A territorial assessment of the potential capacity of soils for self-purification from oil and oil products has been conducted, taking into consideration the main natural factors affecting the physical and chemical, biological decomposition and mechanical dispersion of contaminants. The assessment has been made with the use of GIS technology. The article outlines the method of development and presents the maps: they include the map of accumulation of hydrocarbons in the soils of Belarus; the intensity of dispersion of oil products by surface runoff and migration of hydrocarbons in the soil section; the removal of hydrocarbons beyond the soil section; the accumulating ability of the soils of Belarus for mechanical dispersion of hydrocarbons and the summarized map of the potential ability of soils for self-purification from hydrocarbons. It is indicated that for the soils of Belarus the main factor in the process of self-purification from oil pollution is their biological degradation. Soils within the central part of Polesye and in the north of the country, as well as the soils of the western part of the republic, have a low potential for self-purification.

The ranking is based on information on the functional status of the city, its landscape structure and particle size distribution of soils. These indicators determine the ecological and chemical state of the soil cover within an urban area. This rankings makes it possible to evaluate the urbanized territories by their ability to withstand the technogenic impact.

The district of the Mount Sabalan is regarded as the best place to investigate geothermal activity within the northwest Iran. Since the last episode of volcanic activity in the Plio-Quaternary time, hot springs and surficial steam as a conspicuous manifestation of geothermal activity around slopes of the Mount Sabalan. Hot fluids circulating in this geothermal field contain anions chiefly of HCO₃^– and Cl^–; however, SO₄^2– content in some water samples is relatively high, imparting sulfate characteristics to such fluids. Geothermometric studies provided compelling evidence for estimation of the reservoir temperature (~150 °C) in the study areas. In this respect, the geothermal systems in the eastern slope of the Mount Sabalan were categorized as hightemperature ones. Hot springs within the Sarein area contain the highest Na⁺ content. The highest Ca²⁺ content belongs to hot springs in the Sardabeh and Yeddiboloug areas. The maximum concentration values for K and Mg are 40 and 20 mg/dm³, respectively. The information on the dissolved silica concentration in a water solution could be used as a geothermometer. The fracturing provided a suitable secondary permeability and facilitated the upward migration of high-temperature geothermal fluids.

The paper presents for the first time the information on the redeposited remains (scales and tesserae) of the Silurian vertebrates found in the Quaternary deposits of Belarus. A complete systematic review and brief descriptions of the agnathan and fish taxa with the identification of their material, determination of their preservation degree, location and geographical distribution, as well as with an assumption of the age of the rock enclosing these ichthyofauna remains and their redeposition type.

Species composition of the zoobenthos of “Severnyi Volos” and “Yuzhnyi Volos” which are part of the National Park “Braslavskie Ozera”, was established. There were registered 39 species and forms, which belong to 3 types: arthropods, annelids and mollusks. In both lakes the most common were the chironomid larvae. The number of taxa was higher in the Yu. Volos, which has greater transparency and high oxygen content in the hypolimnion. Despite the connection that exists between the lakes, bentofauna match only with a 39.5 % agreement. In the zoobenthos composition of the Yu. Volos was registered 2 relic crustaceans: Pallasiopsis and Monoporeia. Only one relict species was found in the S. Volos (Pallasiopsis). The total number of species and zoobenthos composition varies with depth. In both lakes there is a diversity increase from the littoral to the temperature jump zone, where is a maximum. There is a gradual depletion of fauna in profundal zone of the S. Volos, which is probably due to a lack of oxygen. In the Yu. Volos the number of inhabited taxa increases to the maximum depths under favorable oxygen regime.

A checklist is presented of all water mites species recorded from Belarus. This checklist contains old data from the literature as well as new data from several recent visits of the authors to Belarus. The following 14 water mite species are reported new for the fauna of Belarus: Acercopsis pistillifer, Arrenurus berolinensis, Arrenurus latus, Arrenurus perforatus, Arrenurus tricuspidator, Barbaxonella angulata, Eylais rimosa, Hydrodroma pilosa, Limnesia curvipalpis, Limnesia undulatoides, Mideopsis roztoczensis, Mixobates processifer, Parathyas pachystoma and Piona laminata. The checklist includes a number of very rare species, seldom found in Europe, i.e. Atractides pavesii, Barbaxonella angulata and Arrenurus berolinensis. Two species, i.e. Atractides albaruthenicus and A. svislocensis are (near) endemic for Belarus. The checklist tallies 185 species recorded in Belarus, in 19 families and 40 genera. It is expected that this number will increase when more research is done, especially in spring. Many spring species are absent from the end of May onwards. Moreover, more research will increase the number of rare and very rare species.

The Stviga River represents a unique water object as it is the main waterway of the wildlife area of republican value “Olmanskiye bolota”. 72 types of hydrobionts, which fall into 3 types of water invertebrate animals, are revealed: Mollusca – 11; Annelida – 2, Arthropoda –59 species. Among the revealed water invertebrates, more than a third are new and are for the first time noted not only in the river Stviga, but also in general in reservoirs of the wildlife area “Olmanskiye bolota”. It indicates that the fauna of the water invertebrates living in the territory of the wildlife area “Olmanskiye bolota” remains still studied insufficiently. The revealed specific structure of the macrozoobenthos complex of the Stviga River is presented by the basic taxonomical groups of water invertebrate animals characteristic of the river ecosystems of Belarus. Rather high specific abundance of larvae from Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera groups is noted. It indicates in general rather high quality of waters in the studied alignments of the Stviga River. Among the animals of macrozoobenthos representatives, it should be noted the find of the following rare species for Belarus – larvae Isoptena serricornis (Pictet, 1841) and Taeniopteryx nebulosa (Linnaeus, 1758) and also mollusc – Ferrissia fragilis (Tryon, 1863).

