Articles

Th e article analyses the problems of establishing factual circumstances of environmental violations against soils,
presents examples from the judicial practice, shows the possibilities of using special knowledge when considering
cases relating to negative anthropological impact on soil-geological objects. Th e following methods were used in the
research: observation, analysis, synthesis, description, comparison. It is substantiated the need for wider application
of results of forensic examination of geological evidence in the administration of justice. Th e most eff ective and
science-based form of using special knowledge is forensic environmental examination and particularly geological
evidence examination or forensic environmental and soil expertise. Such kind of examinations are actively carried
out in FBE «Russian Federal Centre of Forensic Science of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation» and in
FSPI «Forensic Expert Centre of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation». It is given an example of a
complex forensic environmental examination. Proposals are presented to expand the range of persons conducting
forensic environmental and soil examinations.

An electronic raster map of the ecological state of lands of Russian regions was prepared for the reference period from 2001 to 2020 based on the characteristics of the primary photosynthesis products derived from Earth remote sensing materials from space in the form of indicators of «productivity», land ransformation and dynamics of organic matter content in the soil and their generalizing indicator of sustainable development goals — SDG 15.3.1. Land degradation indicator. Th e calculation shows that 2.2 million square kilometers, which constitutes 13% of the territory of Russian Federation, belong to the category of degraded by the end of 2020. 45% of the territory is occupied by land from the stable category, which has not changed over the past 19 years. 41% of the territory belongs to the lands that have improved during the reference period. A statistically reliable nonlinear regular relationship of the indicator of the ecological state of lands of Russian Federation was established in the form of an indicator of the share of non-degraded lands, considering the share of non-established lands with the amount of specific emissions of pollutants into the atmospheric air from stationary sources located on the territory of the subject. The threshold value of specifi c emissions from stationary sources at the level of the subject of Russian Federation was established, amounting to 1610 kg per sq. km. Th e probability of exceeding the threshold value of specifi c emissions is 37%. The risk of increasing land degradation with an increase in emissions is typical for 36% of territorial units of Russian Federation.

The paper discusses the problem of reducing the content of ascorbic acid (as a plant-protective antioxidant compound in Solanum tuberosum L. potato tubers) while improving the nutritional regime — the use of complete mineral fertilizer in low doses, humidity and temperature conditions and physiologically optimal for potato growth pH values (weakly alkaline). The possibilities of using exogenous antioxidants (humic preparations) to maintain the level of ascorbic acid in commercial products are considered. Experimental data were obtained in fi eld studies on two types of soils and in two climatic regions (Voronezh and Moscow regions). It has been shown that humic preparations can maintain the level of ascorbic acid as an independent top dressing, and against the background of full mineral fertilizer with an increase in yield.

The research demonstrates the cadastral value calculation sensitivity to agroclimatic parameters and (soil conditions/ factors determing soil fertility) in humid, arid and semi-arid territories of the Russian Federation. Thе regularities to decrease the cadastral value of agrolandscapes are determined with an increase of gleying, (soil) erosion, stonyness, salinization, alkalinization, defl ation and over consolidation of soils. Cadastral value of agrolandscapes signifi cantly
increases due to drainage and irrigation.

A detailed review of existing methods of economic assessment of soils in Russia is carried out. It is shown that the
foundations of such an assessment were laid and voiced by V.V. Dokuchaev — in public lectures at meetings of the
Imperial Free Economic Society. Of the domestic soil assessment systems, the most perfect and holistic is the one
created by a group of employees of the V.V. Dokuchaev Soil Institute under the leadership of I.I. Karmanov. The main elements of this system are the soil-ecological index (a bonus score refl ecting the level of soil fertility taking into account specifi c climatic conditions and terrain) and the tariff category of the soil type of the assessed site. Modern methods of assessment, including monetization of ecosystem services of soils in determining the amount of damage from land degradation and assessing the value of soils based on the concepts of «zero soil», are analyzed. It is shown that the most promising approaches to the economic assessment of soils are — the assessment of the cost of individual soil properties, the cost of soil modifi ers used to improve soil quality, the cost of soils, soils and soil mixtures used for the purposes of reclamation, landscaping and landscaping, the assessment of the cost of ecosystem services of soils for lands of various economic use. Examples of approbation of some methods of economic assessment of soils for the territory of the Educational and Experimental Soil-ecological Center of Lomonosov Moscow State University «Chashnikovo» are considered.

