Geotectonical investigations have big importance for development of geology, and this is why their results deserve close attention. The present review focuses on the latest achievements of the principal direction of international geotectonics linked to the studies of dynamics of tectonic blocks in the geological time and space, which are represented in three articles published by the leading scientific journals. The methodological foundation is a critical analysis of the content of these works, which allows revealing the main problems of the related investigations. The results indicate on the advanced character of the latter, the significance of which is diminished by some methodological and factological problems. First of all, these problems are related to geotectonical nomenclature. Platform domains are characterized simplistically and with mixed terms. For example, platforms are named as shield, and shields are named as cratons. The attempt to map last orogenic phases faces the irregularity of orogenic phase naming. For some plots, orogenic regimes are not established. The considered works are based on incomplete information, especially for the Russian territory. For instance, the relation between the Greater Caucasus orogen and the preceding sedimentary basin is interpreted incorrectly. In other cases, it is possible to note unjustified treatment of the Uralian and East Siberian structures. Generally, the problems established in the present review indicate on controversies in the contemporary international geotectonical investigations. Insufficient attention to conceptual developments is thought to be one of the main causes. The traditions of the Russian geotectonics form the basis for overcoming the noted chaos by domestic specialists.

Spectral methods of measuring soil moisture are widely used in both contact and remote measurements. Spectral methods for determining soil moisture mainly use reflective spectra of soil, the most informative of which are near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared sections of the spectrum. A two-wave measurement method is known, which uses wavelengths of 1450 nm and 1300 nm on the reflective spectrum, which are not affected by organic substances present in the soil. However, there is evidence that a two-wave reflective method for determining soil moisture, depending on the specific wavelengths used, may be influenced by the clay content in the soil. A combined method for determining the water content of the soil has been developed. The method is based on two known methods for determining the water content of the soil, providing for the measurement of a reflective signal determined by the reflection spectrum, as well as taking into account constant coefficients depending on the wavelength of radiation. The proposed combined method involves the determination of these constant coefficients in the second method using measurements on three sites of the earth after measurements by the first method at two wavelengths at known constant coefficients. Further, at the stage of combining these methods, the wavelength of the measurements is selected in such a way that the difference between the measurement results of the two combined methods reaches a minimum.

The study of the assessment of the radiation situation is of scientific and practical interest. Monitoring, control and detection of radiation hazard is an extremely important task in planning construction, future buildings, reconstruction and construction, since exceeding the level of radiation has a negative impact on humans. A team of schoolchildren and teachers, consisting of 3rd and 4th year students of the NEFU Faculty of Geology and Survey, as well as a 2nd-year postgraduate student of the NEFU Faculty of Geology and Survey under the supervision of M. R. Marsanova, Candidate of Geological and Minearolgical Sceicnes, worked on of the project “Radiation survey of the territory of Yakutsk” within the Sirius Program. Last summer an on-foolt gamma survey was carried out with the SRP-68-01 radiometer in order to study radiation correction and limit anomalous areas to the main observations of people and determine its compliance with the requirements of the current regulatory and technical documentation on radiation safety . As a result of studying the database of gamma-ray survey, the processing of geophysical information and the interpretation of geophysical data in GIS programs, as well as the design and development of data, the impact taken for the analysis of radiation hazard was identified.

As a result of a powerful search, dangerous to human health and life, absolutely any radioactive object or substance can be used; in some cases, with many possible dangers that are impossible to detect.

It is possible to determine its level only by higher devices. In this work, the SRP-68-01 radiometer was used.

The probability for determining the radiation lantern was built, measurements were made using a radiometer and “radiation centers” were determined, and a map of the study of the radiation lantern was drawn up.

