2012 Issue №1

This article offers information on the condition of motorways in the Smolensk region. The condition of local roads is considered in relation to the particle size structure of covering rocks. The authors conducted an analysis of performance characteristics of road surfaces within different natural complexes and identified certain patterns in road damage depending on the local lithogenic conditions.

This article presents an analysis of coastal eddy in the area of Cape Taran of the Sambia Peninsula (South-Eastern part of the Baltic Sea) on the basis of MODIS and ASAR remote sensing data. It describes the location, spatial and temporal scale, dynamics and hydrometeorological conditions of eddy formation.

Climate changes correspond to a sinusoidal pattern. The climate warming rate is about 0.077 C/year or 2.23 C in 30 years. Solar-terrestrial relationships are described in the article. Hydrothermal coefficient has decreased by 16 %. A decreasing climate warming trend emerged in 2001.

The study of Ryadino-5 late Palaeolithic site (the basin of the river Šešupė in the Kaliningrad region) revealed geochemical heterogeneity of different functional areas. The author identifies the factors correlated to the spatial differentiation of the ancient site.

This article discusses the issue of sustainable development of Russian territories. Using the domain-indicator approach to the Kaliningrad region, the author developed a set of geo-ecological indicators focusing on the improvement of ecological situation in the region.

This article analyses the data on seismicity of the Kaliningrad region and addresses the issues of introducing monitoring seismic observations in order to identify previously unknown seismic areas at the regional scale alongside a more accurate identification of the seismic hazard of those already known.