Physical Geography and Landscape Science

The Department was founded in 1930 by Professor Alexander Borzov as the Department of Physicogeography. In 1938 it was renamed as the Department of Physical Geography, in 1939-1989 – Department of Physical Geography of the USSR, in 1989–1992 – Landscape Science and Physical Geography of the USSR. Since 1992 – Department of Physical Geography and Landscape Science.

According to the state assignment for 2021–2025 the main scientific topic of the department is «Factors and processes of spatio-temporal organization of natural and anthropogenic landscapes». Within the framework of this topic, the research is conducted in the following areas:

Analysis of synchronicity and asynchrony of processes in geosystems at the local, regional, and global levels

Investigator: Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Prof. K.N. Dyakonov

Participants: A.Yu. Reteyum, Yu.N. Bochkarev, A.A. Bezdelova, A.A. Paskhina, Yu.V. Logunova, E.S. Slavin

Regional models of geosystem interactions

Investigator: Dr. A.N. Ivanov

Participants: V.V. Sysuev, M.N. Petrushina, I.V. Mironenko, N.I. Lozbenev, B.P. Shevchenko

Landscape and ecological foundations of territorial planning

Investigator: Prof. A.V. Khoroshev

Participants: V.P. Chizhova, T.I. Kharitonova, N.N. Kalutskova, K.A. Merekalova, E.A. Lozbeneva

Natural and anthropogenic evolution of landscapes

Investigator: V.A. Nizovtsev

Participants: N.G. Mazey, N.M. Erman, A.A. Chepurnaya

Scientific instruments and equipment

The equipment for scientific research includes mapping and navigation GPS receivers, DJI unmanned aerial vehicles Mavic 3 and Mavic Pro Platinum, dendrochronological equipment Lintab-5, georadar “OKO-5», biological microscope Motic B1-223ASC with camera Moticam 2300 (for pollen analysis), binocular Motic SMZB Series SMZ-171-TLED (for analysis of the botanical composition of peat and coal content), water bath Faithful DFD-700 (for preparing samples for analysis of the botanical composition of peat, pollen, anthracological analysis), centrifuge Liston C 2202, drying cabinet, muffle cabinet SNOL, Photoelectric calorimeter KFK-3- «ZOMZ», chemical laboratory with facilities for soil and water analysis, equipment for field soil research.

Scientific collaboration

Research work is carried out by the department together with specialists from the Faculty of Geography (Departments of Biogeography, Cartography and Geoinformatics, Environmental Management), other departments of Moscow State University (Faculties of Biology, Soil Science, Pedagogical Education), Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Geography, Soil Science), other Russian Universities (Chechenskiy, Uralskiy, Tumenskiy etc), Nature reserves and national parks of Russia (Utrish, Orenburgskiy, Sochinskiy, Kavkazskiy, Valdaiskiy, Okskiy, Meshcherskiy, Kologrivskiy Les, Ergaki, Kronotskiy, Dalnevostochniy, Zeiskiy etc.). International cooperation involves joint research with scientific institutions in Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Germany, Poland, Slovakia.

Lectures

The department provides the following courses of lectures at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University, the Kazakhstan branch of Moscow State University:

«Landscape science», «Introduction to Physical Geography and Earth Sciences», «Physical geography and protection of Russian landscapes», «Methods of physical-geographical research», «Landscape morphology and mapping», «Geoinformation technologies for landscape research», «Soil and vegetation diagnostics», «Basics of cryolithology and glaciology», «Technical methods in landscape studies», «Remote sensing in landscape indication», «Landscape geochemistry», «Chemical and analytical techniques in landscape research», «Geology of Russia», «Morpholithogenesis studies», «Landscape geophysics», «Biogeophysics and biogeochemistry of landscapes», «Environmental design and expertise», «Engineering geography», «Methods for analyzing geographic data», «Physical and mathematical basics of landscape science», «Geosystem modeling», «Environmentally-friendly technologies and environmental impact assessment», «Landscape dynamics and functioning», «Landscape evolution», «Anthropogenic evolution of landscapes», «History of land use in Russia», «Natural-anthropogenic landscapes», «Territorial forms of nature conservation», «Environmental regulation and monitoring», «Environmental management», «Historical and ethnocultural landscape studies», «Landscape design», «Landscape studies of recreation», «Urban landscape studies», «Forest landscape ecology», «Mire landscapes», «Mountainous landscapes», «Landscape aesthetics», «Methods of palaeogeographic studies», «Phytocoenology», «European experience in nature protection», «Current problems of physical geography», «Theory and methodology of landscape science and landscape ecology», «Landscape-ecological planning», «Global changes and geographical forecast», «History of landscape science», «Statistical methods in landscape science», «Current problems of Earth sciences», «Methodology of scientific investigation», «Teaching geography», «Academic writing in English», «Physical geography of Kazakhstan and neighboring countries».

Staff

Head of the Department

Kirill Dyakonov, Corresponding member of Russian Academy of Sciences,

D.Sci. (Geography), Professor

Professors

Alexey Reteyum, D.Sci. (Geography)

Vladislav Sysuev, D.Sci. (Geography)

Alexander Khoroshev, D.Sci. (Geography)

Associate Professors

Marina Petrushina, Ph.D. (Geography)

Andrey Ivanov, Ph.D. (Geography)

Natalia Kalutskova, Ph.D. (Geography)

Tatyana Kharitonova, Ph.D. (Geography)

Senior lecturers

Iya Mironenko

Leading scientists

Vera Chizhova , Ph.D. (Geography)

Vyacheslav Nizovtsev, Ph.D. (Geography)

Senior researchers

Natalya Mazey, Ph.D. (Biology)

Junior researchers

Kseniya Merekalova

Engineers

Alla Bezdelova, Ph.D. (Biology)

Yury Bochkarev, Ph.D. (Geography)

Anna Chepurnaya, Ph.D. (Geography)

Natalya Erman, Ph.D. (Geography)

Elina Lozbeneva

Nikolay Lozbenev

Yulia Logunova

Angelina Paskhina

Boris Shevchenko

Evgeniy Slavin