Journal of the Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” SASA

LONG-TERM EFFECT OF WARMING-INDUCED PERMAFROST THAWING ON TUNDRA VEGETATION—THE EVIDENCE FROM THE CHUKCHI PENINSULA (RUSSIAN NORTHEAST)

2024-09-12T08:48:18+02:00

Tundra is one of the most sensitive environments of the world in relation to climate changes, since its ecosystems exist close to the limits of plant community tolerance. Besides, tundra vegetation in most of Arctic regions resides on permafrost, which is thermally unstable media. Thus, vegetation and frozen soils are extremely vulnerable to external impacts and are balancing in fragile thermodynamic equilibrium. Thermal and moisture regime shifting lead to changing of thermophysical properties of vegetation cover and thus, the thermal balance of underlying permafrost. In this study we present the results of 2001–2024 in-situ monitoring of vegetation cover and permafrost conditions in remote region of the Chukchi Peninsula, Russian Northeast. The study combines the yearly data on active layer thickness and vegetation cover from two sites of Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) program located within the key site of Eastern Chukotka Coastal Plains (ECCP). The study reveals long-term trajectories of climate, permafrost, and vegetation cover characteristics. Although common biological productivity was growing and active layer was thickening, the particular plant species respond to these changes differently. On sloping plots, the increasing of active layer thickness (ALT) led to correspondent lowering of the permafrost table, drainage of thawing ice and thus, soil drying, which caused the decrease in moss and sedge covers. Meanwhile, within flat poorly-drained surfaces the permafrost thawing contributes to soil moisture with correspondent sedge expansion. Thermokarst-affected terrain triggers the growth of tundra vegetation bioproductivity and serves as a shelter for plants from Arctic winds and facilitates higher snow accumulation.

ANALYSIS OF REMOTE SENSING DATA PERTAINING TO DEBRIS FLOWS: INSIGHTS FROM SELECTED DRAINAGE BASINS IN BULGARIA

2024-12-20T09:37:23+01:00

The present study is focused on remote sensing data analysis of the factors for the formation and development of debris flows in mountain drainage basins in Bulgaria. The rate of debris flow susceptibility in the range of the selected drainage basins was investigated. The relevance of the present study is related to the frequency of adverse hydro-climatic phenomena of natural and anthropogenic origin in the last decade in different parts of Bulgaria. Topographic conditions (slope angle), lithology, and land cover (vegetation) are considered as a complex area factor for the formation and development of debris flows. A morphometric analysis of the relief and the drainage network was carried out in order to analyze the debris flow susceptibility. Morphometric parameters and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were calculated in Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. The channel networks were classified by stream ordering. GIS analysis is done on the basis of Digital Elevation Model (DEM), Landsat multispectral satellite images, and geological maps. A complex debris flow susceptibility analysis was carried out. A classification system for debris flow susceptibility was generated. The complex analysis of the slope angle, lithology, and land cover within the studied basins show that drainage basins characterized predominantly by rocks of volcanic igneous complex and to a considerable extent by bare soils and arable lands are more susceptible to debris flows. The percentage of the highest rates of debris flow susceptibility is extremely low for the four studied drainage basins, which is largely due to the smaller slope gradients.

INTERACTION BETWEEN PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL SPENDING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND DEVELOPMENT

2024-06-17T09:56:13+02:00

The relationship between pro-environmental spending, the state of the environment and development refers to its impact on economic, social and environmental development, improved quality of life, and economic stability. The study aims to understand and assess the level of variation in pro-environmental spending by municipalities in relation to their environmental conditions and development. Quantitative data on pro-environmental spending, enironmental conditions, and development were obtained for municipalities in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (province) from Statistics Poland for the years 2014, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The study is based on a literature review of the subject and statistical analysis, while the CRITIC-TOPSIS method was applied to generate synthetic measures. The results show changes in ecological spending, the state of the environment and development. The relationship between environmental status and development and pro-environmental spending has weakened during researched period. This may be due to a decline in public spending in response to financial crises, the COVID-19 pandemic or insufficient implementation of environmental projects. Maintenance (cleaning, greening, and waste management) has the greatest impact on the social and economic development of the municipality. Some improvements in the state of the environment in recent years are observed, with fluctuations in ecological spending and overall development. These changes may be the result of various environmental policies, local economic challenges, as well as sustainable development efforts at the municipal level.

ANALYSIS OF RURAL TRANSFORMATION TRAJECTORIES IN THE POST-SOVIET SOCIETY: A SPOTLIGHT ON DAGESTAN

2024-12-20T11:58:03+01:00

The article analyzes the spatial features of the post-Soviet socio-economic transformation of rural areas of southern Russia with the Republic of Dagestan as an example. The limited availability of reliable statistical data determined the need to organize five expeditions to Dagestan from 2020 to 2024. The results of the expeditions revealed a high spatial heterogeneity of rural development in the region. The presence of vast mountainous and the specifics of post-Soviet modernization of society and economy determine a particular nature of development of rural Dagestan. The classification procedure allowed identifying 10 types of districts in rural Dagestan with significant differences in their basic characteristics. The analysis of the dynamics of the main socio-economic indicators of Dagestan rural areas within different geographical, social, and economic types emphasized that a comprehensive analysis of the transformation of mountain territories should consider both the specific features of mountains and the factors of population and economy modernization. The study has shown that rural Dagestan has two main trajectories of socio-economic transformation of territories in the post-Soviet period, i.e., inertial and modernization. Together they demonstrate matching of such processes as the archaization and modernization of the local economy structure, and traditionalization and modernization of the society. It has been revealed that the inertial trajectory of rural transformation dominates in mountainous and piedmont rural areas, while the modernization one dominates in the plains. This is a serious challenge for the spatial development of the region.

EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF CVIJIĆ’S GEOMORPHOLOGY RESEARCH: A LEGACY IN FRANCE AND THE BALKANS

2024-12-20T13:04:16+01:00

Jovan Cvijić (1865–1927) played a major role in the development of geomorphology at national and international levels. His personal qualities were crucial to this recognition, but the intellectual background of the second half of the 19th century and the transnational context of the Austro-Hungarian Empire facilitated this threefold development. In Vienna, in contact with his professors, starting with Albrecht Penck, he fully embraced a modern geography based on field observations as opposed to a cabinet geography, a geography that needed to be illustrated by drawing or photography. His physical geography hypotheses needed to be supported by solid naturalist and physical knowledge. It was in this spirit that he carried out his successive responsibilities in Serbia, both at the University of Belgrade and at the Geographical Society, and that he subsequently extended his research to other areas of physical geography: climatology, hydrology, impact of last glaciation, fluvial erosion, limnology, etc. His knowledge of the French and German languages enabled him to exchange ideas with his peers throughout Europe. He also shared his work through courses abroad, most notably in Paris in 1917 and 1918, and through publications in international journals. Thus, he strengthened his academic authority at national and international levels. It is in the field of karstology that Cvijić’s work remains most up-to-date, and his approach to field work, his constant exchanges with his peers, his concern for international issues and the practice of open geography are the foundations of modern physical geography.

CONGRESSES OF THE SLAVIC GEOGRAPHERS AND ETHNOGRAPHERS—CHRONOLOGICAL RETROSPECTION

2023-10-20T08:04:58+02:00

The end of the First World War brought changes in international relations and new socio-economic and social challenges. A specific segment was the organization of scientific work. Geographical science and the related disciplines were also looking for their place. A significant qualitative change to the research was brought by the gatherings of the Slavic geographers and ethnographers. At the initiative of Jovan Cvijić, the First Congress was organized in Prague in 1924. In the interwar period, three more congresses were held—in Poland (1927), in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1930), and in the Kingdom of Bulgaria (1936). The aim of this paper is an overview of the subjects and outcomes of those events in the social circumstances of that time. The work of the Congresses was divided into several thematic areas, with the dominance of physical geographic, cartographic, and ethnographic research. The importance of the congresses is proven by the fact that the governance structures wholeheartedly supported them. Even though they had a strong impact, the Congresses of the Slavic Geographers and Ethnographers did not provide answers to numerous questions that “troubled” the post-war societies in the second half of the 1920s and 1930s. The results undoubtedly pointed to the symbolic representation of anthropogeographic, demographic, geo(political), and socio-economic subjects. The data on the demographic losses in the Great War were omitted. There were no projections of future trends in the Slavic countries, especially in the context of the new conflict and its consequences.

WHAT ARE THE KEY FACTORS INFLUENCING HOUSEHOLD FORMATION AND CO-RESIDENCE PATTERNS? LEARNING FROM SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

2024-12-20T12:20:44+01:00

This paper revisits the mapping of household formation patterns and co-residence systems in Southeastern Europe (SEE) utilizing new historical microdata from censuses from Wallachia (1838), Bessarabia (1850), Serbia (1863), Montenegro (1879), and Albania (1918). While previous work has provided valuable insights, it was often based on a limited number of cases and focused primarily on joint families. It often excluded urban populations and did not utilize microdata or a life-course approach. This study presents updated maps that offer a more nuanced view of household structures in the region. The maps, based on individual-level data, reveal significant variation in marriage patterns, household formation, and co-residence across SEE, challenging earlier binary classifications of European household systems and highlighting the diversity within and beyond the Hajnal line. Nevertheless, major differences in household formation existed between Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia on the one hand and Wallachia and Bessarabia on the other hand. Marriage patterns did not have such clear spatial grouping.

EXPLORING THE SPATIALIZATION OF CULTURE: PERSPECTIVES FROM SLOVENIAN ETHNOLOGY

2024-12-20T12:41:09+01:00

The article presents observations on the intricate processes of localizing peoples and cultures, drawing on their spatial mapping, a practice known since antiquity. The introducing part outlines general views on the causal relationship between culture and environment. The Enlightenment put forward the hypothesis of environmental determinism, which provided a rationale for linking people, cultures, and geographies well into the 20th century, particularly in anthropogeography and culture-area research. The isomorphism of space/place and culture characterized research until the late 20th century when the postmodern turns called it into question. The theory of practice and the spatial turn proved particularly influential in anthropology and ethnology. In this field, the central concept of culture has been deconstructed; this has stimulated debates about ethnography as a genre of “writing culture” and fieldwork as a locally grounded research practice. The second part of the text shows how Slovenian ethnology in the 20th century pursued cultural area research shared with other European regional or national ethnologies that focus on the national territory. However, research has not shown a clear correspondence between cultural and ethnic/national boundaries. In this respect, ethnology has maintained a critical distance from cultural essentialization. On the other hand, it has not particularly reflected upon space; space has functioned as the natural environment, the obvious background of culture. In this respect, the reception of the spatial turn brought a particular sensitivity to studying spatial practices and experiences and refining research methodologies.