Изменение стока снегового половодья на южном макросклоне Русской равнины в период 1930–2014 гг

In recent decades, in the southern macro-slope (catchment) of Te Russian Plain, mainly within the basins of the Volga and the Don rivers, the spring flood flow decreased due to both anthropogenic and climatic factors. Of anthropogenic factors, the creation of reservoirs played a signifcant role in changing the water regime of the Volga and the Don. Another important factor, affecting the river runoff, is agricultural activities on flat interfluves and slopes. Compared with the conventional-natural period (for the Volga from 1879, and for the Don from 1876 to 1929) to the date (for the period 1930–2014), the flood flow of the Volga has been decreased by more than 4300 km3, and the Don – by almost 900 km3. Te contribution of anthropogenic factors to this decrease in the Volga basin exceeded 70%, and for the Don it was equal to 45%, while the climatic ones contributed 30 and 55%, respectively. During the period of instrumental observations on the rivers of the region, long-lasting phases of high/low water content with duration from 15–20 to 90 years or longer, caused by the climatic changes, were determined. Tese are a characteristic feature of long-term changes in flood flow (and in a runoff of other seasons) on both medium and large rivers of the southern macro-slope of the Russian Plain. Te period since early 2000s was a start of the decreased flood flow everywhere, i.e. on medium and large rivers. It is most clearly (by tens of percent) manifested in the decrease of the spring surface flow due to the following factors: more frequent thaws, reduction of the depth of soil freezing, increase of infltration, especially in the forest-steppe and steppe zones. Increase in flow of the infltration origin does only partially compensate the decrease of the flow in rivers.Рассматриваются сток снегового половодья в пределах бассейнов Волги и Дона и его изменения под влиянием антропогенных и климатических факторов. Изложены методы исследования изменений речного стока, оценены его изменения за последние десятилетия. Общая тенденция – уменьшение стока половодья, что связано с гидротехническим воздействием и климатическими факторами

The ensemble scenarios projecting runoff changes in large Russian river basins in the 21st century

An approach is presented for carrying out a long-term projection of river runoff changes in large Russian river basins in the first three decades of the 21st century. These changes may be caused by climate warming and socio-economic factors. The approach utilizes a method for scenario estimation of runoff changes with a range of possible climate warming effects. This range is chosen by generalizing calculation results obtained by using an ensemble of global climate models for two contrasting scenarios (A2 and B1) of globally-averaged air temperature rises. The approach also utilizes a method for alternative scenario estimation for water consumption as related to socio-economic changes. The estimates show that the expected runoff changes in the first third of this century due to climate warming scenarios can compensate the runoff decrease caused by the realization of some of the scenarios for socio-economic changes in the Volga River basin. The same compensation does not occur in the Don River basin, where negative effects are expected for the regional ecology

Iron Borate Based Monocrystals for Research in Magneto-Ordered State Physics

Elemental composition and crystal structure of synthesized monocrystal series FexGa1-xBO3, which is model object for fundamental research of magneto-ordered state physics, was investigated. It was established that the crystal lattice parameters weakly grow with magnetic ion concentration increase

