating the environmental setup and disturbing the inherent coastal landscape.

Public Green Open Space (PGOS) is widely known to provide many benefits for the well-being of urban community, especially the socially vulnerable. Achieving equitable PGOS access is crucial for the sustainability and livability of cities. This study aims to 1) observe the accessibility of PGOS and 2) investigate the social equity of PGOS access in South Tangerang, Indonesia. This study employed network-based accessibility analysis through GIS and constructed a green space access index at urban village level to observe the accessibility of PGOS for urban residents. Furthermore, statistical correlation tests were conducted to examine the social equity of PGOS access against socio-demographic variables. The spatiality of equity was explored by using Bivariate Moran’s I. The results found that in South Tangerang, PGOS access is unequal, showing 61.2% of residential areas being underserved. This study also found that PGOS access is higher in elite private neighborhoods. Furthermore, statistical tests showed that PGOS access is inequitable for the low-income group. As for the elderly and population density, PGOS access was found to be equitable. However, no correlation was found between children and PGOS access. Additionally, causes of inequality and inequity in PGOS access and its implications are further discussed. This study addresses several key policy implications for urban planners and specifically for the government of South Tangerang such as the need to reform PGOS planning & policy and developing alternative funding for PGOS.

Hurricane Matthew affected the eastern region of Cuba from October 4th to 5th causing large damages and numerous landslides. This research presents an inventory of landslides triggered by the hurricane. Visual interpretation of satellite images of moderate resolution from Sentinel 2A instrument and localized higher resolution satellite images provided by PlanetScope, as well as field research were the main sources of information. The resulting landslide inventory was compared with other landslide factors such as slope, geology, and soil deep and composition from maps at a scale of 1:100 000. Data recorded by 1-hour rain gauges and 24-hour rain gauge was also analyzed in order to identify rainfall thresholds for the occurrence of landslides during the Hurricane Matthew influence in the study region. A total of 619 landslides were identified and classified as rockslide, rockfall or debris flows. The research found the slope was not as important factor as the type of rock. Most of landslides were located in areas of green shale of volcanic and vulcanoclastic rocks and rocks of the ophiolitic complex formed by ancient remnants of oceanic crust. The accumulate rainfall threshold estimated for the event was between 178-407 mm/day.

The increase in population and demand for settlement facilities and infrastructure affects the attractiveness of Batu city (Indonesia) and has a significant impact on the environmentWe perform spatial mapping of the environmental carrying capacity in developing settlements using the overlay-geoprocessing method. This method is based on unit indicators such as slope, morthology, soil type, elevation, and potential for disasters for obtaining the data on land capability, land suitability, and settlement development plans. Land capability analysis shows that slope, morthology and altitude are the main factors for attributing moderate, low, and poor development capability. The land capability unit shows the areas with slope steepness and land morthology that are not appropriate for intensively developing areas. Batu City areas of moderate, low, and poor development capacity cover 13,365.14 ha, 3193.04 ha, and 2858.07 ha. We also demonstrate that there is about 2,363 ha of unsuitable land use with poor land capability and 3,784.28 ha of land can be developed for settlement. Using this approach we determine saturation point in the residential area plan, because the environmental impact will increase if no threshold is given for residential development.

This article presents results of a study of bryophytes in seven caves of the Kutuk tract of the National Park «Bashkiria» of the Republic of Bashkortostan, including the largest cave in Bashkiria – Kutuk-Sumgan.
Fifty-five bryophytes species were found in the studied caves. The dominant species in all caves was Timmia bavarica. The species composition of bryophytes of each cave is unique. Among identified bryophytes species 23, species were found only in one cave, and 11 species in 2 caves. During our survey, we found 31 species in Kutuk-Sumgan Cave, 21 species in Kutuk-2 and Kutuk-3 caves, 19 species in Kutuk-4 caves, 18 species in Vintovaya and Zigzag caves and 14 species in Kutuk-1 cave. Using the Jaccard and Phi-squared similarity indices, we revealed the stability of the bryoflora of the caves in different years and show its changes. Changes in the composition and structure of mosses in the Kutuk tract may be caused by mechanical influences. Benchmark similarity analysis allowed us to determine the influence of entrance morphology and glaciation in the photic zone of the caves on the composition of bryophytes.
Using the Kutuk tract caves as an example, it is shown that in the primary analysis of the bryoflora, when selecting a characteristic cave, up to 40% of the total species composition of the caves can be identified in a single cave. The current study of Kutuk tract caves shows that identification of the primere analyses of bioflora permits identification of up to 40% of species composition of an individual cave.
Three criteria for selecting a characteristic cave were identified: size of the photic zone and morphology of the entrance, diversity of habitats, and the least degree of disturbance.

