Atlas of the cultural and natural heritage of Dagestan is a comprehensive cartographic work, which displays objects of archeology, history, ethnography, socio-economic sphere and nature, cultural, historical and natural heritage. The development of the Atlas is based on previously acquired experience in creating the Geographic and other atlases of Dagestan and involves the use of a number of methodological innovations, one of which is the use of typical contour maps with different physical and geographical outlines of coastal territories in specific historical eras. We are talking primarily about the coastline of the Caspian Sea, which has noticeably changed in the historical timescale. This approach allows to map the main historical milestones of the interaction of resettlement systems and households of the inhabitants of the Mountain Country with a very dynamic natural environment of this region. So, archaeological maps revealing the sites of pre-historic humans within the modern borders of the Republic of Dagestan include the lines of the Caspian coast in the ancient periods of sea transgressions and regressions. The atlas includes maps showing information on the dynamics and evolution of the Caspian coast for different historical eras as a result of sea level fluctuations and the variability of the Dagestan hydrographic network and the dynamics of the Terek delta and the mouth of Sulak. The history of the Caspian Sea level fluctuations was reconstructed starting from the regressive phase of sea level stand during pre-Bakinian time, when sufficiently reliable geological and geomorphological data were available to estimate, the amplitude and age of level changes. The Bakinian transgression, which consisted of two stages: Early Bakinian and Late Bakinian took place in the beginning of the Brunnes Era. Even more data is available for reconstruction of Early and Late Khazarian, and subsequent transgressions and regressions of the Caspian Sea, the boundaries of which are reflected on the map of the Paleolithic Era. The Atlas is divided into two parts, the first is represented by historical and cultural maps, the second – by the maps on natural and economic heritage of the Mountain Country. The introductory section includes basic maps on physical geography, the modern administrative-territorial division of Dagestan and its position in the North Caucasus Federal District. In total and in accordance with the work plan, the Atlas includes 100 major maps and more than 30 inset maps. A total of about 50 scientists and practitioners with different scientific profiles from the Dagestan Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences institutes, Makhachkala universities, and Lomonosov Moscow State University took part in this work.

Изложены принципы построения легенды морфодинамической карты берегов. Показаны изменения, происходящие с рельефом морских берегов Европейской России за последние 30-50 лет. При отнесении берега к тому или иному морфодинамическому типу учтены: его генезис; литология береговых уступов, включая льдистость пород на берегах с многолетней мерзлотой; сведения о приливно-отливных и сгонно-нагонных колебаниях уровня моря; данные о темпах отступания/выдвижения берега, полученные в результате сопоставления разновременных топографических карт и космических снимков. Сформулированы основные принципы прогноза развития берегов: бассейновый подход - учет особенностей определенного морского водоема; региональный подход - учет характеристик рассматриваемого побережья; анализ современного состояния берегов - через проведение их типизации; ретроспективная реконструкция развития берегов; сценарный (предметный) подход - геоморфологический прогноз. Приведен пример такого прогноза для побережья Самбийского полуострова в юго-восточной Балтике.

Inclusion of Novomoskovsky and Troitsky administrative okrugs in 2012 has led to the increase of the Moscow City area in 2.35 times. While the territory of Old Moscow was explored in detail from the geological, geomorphological and hydrological viewpoints, only local investigations are connected with New Moscow’s objects. The paper presents overall complex hydro-geomorphological description of a set of streams located inside the new borders of the city (Pakhra, Desna, Neznaika, Mocha, Likova rivers).

The principles of seashores mapping are worked out and classifi cation of coastal types is carried out. A Map of the Crimean coastal types is compiled, in the scale of 1:500000. While compiling the map, the coast length of each type was measured and their spatial relations were described. The results show that for the Crimea on the whole the most characteristic coasts are the erosion ones (25%), to a slightly lesser extent – erosion-accretion (18%) and lagoon (15.7%) coasts. However, each part of the Crimea coasts due to its geological and geographical features, has a specifi c "set" of shore types: the western coast is dominated by accretion shores (beach and lagoon ones – 40.7%), on the south coast – erosion-landslide shores (27.8%), on the east coast – typical erosion shores (45.7%), and on the Sivash coast –accretion-erosion (40%) shores and mud fl ats (23%) are predominated.

