It is essential to assess geohazard resilience at the village level for evidence-based geohazard mitigation and planning. This study introduces a framework that evaluates geohazard resilience in terms of the performance of geohazards, as well as the physical, social and informational dimensions. This framework was adopted in Dechang County to evaluate geohazard resilience at the village level. The results show that 24% of villages have high resilience levels. Those with low resilience are primarily located in the western and south-eastern parts of the study area. Most villages generally lack resilience during the resistance and recovery stages. The entropy weight method was used to examine the inhomogeneity index within and between indicators at each stage. The findings reveal that the recovery and adaptation stages demonstrate the greatest imbalance. The Kappa coefficient of the resilience assessment is 0.74, indicating a satisfactory level of accuracy. Our study identifies key factors for enhancing resilience and improving subsystem balance at each stage and across different dimensions. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of geohazard resilience at the village level and provide a foundation for evidence-based decision-making and the efficient allocation of resources towards building resilient rural communities.

Landslides pose a significant threat to both human society and environmental sustainability, yet, their spatiotemporal evolution and impacts on global scales in the context of a warming climate remain poorly understood. In this study, we projected global landslide susceptibility under four shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) from 2021 to 2100, utilizing multiple machine learning models based on precipitation data from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) Global Climate Models (GCMs) and static metrics. Our results indicate an overall upward trend in global landslide susceptibility under the SSPs compared to the baseline period (2001-2020), with the most significant increase of about 1% in the very far future (2081-2100) under the high emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5). Currently, approximately 13% of the world's land area is at very high risk of landslide, mainly in the Cordillera of the Americas and the Andes in South America, the Alps in Europe, the Ethiopian Highlands in Africa, the Himalayas in Asia, and the countries of East and South-East Asia. Notably, India is the country most adversely affected by climate change, particularly during 2081-2100 under SSP3-7.0, with approximately 590 million people-23 times the global average-living in areas categorized as having very high susceptibility.

The isotope composition (δ18O values) of different-age snow layers, which make up the snow cover at the time of maximal water storage, was compared with the isotope composition of precipitation that formed these layers during the winter season of 2018/2019 on the territory of the meteorological observatory, Moscow State University. It was found that the expected isotopic composition becoming heavier from the time of precipitation to the time of sampling was practically independent of the age of the layers.

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is common in large cities during both summer and winter. In winter, heat is not only retained by infrastructure, buildings, and roads, but also actively released during their use, with substantial losses to the surrounding environment. This leads to higher urban temperatures compared to nearby rural areas. While the phenomenon is well documented, its impact on snow cover properties remains understudied. In this study, we examine the influence of the UHI on snow cover by comparing snow properties and stratigraphy between an urban site (Moscow) and adjacent rural site (Khotkovo) over the 2014-2022 period. Our methodology included in-situ measurements of snow depth and density, analysis of meteorological station data on snow depth, temperature and precipitation, and satellite-based assessment of land surface temperature using MODIS (MOD11A1) imagery. Results show that snow cover duration was shorter at the urban site due to later onset and earlier melt. Despite slightly higher winter precipitation in Moscow, snow depth and snow water equivalent were consistently lower than in Khotkovo. Urban snowpacks had higher average density. Stratigraphic analysis revealed thicker melt-freeze layers in Moscow and thinner layers of faceted crystals and depth hoar compared to the rural site. These findings highlight the role of the urban heat island in altering snow cover properties and stratigraphy. They provide valuable insights for improving snowpack modeling and assessing hydrological and ecological conditions in urban environments.

Climate change-driven rainfall extremes are increasingly threatening global road infrastructure through amplified landslide hazards. Here we quantified global landslide susceptibility by coupling seven machine learning models with ensemble projections from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 under four shared socioeconomic pathways. Results indicate a general upward trend in global road risk, with the most severe rise (approximately 30.6

In this study, we present a seasonally resolved accumulation record spanning from 1750 to 2009 Common Era (CE), based on a 181.8 m ice core obtained from the Elbrus Western Plateau in the Caucasus. We implemented various methods to account for uncertainties associated with glacier flow, layer thinning, and dating. Additionally, we applied a novel approach to calculate a seasonal calendar for meteorological data, enabling comparison with ice core records. The reconstructed accumulation data were compared with available meteorological data, gridded precipitation records, and paleo-reanalysis data. Reconstructed accumulation is representative for a large region south of the Eastern European plain and Black Sea region with summer precipitation being the primary driver of precipitation variability. We identified a statistically significant relationship between changes in regional precipitation and fluctuations in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, which is, however, not stable over the entire period covered by the ice core.

