Spatial assessment of the anthropogenic load level in the steppe regions of Russia

A.A. Chibilyov Jr.*, D.V. Grigorevsky**, D.S. Meleshkin***

Institute of Steppe, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Orenburg, 460000 Russia

E-mail: *a.a.ml@mail.ru, **grag92@mail.ru, ***aventureiro@mail.ru

Received February 22, 2019

Full text PDF

DOI: 10.26907/2542-064X.2019.4.590-606

For citation: Chibilyov A.A. Jr., Grigorevsky D.V., Meleshkin D.S. Spatial assessment of the anthropogenic load level in the steppe regions of Russia. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Estestvennye Nauki, 2019, vol. 161, no. 4, pp. 590–606. doi: 10.26907/2542-064X.2019.4.590-606. (In Russian)

Abstract

The environment of Russia, with steppe regions in particular, is under high anthropogenic load. Due to the economic advance, natural steppe ecosystems in Russia have been subject to the anthropogenic stress for a long time. In this paper, a method was introduced for assessing the level of anthropogenic stress on the steppe environment by means of a conjugate analysis of the indicator groups and indices of six anthropogenic load factors (blocks) in 17 steppe regions of Russia. The studied indicators differ in size and are distinguished by incompatibility. For the elimination of these deficiencies, we used the indicator normalization method. Multidimensional average indices for each of the blocks (residential load, air pollution, water basin pollution, agricultural load, transportation load, as well as production and consumption waste) were calculated. The sum of these indices is an integral index reflecting the level of anthropogenic stress in the regions under consideration. A schematic map of the spatial distribution of the groups of factors and the intensity of anthropogenic pressure on the natural environment was generated. The obtained results show that the value of the integral index in the study area increases in the south–east direction and that the steppe regions of the European part of Russia suffer the greatest anthropogenic pressure. The highest values of the integral index of anthropogenic stress were observed in the Krasnodar krai (4.6) and in the Belgorod region (4.2). A strong connection between the gross regional product (GRP) and the general level of anthropogenic stress in the steppe regions of Russia, which is characterized by the correlation coefficient of 0.95, was found. A high correlation level was revealed between the indicators of GRP per unit of area and the residential load index (0.85), air pollution index (0.93), transportation load index (0.95), and production and consumption waste index (0.90).

Keywords: steppe regions of Russia, anthropogenic load, integral index, correlation coefficient, residential load, air pollution, water basin pollution, agricultural load, transportation load, generation of production and consumption waste

Acknowledgments. The study was performed within the R&D theme “Steppes of Russia: Landscape and ecological grounds for sustainable development, substantiation of nature-like technologies under natural and anthropogenic changes in the environment” (no.  GR AAAA-A17-117012610022-5).

Figure Captions

Fig. 1. Integral index of anthropogenic load and anthropogenic pollution level in the steppe regions of Russia.

Fig. 2. Gross regional product (GRP) per unit of area and integral index of anthropogenic load in the steppe regions of Russia.