The study of the volatile organic compounds group influence represent some aromatic substances on the intensity of the photosynthetic apparatus plants functioning, on the one hand, is relevant for the purpose of comparative analysis of their toxicity degree at single and combined action, on the other hand understudied compared to the effects of oxides of nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide. In this regard, the aim of the work was to study the nature of changes in the content of chlorophylls a, b and carotenoids, as well as indicators of the woody plants photosynthetic apparatus photochemical activity (at least the seedlings of small-leaved linden Tilia cordata Mill. and maple holly Acer platanoides L.) under specified experimental conditions under the influence of o-xylol and benz(a)pyrene different doses. The results of the experiment on the processing of woody plants seedlings leaf blades in urban environment aromatic hydrocarbons indicate that when exposed to o-xylol on the leaf blade studied woody seedlings revealed a decrease in the content of chlorophyll a and b through one day at small-leaved linden, and maple holly – carotenoids. The use of benz(a)pyrene resulted in a maximum reduction in the number of chlorophyll a and carotenoids after three days, the small-leaved linden and maple holly – a chlorophyll b through one day experience. In general, solutions of o-xylol and benz(a)pyrene had the greatest impact on the change in the content of small-leaved linden photosynthesis pigments and the fluorescence parameters of holly maple. The introduction of o-xylol caused the largest decrease in effective quantum output and photochemical quenching of fluorescence after one day at the maple tree, and benz(a)pyrene – values of non-photochemical fluorescence quenching.

Possibility of large-scale bioclimatic potential values (BCP) computation on the base of remote sensing data and surface-level observations was considered in this work. In order to solve this problem, two methods were proposed: first method is based on using of ERA-Interim global reanalysis system data, second method is based on regression dependence between BCP, Selyaninov’s hydrothermic coefficient (HTC) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Both methods were realized in Python programming language environment. Analysis of the results obtained showed that method based on reanalysis data allows reflect spatiotemporal changes of BCP with sufficient accuracy, but absolute values of BCP according to this method are always lower than actual. At the same time, BCP values calculated according to the second proposed method are very close to values obtained using observation data. The BCP values set, calculated according to the second method, have distinctive traits ofspatial distribution: absence of latitudinal zonality and high dependence on vegetation type.

Based on observations of concentrations of surface ozone and anthropogenic air pollutants in cities, the climatic normal of surface ozone was determined under conditions of Belarusian typical climate and “clear” atmosphere free from anthropogenic pollution. One has assumed that such a norm should serve as the “reference point” to take account of the influence of meteorological and anthropogenic factors on surface ozone and to assess its long-term changes (trend) over the country with a relatively small territory. The problem is addressed by using the previously revealed dependence of ozone concentration on meteorological conditions and on concentrations of anthropogenic pollutants being measured at the sites for monitoring atmospheric air located in the regional centers. The computation technique and approximations employed are both described in detail. The obtained results are compared to the observations conducted at the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve.

Earlier studies of changes in precipitation on the territory of Belarusian Polesia showed that during the warming period (1989–2015), there is a tendency to increase in precipitation in the eastern part of Polesiа (Gomel Region) compared to the western part (Brest Region) and compared to the climatic norm (1961–1990). The established differences are difficult to explain by the influence of physiographic features (latitude, longitude, elevation above the sea level) of the territory and require deeper assessments. Research results according to precipitation and close ties in the area of settlements of Gomel Region and Ovruch station (Ukraine) for different periods with different types of atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere according to B.L. Dzerdzеevsky are presented. The influence of Slovechansko-Ovruchsky ridge and woodlands on the amount of precipitation at the nearby Lelchitsy, Zhitkovichi, Vasilevichi stations was investigated. The preliminary estimates of changes in precipitation in Gomel Region during the passage of southern cyclones are given. It is shown that the increase in precipitation in Gomel Region during the warming period of 1989–2013. (compared to Brest Region) is largely due to changes in the atmospheric circulation, as well as the large areas of forest in Gomel Region.

Invasive alien species, which include a vast and rapidly expanding range of organisms, represent one of the most serious, rapidly growing and difficult to eliminate threats to biodiversity, ecological and food security, protection of health and livelihood. Currently, the most aggressive invasive species in Belarus is the hogweed Sosnovsky (Heracleum Sosnowskyi Manden.), The expansion of which is observed in Belarus. The inadvertent spread of this species is associated in many cases with the use of a fertile layer infected with its seeds removed from construction sites. In this regard, there is an urgent need
for a preliminary assessment of such soils. Based on many years of practical experience, possible solutions to this problem are discussed.

Water bodies are a promising part of the natural and recreational potential and allow combining various combinations of types and forms of recreation within their water areas. The article presents the results of the systematization of scientific and methodological approaches with the identification of scientific schools, the main directions of their activity and the stages of their development, together with the presentation of existing methods of component-wise and comprehensive assessment of tourist and recreational potential for water bodies. As a result of a scientific analysis by the authors of more than 100 sources of scientific literature for the period from 1960 to the present, published both in the territory of the countries of the Soviet and post-Soviet space and abroad, three scientific schools for assessing the natural resource potential of water resources were identified and systematized: Soviet , post-Soviet and foreign.