The paper presents the results of field studies conducted at the MSU meteorological site for the winter period 2022/2023. The purpose of the observations was to study the development of the snow column and its spatial variability in one winter season. Field research consisted in the analysis of stratigraphic layers of snow and measuring their density. The data obtained made it possible to characterize and evaluate changes in snow layers, their structure and density in spatiotemporal terms. The results of the work are displayed on the graphs of the spatial and temporal variability of the snow cover for 2022/2023, the evolution of the snow column over the winter period is analyzed. The analysis of observations reflects a really high spatial and temporal variability of snow cover in winter, which allows not only to evaluate and compare the data obtained with past studies, but also to supplement and improve the already available information on the heterogeneity of snow cover. The purpose was also to assess the effect of snow cover on the temperature characteristics of the soil.

The paper presents the results of using a ground penetrating radar (GPR) to survey a ski slope prepared on a glacier for summer competitions. At the end of June 2021, the area of the Garabashi glacier, where the ski slope was located, was surveyed, and layers of snow, firn, ice and underlying rock were identified. Based on the analysis of the data obtained, a conclusion was made about the state of this route, and recommendations on the use of a GPR to control the preparation of future ski slopes were also made.

The requirements of the debris flows’ parameters assessments vary from country to country. They are based on different theoretical and empirical constructions and are validated by data from different regions. This makes difficult comparison of the reported results on estimated debris flows activity and extent. The Russian normative documents for the debris flows’ parameters calculations are based on empirically-measured parameters in wide range of geological and climatic conditions at the territory of former USSR, but still not cover all the possible conditions of debris flow formation. An attempt was made to check applicability of the Russian empirical constructions for the conditions of the debris flows formation in Yunnan, China, where unique long-term dataset of debris flows characteristics is collected by the Dongchuan Debris Flow Observation and Research Station. The results show, that in general the accepted in Russia methodology of calculation of the parameters of debris flows of certain probability corresponded well to the observed in Dongchuan debris flows characteristics. Some discrepancies (in the average debris flow depth) can be explained by unknown exact return period of the actually observed debris flows. This allowed to conclude that the presently adopted empirical dependencies based on country-wide (USSR) empirical data can be extrapolated up to the monsoon climate and geological conditions of Yunnan province.

The requirements for the calculation of indicators of avalanche activity determined by climatic conditions in the territories under developing, as well as prognosis of their changes in the future are enshrined in Russian Federation legislation. However, the data required for this do not exist for all the regions of the country, especially those, that are only now included in the industrial exploration. The dependences between the climatic and the geomorpho- logical indicators and parameters of avalanches and avalanche activity are developed earlier on the basis of data from direct observations. The indicators are based on the average annual maximum ten-day snow cover height, the number of days with snow cover, the duration of the avalanche period and the average long-term frequency of avalanches. The climatic parameters presented by model MRI-CGCM3 (RCP 8.5) were incorporated into these dependences system. This made possible to estimate the indicators of avalanche activity for the middle and for the end of the 21st century. Also, their changes relative to the present conditions were assessed. Thus, a methodology was successfully tested that allows to include normatively defined characteristics of avalanche activity in the anal- ysis and forecasts of regional climate changes for any climate scenarios.

В статье представлены результаты применения георадара для обследования снежных покровов в пределах ледника Гарабаши (Эльбрус, Кавказ) летом 2021 г. Георадиолокационные исследования проводились в комплексе с термометрическими работами. Все измерения выполнялись с опорой на спутниковые данные и получаемые цифровые модели рельефа. Результаты комплексных исследований при решении задач геотехнического мониторинга на леднике Гарабаши позволили изучить сложный состав снежных покровов, состоящий из слоев снега, фирна, льда и подстилающей породы. Предложенная методика геотехнического мониторинга позволяет, с одной стороны, распространить ее на подобные геокриологические объекты с целью решения важных фундаментальных задач по актуальной теме «Опасность и риск природных процессов и явлений», а с другой стороны, позволяет решать нестандартные прикладные задачи, например, для контроля технического состояния горнолыжных трасс. The article presents the results of using GPR to survey snow cover within the Garabashi glacier (Elbrus, Caucasus) in the summer of 2021. GPR research was carried out in combination with thermometric work. All measurements were carried out based on satellite data and the resulting digital elevation models. The results of complex studies, when solving the problems of geotechnical monitoring on the Garabashi glacier, made it possible to study the complex composition of snow covers, consisting of layers of snow, firn, ice and underlying rock. The proposed method of geotechnical monitoring allows, on the one hand, to extend it to similar geocryological objects in order to solve important fundamental problems on the topical topic “Hazard and risk of natural processes and phenomena”, and on the other hand, it allows solving non-standard applied problems, for example, to control technical condition of ski slopes.