For the first time, a comprehensive assessment of the radiation and environmental situation was carried out at 9 gold deposits of the Kuranakh ore field (KOF), namely “Severnoye”, “Porphyrovoe”, “Tsentralnoye”, “Yuzhnoye”, “Pervukhinskoye”, “Bokovoe”, “Dorozhnoye”, “Delbe” and “Kanavnoye”. During the research, an integrated approach was used based on the application of geoecological, radioecological and geochemical research methods in combination with express and precise methods of field and laboratory work. It is shown that the gamma background in the study area varies from 7 to 26 mkR/h and does not exceed the background values characteristic of carbonate and terrigenous sedimentary rocks. In the fine-grained rocks of dumps and quarries, concentrations of 40K vary in the range of 0.6-10.1 mg/kg, 238U – 0.8-12.3, and 232Th – 0.5-10.8 mg/kg and generally correspond to those characteristic of sedimentary rocks. The effective specific activity of radionuclides in the fine-grained rocks varies from 38 to 386 Bq/kg. In addition to assessing the radioecological situation in the study area, we also studied the general ecological state of the natural environment in the KOF area. There is also a multifactorial anthropogenic and technogenic impact on natural landscapes. In particular, it is shown that in this area 47 % of the total area of the territory of natural landscapes is disturbed by geological exploration and mining operations. In general, according to the results of the conducted research, the radioecological situation in the studied area is currently assessed as favorable, and the ecological and geological situation can be characterized as tense, and in some cases even as a crisis.

Spatial resolution is usually understood as the ability to distinguish nearby pixels on a surface. At the same time, if the surface is homogeneous, an additional sign of homogeneity may be required to confirm the fact of equality of pixel estimates. The article considers the possibility of forming a new extreme spectral signature characterizing the degree of temperature homogeneity of the surface of the Earth’s surface based on the measurement of surface temperature by satellite means. A temperature-homogeneous area is usually called those areas in which the brightness temperature at the upper boundary of the atmosphere does not depend on the emissivity, i.e. the TC(E) function is equal to a constant value. However, the equality TC(E)=C; C=const is possible in two cases: (a) if E changes from E_min to E_max, however, TC does not change;(b) if E is unchanged and is equal to a constant value, then TC also does not change. A method for estimating the temperature homogeneity of the studied surface of the earth is proposed. A new indicator of the temperature uniformity of the studied areas of the Earth’s surface has been formed. Using the variational optimization method, it is shown that if the brightness temperature at the upper boundary of the atmosphere is constant within the radiance of the studied area then the proposed new indicator reaches a maximum with the some accepted restriction. The fact of maximum of newly accepted indicator can be used as a sign of the temperature uniformity of the site.

The response of permafrost, including the rate and extent of changes in permafrost conditions to climate change and economic activity, is characterized as very unequal in scientific works published over the past 20-50 years. This circumstance dictates the need to study and estimate the response of the permafrost conditions of the active layer in Central Yakutia to climate warming and anthropogenic impact. The article presents the results of studies of the moisture characteristics of the thermokarst polygon, which was formed after the uprooting of a mixed birch-larch forest in 1965-1985 in areas of wedge ice distribution, an area of arable land unaffected by the thermokarst process, as well as an area of birch succession formed after deforestation and a larch-birch forest. The weight moisture content of soils in each of the four above types of landscapes was determined by sampling with a manual soil drill-sampler from individual soil horizons into aluminum bottles in the field and subsequent drying to constant weight and calculation at the cameral stage. A change in the moisture characteristics of soils depending on changes in permafrost and landscape conditions has been revealed. It has been established that in the area of the birch forest, the weight moisture content of the soil in the seasonally thawed layer at a depth of 0.3-1 m is higher than in the larch-birch forest, due to the high density of crowns and the shallow depth of the seasonally thawed layer of the first. In the area of arable land where thermal subsidence occurred, the soil moisture content in the vertical horizon of 0.3-1.0 m is much higher than in the arable land unaffected by the thermokarst process, which is due to additional moistening conditions due to snowfall, as well as its accumulation and retention on thermal subsidence.