Digital topographic maps are created in a series of scales from large to small, and the underlying spatial data is commonly organized as a multiscale database consisting of several levels of detail (LoDs). Spatial density of features (or spatial objects) in such database varies both between LoDs (coarser levels are less densely populated with features) and within each LoD (feature density changes over the area). While the former type of density variation is caused by generalization, the latter one is mainly conditioned by geographic location and its properties, such as landscape complexity or fraction of urban areas. Since topographic database LoDs are derived using different data sources and generalization techniques, there is a need for a method that can help with automated evaluation of resulting feature density in terms of its appropriateness for the specified location and level of detail. This paper provides such method by uncovering dependencies between the location properties and the density of spatial data in multiscale topographic database. Changes in feature density are modeled as a function of spatial (landscape complexity and terrain ruggedness) and non-spatial (land cover types ratio) measures estimated via independent data sources. Resulting model predicts how much higher or lower is the expected spatial density of features over the area in comparison to the average density for the LoD. This information can be used further to assess the fitness of the data to the desired level of detail of the topographic map.

The article evaluates the ecological status of five small lakes on Valaam Island (Igumenskoe, Chernoe, Ossievo, Nikonovskoe, Krestovoe) using macrophytes as bioindicators. The methods proposed by Finland, Sweden, and Norway were used, to assess the state of eutrophication, the change in the composition of specific species, the change in the water level, and the state of acidification, according to different indexes (Reference index (RI), Trophic Macrophyte Index (TMI), Trophic Index (TIc), the Proportion of Type– Specific Taxa (PTST), the Percent Model Affinity (PMA), Water level Index (WIc), and Acidification Index (SIc)). An analysis of the floristic composition for the period 2011 – 2020 was realized, including taxonomic analysis, ecogroup, and macrophyte diversity. The dominant taxon was Elodea canadensis Michx. in Igumenskoe, Chernoe, Ossievo lakes and Calla palustris L. in Nikonovskoe and Krestovoe lakes. The ecogroup hygrohelophyte was the most diverse in all lakes studied. The ecological status of the lakes according to each assessed parameter reflects that all lakes are characterized by a mesotrophic to eutrophic state, there is a variation in species composition of macrophyte and no water level change or acidification processes are presumed to occur in any of the lakes. In general, each method has its limitations, but it is suggested to continue studies for the RI, TMI, PTST, and PMA indices, and to integrate them with other national physicochemical or biological indices.

Bacteria of the genus Streptomyces, one of the main microorganisms of soils, and their bacteriophages are important inhabitants of soil ecosystems. Important though they are, not much is known about their functional patterns and population dynamics. A question of particular interest, which is still to be understood, is how bacteriophages regulate the population dynamics of Streptomyces and how this regulation affects the soil ecosystem as a whole. Isolation and study of new Streptomyces bacteriophages can help to understand these problems. In this paper, we describe isolation of a new bacteriophage from the soils of the Prioksko- Terrasny Reserve. The analysis of morphology of the new phage allows us to conclude that it belongs to the family Siphoviridae.

Epiphytes model the diversity of forest communities and indicate the integrity of natural ecosystems or the threat to their existence. The high sensitivity of epiphytic species to the environmental quality makes them good indicators in anthropogenic landscapes. The study deals with the distribution patterns of rare indicator epiphytic species at the border of their range in the broadleaved– coniferous forest zone, in the central part of the East European Plain within the Moscow region. The distribution and abundance of eight lichen species Anaptychia ciliaris, Bryoria fuscescens, B. implexa, Usnea dasopoga, U. glabrescens, U. hirta, U. subfloridana and the epiphytic moss Neckera pennata were studied. The main environmental factors at the regional level were climate variables based on the Worldclim database, water indices based on Sentinel-2 multispectral remote sensing data, and the anthropogenic impact factor in terms of the Nighttime lights of the earth’s surface based on the Suomi NPP satellite system. It was revealed that the vast majority of records were in the western and northern sectors of the region, i.e. in the broad-leaved–coniferous forest zone, while the vast majority of 0-records were in the southern and eastern sectors, in the area of broad-leaved and pine forests and extensive reclaimed wetlands. The association with different types of communities and biotopes, as well as tree species, was assessed at the ecosystem level, using field data. It has been established that the distribution of the studied species is governed by natural-geographic features of the territory. The principal limiting factors are air pollution, ecological restrictions (high humidity requirement of sites), cutting of mature forests and formation of local anthropogenic infrastructure. In perspective the study of ecology and living conditions of the studied rare species will help determine the optimal conditions contributing to biodiversity conservation in forests near large metropolitan areas and optimization of habitat diversity.