The paper presents a method of hydrological and hydrophysical studies to observe the propagation of a cold wave in the snow during the preparation of ski slopes by salting. Salting is used in the preparation of ski slopes for competitions, especially when the average daily air temperature is approaching positive levels, and during the day there is a melting of snow cover, for a short-term decrease in the temperature of the snow column and its partial freezing. The experiments were carried out in the summer of 2021 and 2022 on the Dzhanquat and Garabashi glaciers of the Caucasus. The experiments used thermal sensors and a temperature logger manufactured by LLC "MSU-Geophysics". The temperature sensors were located on a rod stuck in the snow with an interval of 5 cm. The temperature was measured every minute. With a single salting, a cold wave was observed for about 4-5 hours and with freezing of the lower strata with a decrease in the temperature of the underlying snow layers to -3--5 °C.The analysis of the observational data showed the propagation of the cold wave deep into 50-60 cm. The research method will allow us to investigate the peculiarities of the propagation of the cold wave during salting and optimize the salting process for the most effective preparation of ski slopes for competitions.

Aerial sounding of the study area of the northern slope of the Aibga Ridge was carried out using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for geomorphological large-scale geoinformation mapping of landslide slopes. The site of work was chosen on the basis of the previously carried out ecological and geomorphological zoning of the slopes of the Aibga Ridge (Sochi National Park) and represents the slopes of the Chernaya Piramida mountain covered with forest and alpine meadows. A fragment of the ridge slope in the area of an ancient stabilized seismogenic gravitational landslide was studied. The morphology of the relief was partially changed during the construction of sports facilities—ski slopes and cable cars. The creation of clearings in forests, a partial change in the morphology of the natural relief and surface runoff conditions led to local activation of landslide processes, including on ski slopes and other infrastructure facilities. The newly formed landslide slopes are confined to the junction of natural and man-made relief forms: the ski slopes and the slopes of the hollows of temporary watercourses. As a result of field work using the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a local reference geodetic network of centimeter accuracy was formed—a planned-altitude substantiation (PVO), which served as a geodetic basis for processing sounding materials and subsequent geoinformation mapping. Aerial sounding was carried out using the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and DJI Mini UAVs, more than 1,000 digital images of the study area in nadir and prospective have been accumulated. In addition, in order to identify the relief forms of the underlying surface on separate fragments of the study area, covered with dense broad-leaved forest (beech, hornbeam), a tacheometric survey was carried out. Field research materials served as the basis for geomorphological mapping of the landslide slopes of the Aibga Ridge and the creation of the corresponding thematic layers in the GIS software environment.

Arctic warming leads to permafrost degradation, which can increase ecosystem respiration and release more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Meanwhile, climate warming also promotes the plant growth and increases carbon assimilation. Presently, it is largely unknown about the carbon budget and their responses to climate change in the Arctic regions. In this study, to investigate the seasonal and annual net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE), we collected 71 observation stations for net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 in the high latitude permafrost regions during 2002–2017. The results showed that the annual NEE was −8.2 ± 4.1 g CO2 m−2 d−1 for forest, −3.3 ± 2.6 g CO2 m−2 d−1 for shrub, −4.8 ± 4.1 g CO2 m−2 d−1 for grassland, −3.6 ± 3.0 g CO2 m−2 d−1 for wetland and 0.02 ± 0.62 g CO2 m−2 d−1 for tundra, respectively. From 2002 to 2017, the CO2 emissions of grassland (carbon source) showed a decreasing trend, and the CO2 assimilation of shrub and forest (carbon sink) has been increased. The wetland and tundra are shifting from carbon sources to sinks. There were great variations in temperature sensitivities (Q10) of NEE in different seasons, with larger values in winter and lower values in summer. These findings indicate that the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem presently acts as a carbon sink, while there is a possibility that future warming, especially the warming in winter, may decrease the carbon sink of the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem.

Climate warming leads to vast changes in the land cover types and plant biomass in the northern high-latitude regions. The overall trend is of shrubland and tree lines moving northwards, while changes in different land cover types and vegetation growth in response to climate change are largely unknown. Here, we selected land areas with latitudes higher than 50°N as the study area. We compared the land cover type changes and explored relationships between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values of different land cover types, air temperature, and precipitation during 1982–2015 based on dynamic grid. The results indicated that forest and shrubland areas increased as a large area of grassland shifted to forest and shrubland. The snow/ice, tundra and grassland largely have decreased from 1982 to 2015. Although approximately 277.3 × 103 km2 of barren land (6.2% of the total barren land area in 1982) changed to tundra, the tundra area still decreased because some tundra shifted to forest and grassland. The NDVI values of tundra significantly increased, but the shrubland showed a decreasing trend. Temperature in the growing season (June to September) showed the largest positive correlation coefficients with the NDVI values of forest, tundra, grassland, and cropland. However, due to shrubification processes and plant mortality in shrubland areas, the shrubland NDVI showed negative relationship with annual temperature but positively correlated with monthly t. Taken together, although there is large room for improvement of the land cover type data accuracy, our results suggested that the land cover types in high-latitude regions changed significantly, while the NDVI values of the different land cover types showed different responses to climate change.

