Research by Institute of Natural Resources, Ecology and Cryology on the Evolution of Environment and Climate under the Influence of Natural and Anthropogenic Factors

• Published in: Geography and natural resources 2024-06, Vol.45 (2), p.127-136
• Main Authors: Mikheev, I. E., Matyugina, E. B., Korsun, O. V., Borzenko, S. V., Glazyrina, I. P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Bioindicators; Biological effects; Biota; Composition; Cryology; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Economic Geography; Evolution; Flora; Genetic variability; Geography; Geology; Gold; Gold ores; Human influences; Hydrogeochemistry; Ice formation; Indicator species; Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning; Mollusks; Morphogenesis; Natural resources; Paleoclimate; Parameter identification; Radioisotopes; Rare earth elements; Saline environments; Salt lakes; Substrates; Tungsten; Watercourses
• ISSN: 1875-3728; 1875-371X
• DOI: 10.1134/S1875372824700185

This article summarizes the results of many years of comprehensive research conducted by the scientific team of the Institute of Natural Resources, Ecology and Cryology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (INREC SB RAS). The composition, structure, and patterns of evolution of the geo- and ecosystems of Central Asia are investigated as part of these studies. The complexity of the approach allows us to analyze various aspects of their evolution: geological, geographical, biological, physical, and climatic. The article describes the areas of research within which the most significant and fundamental results were obtained. In particular, the results from studying the geosystems of the Transbaikal north are shown. Regarding gold ore formations in Transbaikalia, a relationship has been identified between the type of gold ore formation and the content of toxic elements in the geological substrate. For natural and technogenic hydrogeochemical systems of Eastern Transbaikalia, the main geochemical indicators of the environment have been identified, which determine the mobility of rare, rare-earth, and radioactive elements. Using the example of tungsten deposits in Transbaikalia, the importance of an integrated approach to the analysis of the processes that determine the hydrogeochemical parameters of the territory is demonstrated. The existence of metastable ice 0, which is formed from supercooled water at temperatures below –23°C, has been experimentally proven. A large-scale analysis of the processes influencing the formation of saline lakes in Central Asia has been carried out. The study of the evolution of the limnosystems of Transbaikalia has made it possible to identify the features of glacial morphogenesis that formed the basis for the zoning of the study area. Using the example of reservoirs and watercourses in Transbaikalia, the connection between their genesis and the specifics of their biotic composition is shown. It is also shown that the morphological variability of mollusks can serve as a bioindicator of paleoclimate. The results of studies of flora and fauna, as well as the landscape uniqueness of the region, served as the basis for the creation of a number of specially protected natural areas of Transbaikalia. The most important study of the fossil biota in this area was the discovery and description of the remains of the feathered ornithischian dinosaur Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus in Transbaikalia. A separate important area of research i