For the territory of the Altai-Sayan region, based on the WWLLN data (Word Wide Lighting Location Network) for 2011-2019 and data from the digital elevation model SRTM, the lightning density distribution was constructed for eight altitude zones of the five-hundred-meter interval (from 0 to 4000 m). The errors of spatial registration of lightning discharges were taken into account. It was found that the density of lightning discharges decreases with increasing altitude, which is not uniform for the considered altitudinal zones. With an increase in altitude of 500 m, a decrease in the density of lightning discharges by 20-80% is noted. Therewith, for territories with altitudes of 1000-2500 m, the density of lightning discharges is almost the same. During the period under review, there is a high level of variation in the density of lightning discharges for territories with an altitude of up to 500m and more than 3000m above sea level. The most stable lightning activity manifests itself at altitudes of 1500-2500m above sea level.
Almost all the states of the world community have territories along which railroad tracks pass. In a number of states, these railway lines pass through forests. As known, railway facilities are a source of anthropogenic load on forested areas. This causes the occurrence of forest fires near railway infrastructure. For medium-term and long-term prediction of forest fire danger, it is often necessary to process data on the forest fire retrospective. In this paper, the processing of statistical data on forest fires has been carried out by using cluster analysis. The purpose of the study is cluster analysis and processing of statistical data on forest fires near the infrastructure facilities of Russian Railways in the context of assessing and predicting forest fire danger. Main objectives: 1) collecting data from forestries; 2) preparing samples; 3) classifying two sets of samples; 4) analysing clusters obtained. In the work, data processing has been carried out for a typical territory of the Republic of Buryatia (Russian Federation), along which the railway passes. Hierarchical clustering algorithms have been used for data processing. The initial information for data processing has included meteorological parameters, forest stands description, statistical data on forest fires and data on the location of railway infrastructure facilities. By using the QGIS software, digital maps have been built showing the spatial distribution of forest fire clusters near the railway infrastructure, forest conditions and typical meteorological conditions. Based on the results of the work, conclusions and proposals have been formulated on the use of cluster analysis in predicting forest fire danger. An analysis of the spatial distribution of forest fire clusters over the territory of the Zaigraevsky district of the Republic of Buryatia shows that a large number of forest fire clusters are located near the railway infrastructure. In fact, railway facilities are a serious source of anthropogenic load. In the future, it is necessary to define the so-called buffer zones near railway infrastructure facilities, whose forested areas require careful attention when predicting forest fire danger. The results of cluster analysis confirm the data of descriptive analysis for a number of positions. For example, forest fires occur near railway infrastructure, which is explained by the presence of attractive points in forest areas due to logging, hunting, picking berries and mushrooms, as well as recreational pressure. As a result of the descriptive analysis, reasonable assumptions have been made and explanations have been given for the presence of local maxima of forest fires for the period 2016-2020, as well as during the fire danger season. The article also presents a plan for further research in this direction.
There has been little research on how the composition of underlying rock formation affects animal species’ distribution and abundance. The subject is worthy of consideration as, for example,  it has been shown that ultrabasic and serpentine rocks in particular can give rise to plant biodiversity hotspots with a high level of endemism. Corresponding studies of fauna are lacking. We aim to test the hypothesis that rock type affects mammal abundance and biodiversity.Here we present a comparative analysis of the abundance of mammals and its relationship with geological composition in the area of Gorny Altai, a mountainous region in Russia.We used GIS approaches to map the influence of rock types on mammal abundance, while holding other factors such as soil type, relief, etc. constant. The study reveals significant correlations between underlying geology and variation in mammal distribution even when other factors such as soil type, climate and vegetation are held constant.Intrusive rocks were found to have the greatest impact on variation in mammal distribution whereas sedimentary and metamorphic rocks have almost no effect. A characteristic feature of magmatic formations is their clear geochemical specialization, i.e. certain geochemical anomalies (Fe, Cu, Au, Hg, Ag, etc.) are confined to intrusions. We suggest that geophysical fields (magnetic and electric fields) and geochemical anomalies associated with intrusive rocks may have an impact on the distribution and species composition of mammals, as well as geodynamic processes such as fault activity. This finding has implications for further research into the phenomenon of animals’ anticipatory responses to earthquakes. 