Truong Sa archipelago of Vietnam are very diverse in microorganisms, however, compared to aquatic microorganisms (sea water, sediment, etc) terrestrial microorganisms (soil, coral sand, etc) has received little attention. This study focuses on assessing the biodiversity of marine yeasts in coral sand samples collected at some islands in Truong Sa archipelago. From nine coral sand samples collected at three islands: Song Tu island (three samples), Sinh Ton island (three samples), Truong Sa island (three samples), twenty – four strains of marine yeasts were isolated. The number of marine yeast strains isolated in Truong Sa island was the highest (ten strains). Sample CS9 had the highest number of strains. These strains were grouped into eight groups based on colony and cell morphology and fourteen groups by DNA fingerprinting. The results showed that there are strains in the same group according to morphology but belong to two different groups according to fingerprinting. Otherwise, some strains have different morphology but are grouped according to fingerprinting. The fourteen yeast strains representing groups by DNA fingerprinting were closely related to fourteen different yeast species and belong to ten yeast genera (Yamadazyma, Candida, Trichosporon, Saccharomyces, Kodamaea, Rhodotorula, Rhodosporidium, Aureobasidium, Meyerozyma, Pichia). Among them, the genus Candida accounted for the highest number. This is the first study on marine yeasts in coral sand in Truong Sa archipelago, Vietnam. This study can be a premise for further studies on marine yeast in different fields such as medicine, agriculture, environment, etc.

Previously, there was no special study of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) in Uzbekistan. The first Bustard survey was conducted within the Winter Bustards Census Programme of the Eurasian Bustard Alliance in 2019. The discovery of a Great Bustards aggregation of 96 individuals in Jizzakh region showed that the wintering grounds are more stable than was expected before and that there is no information about the wintering grounds of this species in the country. The aim of this work was to find other wintering grounds, estimate the number of wintering Great Bustards and assess threats. The identification of potential wintering grounds was carried out using satellite images in Q-GIS 3.0 based on published records of the Great Bustard in the winter season. The field survey of the Great Bustard was carried out using two methods. The first one was based on car transects, which is suitable for natural habitats. The second method that we used on open rain-fed fields, was point count from higher locations. Both methods give the actual number of birds, and could not be used for extrapolation as this species’ distribution is fragmented. In 2020-2021 we covered a considerable part of the foothill plains of the central part of Uzbekistan. As a result, two wintering grounds were identified in which about 500 Great Bustards were concentrated. The surveys also made it possible to identify the main threats, which are poaching and collision with power lines. The results highlighted wintering grounds which required conservation.

Distribution Of Icings In The Northern (Russian) Part Of The Selenga River Basin And Their Role In The Functioning Of Ecosystems And Impact On SettlementsIcing is an integral part of the landscape in areas with permafrost. It is formed in winter in river valleys, along stream beds, in places of groundwater discharge and, unlike other objects of the cryosphere, is characterized by active dynamics. The main objective of this study is to identify the role and significance of icings in the functioning of natural systems of Russian part of the Selenga River basin, as well as their impact on settlements.
The first map of icings distribution was created based on Landsat imagery. In total, more than 15,500 icings were found. The highest concentration of icings is observed for forest landscapes. Icings in the forest-steppe belt are distinguished by their morphometric characteristics. They are often formed in giant areas of more than 1 km2. Steppe icings account for about 8 % of all objects of the study area. Icings play an important role in the functioning of forest and, in particular, foreststeppe ecosystems, as they largely determine the redistribution of water flow in small watersheds.
During the period of increasing total water content, icings become a factor contributing to emergency situations. The potential risk of inundation has been established for 65 settlements in the Russian part of the Selenga River basin.

The intensification of industrial production leads to an increase in the technogenic impact on the environment. Minerals containing iron are sensitive to many environmental processes and analysis of the composition of magnetic particles is relevant in the study of environmental pollution. This study focused on urban soils of near-trunk circles and epiphytic mosses on Populus nigra L. in the territory of Motovilikhinsky district of Perm, where a metallurgical plant is located. In this work, using electron probe microanalysis and scanning electron microscopy, we analyzed the magnetic susceptibility (MS), morphology, and chemical composition of magnetic particles isolated from urban soils and epiphytic mosses. The content of heavy metals in the studied soils exceeds the clarkes of chemical elements (CCE) in the upper continental crust: Cr - 286 times, Mn - 15 times, Fe - 11 times, Ti - 4 times, Mg - 4 times. The study of the chemical composition of epiphytes made it possible to assess the contribution of aerial sources to soil pollution. The concentrations of metals in the magnetic particles of epiphytes also exceed the Clarke values: Cr - 3257 times, Fe - 8 times, Ti - 7 times, Mg - 4 times. The similarity of the morphology and chemical composition of the magnetic particles of soils and epiphytes indicate common sources of pollution. A comprehensive assessment of the state of the territory may include magneto-geochemical monitoring of the soil cover and monitoring of the magnetic state of epiphytes on Populus nigra L.