References

  1. Chibilyov A.A. Jr. Administrative-territorial description of the Russian steppe zone. Stepi Severnoi Evrazii: Materialy VII Mezhdunar. simpoziuma [Northern Eurasian Steppes: Proc. VII Int. Symp.]. Orenburg: IS Ural. Otd. Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2015, pp. 920–924. (In Russian)
  2. Rosenberg G.S. Volzhskii bassein: na puti k ustoichivomu razvitiyu [Volga River Basin: Towards Sustainable Development]. Tolyatti, IEVB Ross. Akad. Nauk, Kassandra, 2009. 477 p. (In Russian)
  3. Kocharyan A.G. Heavy metal forms in water, bottom sediments, and higher aquatic plants of the Volga cascade of reservoirs. In: Aktual’nye problemy ratsional’nogo ispol’zovaniya biologicheskikh resursov vodokhranilishch [Current Problems of Sustainable Use of Reservoir Biological Resources]. Rybinsk, Rybinsk. Dom Pechati, 2005, pp. 151–161. (In Russian)
  4. Gosudarstvennyi doklad “O sostoyanii i ob okhrane okruzhayushchei sredy Rossiiskoi Federatsii v 2017 godu” [Governmental Report “On the State and Protection of Environment of the Russian Federation in 2017”]. Moscow, Minist. Prir. Ross., NPP “Kadastr”, 2018. 888 p. (In Russian)
  5. Reimers N.F. Prirodopol’zovanie: slovar’-spravochnik [Nature Resource Management: Dictionary and Guide]. Moscow, Mysl’, 1990. 637 p. (In Russian)
  6. Kochurov B.I. Ekodiagnostika i sbalansirovannoe razvitie [Ecodiagnostics and Balanced Development]. Moscow, Smolensk, Madzhenta, 2003. 381 p. (In Russian)
  7. Grishin N.N. Main principles for environmental impact assessment and the Russian preparation and decision-making system. Ekol. Ekspert. Otsenka Vozdeistv. Okruzh. Sredu, 1996, no. 1, pp. 31–50. (In Russian)
  8. Maksimenko Yu.L., Gorkina I.D. Otsenka vozdeistviya na okruzhayushchuyu sredu [Environmental Impact Assessment]. Moscow, REFIA, 1996. 103 p. (In Russian)
  9. Denisov V.V. Ekologiya [Ecology]. Rostov-on-Don, MarT, 2004. 672 p. (In Russian)
  10. Mironov A.A., Evgen’ev I.E. Avtomobil’nye dorogi i okhrana okruzhayushchei sredy [Highways and Environmental Conservation]. Tomsk, Izd. Tomsk. Univ., 1986. 284 p. (In Russian)
  11. Metodicheskoe posobie po raschetu, normirovaniyu i kontrolyu vybrosov vrednykh zagryaznyayushchikh veshchestv v atmosfernyi vozdukh (dopolnennoe i pererabotannoe) [A Study Guide for Calculating, Standardizing, and Controlling Emissions from Harmful Pollutants into the Air (Updated and Revised)]. Burenin N.S. (Ed.). St. Petersburg, OAO “NII Atmosfera”, 2012. 224 p. (In Russian)
  12. Korytnyi L.M. A geosystem-hydrological approach to natural and economic zoning. Geogr. Prir. Resur., 1991, no. 1, pp. 161–164. (In Russian)
  13. Mil’kov F.N. River basin as a paradynamic landscape system and nature management issues. Geogr. Prir. Resur., 1981, no. 4, pp. 11–18. (In Russian)
  14. Danilov-Danil’yan V.I., Losev K.S. Potreblenie vody: ekologicheskii, ekonomicheskii, sotsial’nyi i politicheskii aspekty [Water Consumption: Environmental, Economic, Social, and Political Aspects]. Moscow, Nauka, 2006. 221 p. (In Russian)
  15. Rudov V.G. Freshwater shortage and global solution for it. Mir Polit., 2011, no. 9, pp. 15–21. (In Russian)
  16. Helmer R. Water demand and supply. Proc. Int. Symp. on Seawater Desalination with Nuclear Energy. Taejon, Repub. Korea, 1997, pp. 146–158.
  17. Alcamo J., Henrichs T., Rosch T. World Water in 2025: Global Modeling and Scenario Analysis for the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century. Kassel, Cent. Environ. Syst. Res., Univ. of Kassel, 2000. 49 p.
  18. Orlova I.V., Sharabarina S.N. Assessing agricultural impact on natural systems: Theoretical and methodological approaches. Geogr. Nat. Resour., 2015, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 335–340. doi: 10.1134/S1875372815040034.
  19. Arshaad M., Martin S. Identifying critical limits for soil quality indicators in agro-ecosystems. Agric., Ecosyst. Environ., 2002, vol. 88, no. 2, pp. 153–160. doi: 10.1016/S0167-8809(01)00252-3.
  20. Khakural B.R., Robert Р.С., Koskinen W.C. Test of the LEACHP model for predicting atrazine movement in three Minnesota soils. J. Environ. Qual., 1995, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 644–655. doi: 10.2134/jeq1995.00472425002400040015x.
  21. Semenova N.N. Pesticide control in soils of agrobiocenoses using simulation models of various classes. Zashch. Rast., 2007, no. 2, pp. 14–17. (In Russian)
  22. Schaltegger S., Sturm A. Ökologieorientierte Entscheidungen in Unternehmen: Ökologisches Rechnungswesen statt Ökobilanzierung: Notwendigkeit, Kriterien, Konzepte. Bern, Stuttgart, Wien, Haupt, 1992. IX, 309 S. (In German)
  23. Rubik F., Teichert V. Ökologische Produktpolitik. Von der Beseitigung von Stoffen und Materialien zur Rückgewinnung in Kreisläufen. Stuttgart, Schäfer Poeschel, 1997. 451 S. (In German)
  24. Starostina V.Yu., Ulanova O.V. Analyzing the feasibility of European methods of environmental compliance assessment in the Russian waste management system. Vestn. IrGTU, 2013, no. 6, pp. 66–71. (In Russian)
  25. Glinskii V.V., Serga L.K., Khvan M.S. Environmental compliance assessment in regional municipalities: Metrics, calculation methods, and application. Idei Idealy, 2015, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 13–32. doi: 10.17212/2075-0862-2015-4.2-13-32. (In Russian)
  26. Regiony Rossii. Sotsial’no-ekonomicheskie pokazateli. 2018 [Russian Regions. Socioeconomic Indicators. 2018]. Moscow, Rosstat, 2018. 1162 p. (In Russian)
  27. Natsional’nyi atlas Rossii. Priroda i ekologiya [National Atlas of Russia. Nature and Ecology]. Vol. 2. Moscow, GOSGISTsENTR, 2004. 495 p. (In Russian)

 

The content is available under the license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.