Carbon balance of a southern taiga spruce stand in European Russia

We present results from nearly three years of net ecosystem flux. measurements above a boreal spruce stand growing in European Russia. Fluxes were measured by eddy covariance using conventional techniques. In all years examined (1998-2000), the forest was a significant source of carbon to the atmosphere. However, the magnitude of this inferred source depended upon assumptions regarding the degree of "flux loss" under conditions of low turbulence, such as typically occur at night. When corrections were not made, the forest was calculated to be only a modest source of C to the atmosphere (3-5 mol C m(-2) yr(-1)). However, when the corrections were included, the apparent source was much larger (20-30 mol C m(-2) yr(-1)). Using a simple model to describe the temperature dependencies of ecosystem respiration on air and soil temperatures, about 80% of the night-time flux was inferred to be from soil respiration, with the remainder being attributable to foliage, branches and holes. We used reasonable assumptions to estimate the rate of ecosystem respiration during the day, allowing an estimation of canopy photosynthetic rates and hence the annual Gross Primary Productivity of the ecosystem. For the two full years examined (1999 and 2000), this was estimated at 122 and 130 mol C m(-2) yr(-1), respectively. This value is similar to estimates for boreal forests in Scandinavia, but substantially higher than has been reported for Canadian or Siberian boreal forests. There was a clear tendency for canopy photosynthetic rates to increase with both light and temperature, but the slope of the temperature response of photosynthesis was less steep that that of ecosystem respiration. Thus, on most warm days in summer the forest was a substantial source of carbon to the atmosphere; with the forest usually being a net sink only on high insolation days where the average daily air temperatures were below about 18 degreesC. These data, along with other studies on the current balance of boreal ecosystems, suggests that at the current time many boreal forests might be releasing substantial amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This observed temperature sensitivity of this ecosystem suggests that this might be a consequence of substantially higher than average temperatures over recent years

Change in snow flood flow in the southern macro-slope of the Russian Plain in the period 1930-2014

In recent decades, in the southern macro-slope (catchment) of Te Russian Plain, mainly within the basins of the Volga and the Don rivers, the spring flood flow decreased due to both anthropogenic and climatic factors. Of anthropogenic factors, the creation of reservoirs played a signifcant role in changing the water regime of the Volga and the Don. Another important factor, affecting the river runoff, is agricultural activities on flat interfluves and slopes. Compared with the conventional-natural period (for the Volga from 1879, and for the Don from 1876 to 1929) to the date (for the period 1930–2014), the flood flow of the Volga has been decreased by more than 4300 km3, and the Don – by almost 900 km3. Te contribution of anthropogenic factors to this decrease in the Volga basin exceeded 70%, and for the Don it was equal to 45%, while the climatic ones contributed 30 and 55%, respectively. During the period of instrumental observations on the rivers of the region, long-lasting phases of high/low water content with duration from 15–20 to 90 years or longer, caused by the climatic changes, were determined. Tese are a characteristic feature of long-term changes in flood flow (and in a runoff of other seasons) on both medium and large rivers of the southern macro-slope of the Russian Plain. Te period since early 2000s was a start of the decreased flood flow everywhere, i.e. on medium and large rivers. It is most clearly (by tens of percent) manifested in the decrease of the spring surface flow due to the following factors: more frequent thaws, reduction of the depth of soil freezing, increase of infltration, especially in the forest-steppe and steppe zones. Increase in flow of the infltration origin does only partially compensate the decrease of the flow in rivers

Comparing the influence of site quality, stand age, fire and climate on aboveground tree production in Siberian Scots pine forests