The work is devoted to detecting the state of the natural climatic aspect of the Altai geographic complexes. The ecological and climatic typing of the mountain landscapes for the population activity and the leading sectors of the Altai Republic economy has been carried out. The natural potential of the republic has been compared with the level of the regional industrial development using the evaluation matrix. Differentiation has been determined and four levels of the production potential compliance with the natural potential have been identified. The trends in developing the Altai natural resource management and the opportunities for the ecosystem services of the mountain terrain have been represented. (Sukhova M.G., Zhuravleva O.V., Kocheeva N.A., Minayev A.I., Karanin A.V., Bolbukh T.V., Nikolchenko Y.N., Bakulin A.A., Roldugin V.V. The Natural climatic conditions for the economic activity in mountain areas (in the case of the Altai Republic). Life Sci J 2014;11(11s):664-668) (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 150
The purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of gravitational and magnetic anomalies on density of lightning discharges and thunderstorm fires on the territory of the Altai Republic. The information base was represented by data on lightning discharges and thunderstorm fires registered in 2016-2020. A positive correlation between the density of lightning discharges and the values of magnetic anomalies was revealed (rs = 0.62, p < 0.01). The main range of thunderstorm fires (98 %) is in the interval from -191.5 to 243.5 nanotesla, however, there was no significant correlation between fires and magnetic field values. It was found that the risk of a thunderstorm fire, defined as the ratio of the lightning discharges number per fire (where a greater number of discharges per fire corresponds to a lower risk), shows an increase in the values of magnetic anomalies, which is confirmed by a negative correlation (rs = -0.72, p<0.01 ). Significant negative correlation coefficients were obtained for the lightning discharges densities and gravitational anomalies (rs = -0.57, p < 0.02), the thunderstorm fires densities and gravitational anomalies (rs = -0.72, p < 0.01). Thus, for the Altai Republic territory, thunderstorms and natural fires tend towards negative gravity anomalies. The work was performed on the basis of WWLLN lightning activity registration data and fire data provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Tourism of the Altai Republic and the Altai State Natural Biosphere Reserve.
The aim of the proposed study is to analyze the relationship of lightning discharges and fires from thunderstorms to altitude above sea level and slope angle of the terrain. It has been found that the highest proportion and density of fires are characteristic of the altitude range from 1000 to 1500 meters above sea level. The highest density of lightning activity is observed in the altitude range of 500-750 meters. With further increase in altitude, the density of lightning and fires decreases. A direct correlation has been noted between the increase in fire density and the increase in slope steepness up to 35 degrees. The study is based on data from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) and fire data provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Tourism of the Altai Republic and the Altai State Natural Biosphere Reserve. The assessment of morphometric dependence of thunderstorm forest fires on the studied territory is conducted for the first time.
Abstract Transboundary areas of the Altai Republic are notable for great diversity and vulnerability of natural complexes. Residential landscapes have one of the highest levels of anthropogenic transformation among the geosystems of the transboundary territories of the Altai Republic. Vacationing people, whose number is increasing every year, also have a significant impact on the environment. We have determined the percentage ratio of residential areas to the landscape area of their location to estimate the residential load. As a major criterion for assessing the recreational load, we propose to use the number of bed spaces for seasonal and year-round recreation at campsites, campgrounds, and hotels. As another criterion reflecting the impact of recreationists on the natural-territorial complexes of the studied areas, we consider the density of the tourist route network to the square kilometer of the landscape. The study has shown that the residential load on the landscapes in the transboundary areas of the Altai Republic is relatively low. Intermountain valley landscapes are the most loaded (up to 4.5% of the landscape area). The human impact on the high-mountain and mid-mountain landscapes is insignificant.
The article presents the results of a study of the thunderstorm activity diurnal rate and the energy parameters of lightning discharges in locations of thunderstorm fires. The Altai Republic territory serves as the region of research, fire data were obtained from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Tourism of the Altai Republic and the Altai State Nature Biosphere, data on thunderstorm activity were provided by the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). The study period covers May to October from 2016 to 2020. It was found that the maximum thunderstorm activity shifts from the second half of the day (15-16 hours) to the evening (18-19 and 21 hours) in the days preceding fires. Regularities in hourly dynamics of discharge energy for the territory of the republic were identified - median values gradually increasing from the first half of the day to the evening and decreasing at night and in the morning. It was also established that in the days preceding fires, there is an increase in median discharge energy (by 13 % from the usual value), as well as an increase in values of the first quartile of discharge energy (by 27 % from the usual value).