The rapid warming of the Arctic has led to permafrost degradation, accelerating the transport of terrestrial materials by rivers. The quantitative assessment of riverine nutrients and total suspended solids (TSS) flux is important to clarify the land–ocean connections in the Arctic. However, much is unknown about the estimates of these components from direct measurements in the Arctic rivers and the response of the components to permafrost degradation. Here, we report the results from the Arctic Great Rivers Observatory (Arctic-GRO) for the six major Arctic rivers (Yenisey, Lena, Ob', Mackenzie, Yukon, and Kolyma) to investigate the riverine exports of TSS, total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), nitrate (NO3−), bicarbonate (HCO3−), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), and phosphate (PO43−). The results showed that from 2004 to 2017, the annual TSS, TDN, and NO3− exports to the Arctic Ocean were approximately 106,026 Gg, 692 Gg, and 130 Gg, respectively, and the HCO3−, TDP, and PO43− exports were approximately 79,092 Gg, 32 Gg, and 18 Gg, respectively. There were remarkable variations in component concentrations and fluxes between seasons. More than 80% of the TDN, TDP, PO43−, and TSS exports mainly occurred in spring and summer, and a high HCO3− flux was recorded in summer, while a high NO3− flux in some rivers occurred in winter. The active layer thickness was significantly positively correlated with the annual TDN, NO3−, and HCO3− exports. In addition, the HCO3− flux of the six Arctic rivers increased by 247 Gg per year during 2004–2017. The positive relationship between the active layer thickness and river discharge indicates that permafrost degradation accelerated riverine carbonate, nitrogen, and phosphorus exports. This study demonstrates that riverine exports play an important role both in the Arctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and permafrost degradation will likely increase the riverine material exports to the ocean.

The method of studying the abrasion-accumulative coast of the Western coast of Crimea within the urban area of Sevastopol includes remote sensing using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and field studies of the morphology and structure of abrasion and landslide landforms of the coast. As a result of the research, the morphological zoning of the abrasion-accumulative coast was established. The formation of the morphological zoning of the abrasion-accumulative coast (according to I.S. Shchukin) during the last 150 years took place at a constant level of the Black Sea. Analysis of the coast from previously published multi-temporal maps and aerospace photographs revealed different stages in the movement of the coastline and landslide scarp. Since 1966, the coastal area has been used for low-rise residential development, which may have influenced the activity of landslide processes in the coastal strip. Remote sensing using UAVs consists of aerial photography of the research area along the planned flight route at altitudes of 20–100 m, with further compilation of a large-scale orthophotomap from a mosaic of images with geospatial fixation of images to the signs of the reference long-term local geodetic network, previously measured by the methods of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS ), as well as the formation of a digital elevation model (DEM) and the compilation of derived maps and plans on its basis in the environment of geographic information systems (GIS), for the analysis of the morphometry of the relief and modeling. The developed method of remote sensing of the Earth with the use of UAVs and simultaneous field studies makes it possible to organize operational monitoring of dynamically developing abrasion-accumulative shores.

For the first time, a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of anti-avalanche measures was carried out for the territory of the «Krasnaya Polyana» ski resort, located in the Western Caucasus on the Aibga ridge. The following materials were used for this work: the results of field survey in 2019, which made it possible to map the resort's infrastructure exposed to possible snow avalanches and protected by existing preventive (anti-avalanche) measures, experience of similar studies from other regions as well as identification of the avalanche release zones by means of digital elevation model and analysis of remote sensing data, archive data on the snow avalanches regime at the site, and numerical modeling of the snow avalanches with different starting conditions. Modeling of the avalanches was performed in the RAMMS program basing on three scenarios: 1) taking account of the successful operation of existing anti-avalanche measures; 2) with regard for the failures in the work of existing anti-avalanche measures that were recorded earlier during the operation of the resort; 3) without considering any anti-avalanche measures, which corresponded to the conditions at the stage of the territorial planning of the resort. Differences in the impact of simulated avalanches on the resort infrastructure were interpreted as «high», «medium» and «low» effectiveness of existing antiavalanche measures. It was found that the dynamical characteristics of the local avalanches (run-out distance, volume, velocity, and pressure) had different importance for different types of the infrastructure with regard to the effectiveness of anti-avalanche measures. Under existing conditions of the relief, climate and vegetation of the investigated territory the artificial triggering (at the ski resort it is mainly made by the Gazex systems) is the most efficient. Snow-retaining structures often do not perform their functions, while dams and avalanche cutters can be successful only in combination with the properly functioning artificial triggering. It was found that there are areas where the run-out distance of artificially controlled avalanches is smaller than that of possible natural avalanches, and these areas can still be dangerous for the infrastructure of the resort due to the high values of the avalanche speed and pressure.