Temporal patterns of stem and needle production and total aboveground net primary production (ANPP) were studied at the tree and stand level along four chronosequences of Siberian Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests differing in site quality (poor lichen type or the more fertile Vaccinium type) and in frequency of surface fires (unburned, moderately burned (fire return interval of similar to40 years), or heavily burned (fire return interval of similar tO25 years)). The maximum range of variability in aboveground production was quantified for: (1) possible long-term changes in site quality; (2) stand age; (3) non-stand-rep lacing, recurring surface fires; and (4) interannual climate variability. For (1) and (2), total ANPP was low in the lichen-type chronosequence, reached a maximum of 170 g C m (-2) year (-1) after 100 years and decreased to 100 g C m(-2) year(-1) in older stands. Maximum ANPP in the Vacciniumtype chronosequence was 340 g C m(-2) year(-1) and occurred earlier in the 53-year-old stand than in the other stands. Along the lichen-type chronosequences, peak ANPP was paralleled by maximum carbon allocation to stem growth. (3) In mature trees, damage by recurrent surface fires decreased stem growth by 17 +/- 19% over a 10-year period relative to pre-fire values. At longer timescales, ANPP was hardly affected by fire- related differences in mortality. (4) Needle- plus stem-NPP, reconstructed for a 3-year period, varied within a range of 15 g C M -2 year(-1) in the lichen-type stands and 35 g C m(-2) year(-1) in the Vaccinium-type stands. For the same period, the coefficient of variance was higher for needle-NPP (20 +/- 10%) than for stem-NPP (12 +/- 7%). Needle- and stem-NPP did not covary in time. Most 30-year time series of stem-NPP at the tree level exhibited strong autocorrelation. In older trees, stem-NPP was positively correlated with growing season precipitation. Thus, the factors driving variability in AN-PP ranked according to their maximum influence as: stand age (controlled by the frequency of stand-replacing fires) > site quality > growth depression because of surface fire damage = age-related reduction in ANPP > interannual variability = long- term effects of fire (stand density reduction). In lichen-type forests, we found that ANPP at the landscape level declined sharply when the interval between stand-replacing fires was less than 120 years, illustrating that fire strongly influences ANTPP of boreal Scots pine forests

Comparative ecosystem-atmosphere exchange of energy and mass in a European Russian and a central Siberian bog I. Interseasonal and interannual variability of energy and latent heat fluxes during the snowfree period

Energy and latent heat fluxes lambdaE were measured over ombrotrophic bogs in European Russia (Fyodorovskoye) and in central Siberia (Zotino) using the eddy covariance technique, as part of the EuroSiberian Carbonflux Project. The study covered most of the snowfree periods in 1998, 1999 and 2000; in addition some data were also collected under snow in early spring and late autumn 1999 and 2000. The snowfree period in Europian Russia exceeds the snowfree period in central Siberia by nearly 10 weeks. Marked seasonal and interannual differences in temperatures and precipitation, and hence energy partitioning, were observed at both sites. At both bogs latent heat fluxes (lambdaE) exceeded sensible heat fluxes (H) during most of the snowfree period: maximum lambdaE were between 10 and 12 MJ m(-2) d(-1) while maximum H were between 3 and 5 MJ m(-2) d(-1). There was a tendency towards higher Bowen ratios at Fyodorovskoye. Net radiation was the most influential variable that regulated daily evaporation rates, with no obvious effects due to surface dryness during years with exceptionally dry summers. Total snowfree evaporation at Fyodorovskoye (320 mm) exceeded totals at Zotino (280 mm) by 15%. At the former site, evaporation was equal to or less than precipitation, contrasting the Zotino observations, where summer evaporation was distinctly higher than precipitation. During the entire observation period evaporation rates were less than 50% of their potential rate. These data suggest a strong 'mulching' effect of a rapidly drying peat surface on total evaporation, despite the substantial area of free water surfaces during parts of the year. This effect of surface dryness was also observed as close atmospheric coupling

Iron borate films: Synthesis and characterization

We report the first successful synthesis of iron borate films. FeBO 3 films on GaBO 3 single crystal sub strates have been prepared by a liquid phase epitaxy route. In order to determine optimal crystallization regimes, a series of experiments has been carried out. Electron microscope studies have allowed mon itoring different phases of the film formation. The compositions of the film and of the substrate have been determined by energy dispersive spectroscopy. X ray diffraction analysis has allowed an accurate determination of a mismatch between the lattice parameters of the film and of the substrate. Electron magnetic resonance studies of the FeBO 3 film confirm the existence of magnetic ordering. The values of the effective Dzyaloshinskii field as well as the Néel temperature are in good accordance with those previously determined for FeBO 3 single crystal

Geochemistry, mineral chemistry and Re–Os isotopes of refractory peridotites of the North Balkhash ophiolite zone in the West Central Asian Orogenic Belt (Central Kazakhstan): multi-stage melt evolution of a Late Precambrian forearc mantle

Supplementary Figure S