The possibility of using microbiological indicators of soil «health» to assess the soils. The fundamental possibility of quantitative characterization of the functional potential of the microbial system with the assessment of «ecological services» is shown. Th ermodynamic criteria of natural microbial system (exergy and specifi c exergy) allow to carry out diagnostics of soil condition with direct estimation of degradation and damage. System characteristics of soil microbiota allow to approach the solution of many topical problems of functional soil science.

In the scientifi c and industrial spheres of the country, to date, there have not been clear ideas about the separation
of the functions of soils and lands in the fi eld of assessment, rationing and quality management, which leads to a
confusion of concepts and some confusion in the management of modern environmental management and environmental
protection. Th e features of the functioning of soils and lands as independent components of the environment
in matters of their assessment, rationing and quality management system established by the law «On Environmental
Protection» are considered. Th ere is a certain scientifi c and regulatory and methodological inadequacy in relation to
the development of indicators for the total assessment of environmental components included in the natural complex
of lands, especially industrial lands and settlements of the country. Th e ideas about acceptable indicators of soil
quality and levels of anthropogenic impact on them are generalized. Some attention was also paid to the issues of land
standardization with the development of ideas for establishing the natural and natural-anthropogenic background
of soils and related features of assessing the quality of soils of lands of various economic purposes. Th e paper touches
upon the issues of the specifi c trinity of the functioning of lands based on the development of ecological, resource
and socio-economic components. At the same time, the analysis of socio-economic regulation of land quality contributes
to the selection of the optimal direction in the organization of sustainable development of the territory and
the functioning of the entire natural resource complex of lands. To separate the concepts of «soil» and «land» at the
scientifi c and practical level, related to the peculiarities of their assessment, rationing and management, it is proposed
to pay special attention to the development and adoption of the federal law «On Soil Protection».

The paper provides a comparison of the various techniques for investigation of radionuclide speciation in soils based on fractionation of radionuclides bonded with different soil components. The dates on speciation of environmentally significant technogenic and natural radionuclides in soils contaminated from testing of nuclear weapons, accidents or incidents at radiation dangerous objects, mining and mineral products processing are presented. The review looks at influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on the forms of the radionuclide compounds like the radionuclide and soil properties, type of radioactive fallout and the time elapsed after fallout on soil. It has been demonstrated that experimental details of radionuclide speciation provide the basis for estimates and projections their mobility in soils, availability for plants and development of recommendations on reducing their penetration into food chains.

The spatial variability of the content of granulometric fraction d > 0,25 mm in the arable layer of soddy-podzolic cultivated soil on an area of 18 hectares was studied. The soil formed in the loess-like loam, underlain by moraine deposits. Samples were taken from the upper (0–10 cm) and lower parts of the arable layer (10–20 cm) following a random-stratified sampling scheme. The total number of samples was 350 cores. The average fraction content was about 22%, the coefficient of variation was 39–41%, the distributions were approximated by a logarithmically normal distribution. The Spearman correlation coefficient between values at different depths equaled to 0,87. The spatial distribution cartograms were constructed by the ordinary kriging method using a spherical variogram model. It is shown that preliminary censoring of high sample values (quantile 0,95) gives better results when constructing a cartogram than removing a linear spatial trend and logarithm of the original data. Spatial structures with reduced and increased values were found on the site, the average linear sizes of which was about 100 m.  Presumably, they were associated with the heterogeneity of soil-forming material.