The variety of morphological features and physiographic differences of sea coasts in European Russia is described from arctic deserts and tundra on the Barents Sea coasts to the Submediterranean landscapes, semi-deserts and deserts in the coasts of the Caspian and Black Seas, as well as differences in economical development of the coasts. The problems of forecasting of sea shore development are discussed: the general approach to forecasting; set of necessary maps to make; direction and amplitude of sea-level changes over the period of interest. The scenario approach is substantiated that answers the question – how will the coast develop under different changes of sea level and climate conditions. Morphogenetic types of the sea coasts and the legend of sea coast morphogenetic map are described as the basis for further researches.

The Crimean coasts are considered as the sum of coastal morphosystems. Their marine and overland borders have been determined. Overland borders are watersheds of rivers (1-4 orders), marine borders are in most cases30 metersisobaths. The specialties of structure and functioning of coastal systems have been detected as well as their regional differences. For instance, the area of the Western Crimea’s coastal systems much larger than South Coast’s ones. As a rule, the BMS Crimean coastal morphosystems includes part of the water area and 10-15 river basins of various ranks. Key factor in the functioning of systems is the balance of sediments. The typification according to configuration of the coasts and degree of human influence has been made. The main specialties of human impact on coastal systems have been uncovered. The types of natural resources that have the greatest impact on their functioning have been determined. This is coasts’ defence, buildings of channels and water reservoirs and agriculture.

The paper deals with theoretical fundamentals of morphosystem analysis application for land-sea contact zone investi-gation. Coastal morphosystem with three subsystems - primor'e, coastal zone, and vzmor'e - were taken as the objects. Authors suggest meaning the term "coastal morphosystem" as the unity of coastal zone and adjacent parts of pri-nor'e and vzmor'e, which exchange energy and matter in the course of recent relief formation.

Not only for recreational, but also social, economic and environmental reasons, are coasts among the most important natural resources. Due to geological and geomorphologic processes such as persistent erosion, sea level rise, and man's impact such as harbour improvement and past unsound public and private development practices, Crimean and Caucasian coasts are destroyed. However, governments of Russia and Ukraine do little to actively manage that geodynamic zone. Without scientists study and monitor and increased attention, marine coasts will continue to suffer from chronic erosion, thus diminishing public recreation opportunities, storm buffering capabilities, habitat, and property values and eventually affecting the quality of recreation potential of these regions.

The Caspian Sea, being a closed basin, shows much higher rates of sea-level change (up to 340mm/yr) than the oceans. It experienced a full sea-level cycle with an amplitude of 3m between 1929 and 1995. Its coasts therefore present an attractive physical model to test predicted changes along oceanic coasts as a result of expected eustatic sea-level rise, and to validate sequence-stratigraphical interpretations of ancient sediments. Along the wave-dominated coasts with intermediate shore-face slopes in Dagestan, low onshore bars were formed during the 1929–1977 sea-level fall. They represent minor short lived (1–2years) transgressive oscillations within the major regressional trend. After the 1977 lowstand a prominent barrier–lagoon system was formed, which during the first phase of sea-level rise (1977–1988) encroached landwards about 18m each year by washover during storms (continuous retreat). Between 1988 and 1995, however, barrier size diminished, lagoons widened and deepened, apparently due to lack of coarse-grained sediment supply (discontinuous retreat). The 1995 highstand prevented the barriers from being overstepped altogether. Sea-level fall after 1995 again produced low bars without lagoons. The Caspian Sea barrier coast demonstrates that for the formation of barrier–lagoon complexes the combination of transgression and storms is essential. Barriers may show either continuous or discontinuous development at constant rate of sea-level rise and constant offshore slope, depending essentially on the availability of coarse-grained sediments. The rate of sea-level rise as a factor in barrier behaviour cannot be viewed independently from barrier dimensions, which in turn depend on wave base depth and maximum storm wave height. Relations between (para)sequence thickness, and frequency and amplitude of sea-level change in closed basins with an independent sea-level regime may differ markedly from those in basins influenced by eustasy.