This paper is devoted to the study of the chemical and biological properties of river waters and the relationship between them. We examined the hydrochemical and bacterial properties of surface water in 3 waterbodies: the Mezha River, a pond in Zapovedny village (Central Forest Nature Reserve, Tver Oblast) and the lower reaches of the Don River (Rostov Oblast). The biodiversity of bacteria was determined based on their growth on dissolved organic matter (DOM). Among bacterioplankton capable of growing on DOM as the only source of carbon, the predominant species in the Don River were Pseudomonas and Deinococcus, in the Mezha River – Pseudomonas and Janthinobacterium, in the pond – Arcicella. In terms of sanitary and microbiological indicators, none of the waterbodies complied with the Sanitary Rules and Regulations 1.2.3685- 21 for surface waters. The content of most of the studied elements and heterotrophic bacteria in stagnant waterbodies was lower than in flowing streams. The concentration and activity of heterotrophic bacteria in the studied waters correlated positively with the content of biophilic elements in them and negatively with the absence of a current. We showed that there is a strong correlation between bacterial and chemical indicators due to common factors: eutrophication, features of the physical and geographical conditions of the territory, and the presence of a current or animal waste products.

Heavy metals are generally recognized as primary soil pollutants. The most active pollutants are their mobile forms, which can migrate from a solid state into soil solutions and become absorbed by plants. The aim of this work was to study the features of heavy metal accumulation in the aboveground and underground parts of the Paeonia L. genus representatives in the urbanized environment of Ufa. The research considered four species and three varieties of hybrid paeony. The elemental composition of the aboveground and underground parts was analyzed using the method «Determination of As, Pb, Cd, Sn, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Ni in samples of food products and food raw materials by the atomic absorption method with electrothermal atomization». Eight elements were studied for each raw material group and their concentrations were determined in mmol/ kg of air-dry raw material. The minimum concentrations of arsenic, chromium, manganese, and iron were observed in the roots; lead, cadmium, and copper − in the leaves; nickel − in the flowers of the studied paeonies. The maximum content of arsenic and chromium was found in leaves; lead, nickel, manganese, and iron − in stems; cadmium and copper − in flowers. The results of the correlation analysis showed that there is a moderate or strong relationship between the concentrations of the studied elements in the consider ed taxa of paeonies.

Heavy metal pollution in the soil environment is a worldwide environmental problem as it has negative effects on both human health and the environment. Remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil is essential to improve soil quality, provide land resources for agricultural production, and protect human and animal health and the ecological environment. There is the possibility of remediating these contaminated soils through the use of several heavy metal absorbing plants and Superabsorbent polymers. Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are 3D polymer networks having hydrophilic nature, which can swell, absorb and hold a large amount of water or aqueous solutions in their network. This study evaluates the effect of superabsorbent polymer on Pb absorption capacity of Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides.L) that was grown on contaminated soil in Trai Cau iron ore dumpsite, Dong Hy district, Thai Nguyen province. The experiment was designed with five recipes and three replicates. The contents of SAP studied were 0, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 g/kg of soil. Uncontaminated soil was used as the control treatment. In the supplemented recipe of SAP, Vetiver showed better Pb treatment efficiency than the recipes without adding polymers. After 120 days of planting, SAP increased the tolerance and Pb absorption of Vetiver, improving soil properties. The best Pb treatment efficiency is achieved when using SAP with content from 0.8-1.0 g/kg soil.

In the era of the modern world, natural resources are continuously diminishing and simultaneously the human population is also increasing, which is alarming for the present and future world. Global biodiversity is playing a pivotal role in all ecosystem services, meanwhile, anthropogenic activities and encroachment are the main drivers for the widespread loss of local biodiversity. In India, Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the world’s oldest Aravali Mountain range. Near protected areas of this wildlife sanctuary have an entire concentration of rural populations, which are interdependence with this forest ecosystem. The key objective of the research study is to measure the anthropogenic impact on Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s a micro-level study based on primary and secondary data through GIS mapping as well as Socio- Economic & Physical factors to inter-connect with forest habitats. Especially, core and periphery LULC have been obtained from the Multispectral images from ETM+ and OLI sensors of Landsat satellites. This study examines the spatial and temporal patterns of LULC change along the boundary of Kumbhalgarh from 2000 to 2020. The research also describes land use and land cover pattern, forest cover and vegetation index, and human encroachment, Eventually, the situation would be alarming for the local biodiversity and habitat due to the high pressure of anthropogenic activities and encroachment.