Major flooding in the middle Amga River occurs in late spring, early to mid-May. Spring flood is the main hydrological season in the middle and lower reaches of the Amga River, marked with the annual maximum of the level and discharge of water at the Amga hudropost. In the last decade, spring freshet peak was observed in first 10 days of May, which was 6-8 days earlier than average. The Amga River channel in its middle reaches hosts multiple fluvial forms – potential ice jam concentrators, i.e. shallows and sharp channel bends, but ice jam floods are not observed annually. The weather conditions of the high water period can play a decisive role in the formation of floods, simultaneously favoring rapid snowmelt in the upper reaches of the river and the formation of jams in the middle reaches. A criterial analysis showed higher snow accumulation in the upstream catchment section, lower air temperature in the last 10 days of April and higher air pressure in mid-May in central Yakutia in the years with high floods in the middle Amga River reaches. Most floods were observed in the years with total winter precipitation over 120 mm in the upper part of the catchment. Ice thickness appear to have no influence on the ice jam probability of occurrence. Maximum water stage with return period of 100 years, calculated using ‘peak-over-threshold’ approach, is 145.91 m, and with return period of 1000 years – 146.88 m.

The article presents a scientific and scientific-methodological justification for the application of the world political approach and the water-basin principle in the formation of the modern space of knowledge about the North and the Arctic in the sphere of social and humanitarian sciences. As an example, the developments of the AARI scientific school for the study of the Arctic mouth hydrology of the Russian Arctic and the Department of World Politics of St. Petersburg State University for updating the social and humanitarian significance of environmental and preservation of nation in the cold climate conditions issues are presented. A study methodology is proposed for the organization of educational, research and scientific and methodological activities in connection with the identification of Arctic features in: a) decision-making processes on environmental issues and the participation of civil society in them, b) studying the history of intercultural and sociolinguistic communication, c) defining the role and place of the historical and cultural heritage of the Arctic. Сlarifying the three areas of management activities: public state administration, corporate management and civil society hearing are important reasons and factors of these directions. The Arctic knowledge area is building in the territory of the watershed of the Arctic Ocean basin based on the scheme of the Russian Arctic mouth hydrology.

Current issues of the combination of state monitoring and environmental legislation of the Russian Federation in the water-environmental boundaries is one of socio-ecological topic of discussion at joint scientific events of St. Petersburg State University and the AARI taking into account the interests of the population living in a cold climate. On the example of a small stream Yumyulun, originating in the territory of the municipality of Orgetsky nasleg Republic of Sakha Yakutia, Russian Federation demonstrated model of local history (kraevedenie) activities on study of public monitoring and water management within natural ecological environment (their human and non-human inhabitants) of the water bodies, which locating in administrative territories of watershed of the Vilyui and Lena Rivers, Laptev Sea and the Arctic Ocean basins, taking into account of regional, federal and international water relations and decision making process on environmental protection.

The article considers the history of geographical discoveries and research in the vastness of the Arctic in geographical names made by discoverers and researchers at different stages of time. In the sea spaces of the Arctic, there are a huge number of names of brave and dedicated navigators and explorers who have made a significant contribution not only to the history of science, but also to the economic use of the cold seas, thereby securing the Arctic territories of Russia, the territory of the country as a whole. The article analyzes the distribution of anthroponyms of the island Arctic within the north-east of the Russian Arctic, covering the time span of the 16th –18th centuries.

Anthroponym (ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος ‘person’ and ὄνομα ‘name’) is a single proper name or a set of proper names that identify a person. The history of geographical research is summarized according to the works of I.P. Magidovich, V.I. Magidovich, S.E. Mostakhov, D.S. Shirina and others. The study of anthroponyms is disclosed according to the toponymic studies of V.K. Zhuchkevich, S.V. Popova, Pospelova E.M.

The purpose of the study: to systematize the anthroponyms of the northeastern waters of the Russian island Arctic. The study of anthroponyms is based on the methods of historical and geographical analysis, the generalization and selection of physical and geographical names of objects is based on the cartographic method.

As a result, a brief systematization of anthroponyms was carried out according to the main geographical objects of the northeastern territories of the Russian Arctic in the waters of the Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas, which do not claim to be completeness of the presented anthroponyms.