According to the analysis of dynamics of indicators of the vegetation index NDVI at the period 1985–2017 trends in the biological productivity of the agricultural landscapes of Brest Polesye were identified. Sustainable use of insular agricultural lands of Brest Polesye should be based, primarily, on their environment-forming and environment-stabilizing functions. The positive impact of insular woods on the efficiency of land use in agricultural lands has been proved, expressed in the large (10 %) activities of index NDVI of agricultural lands, including the insular forests in comparison with the agricultural lands without the insular forests.

The article is devoted to the role of hydraulic structures (gateways-regulators) in the content of suspended solids and phosphorus compounds reducing. The regulation of suspended solids inputs on the hydrographic network using hydraulic structures is based on the regulation of transport capacity of the watercourse, considering the phase of the hydrological runoff and the hydrological size of the transporting particles. An inverse dependence was found between the diameter of the suspended particles and the transport capacity of the watercourse (an increase of the particle diameter from 0 005 mm to 0 05 mm resulted in a 10-fold decrease in the transport capacity of the flow, an increase up to 0.1 mm – in 20 times, and an increase up to 0.2 mm – in 35.6 times). The revealed dependencies allow to regulate the operation of hydraulic structures to reduce the transfer of suspended particles to the hydrographic network by changing the velocity structure of the flow, expressed in decreasing flow velocity. The most suitable hydraulic regulating structures that ensure a reduction in the removal of suspended solids from reclaimed areas are gateways-regulators and pipes-regulators, stoplogs, and dike dams. Based on the obtained data, the Technical Code of Practice (TCP) 17.06-07 has been developed.

At present, surface water is the main source of water supply for the production needs of thermal power facilities of the Republic of Belarus Due to the high requirements to the water quality index for the needs of production of an integral part of the main production processes, water treatment facilities are becoming the objects of heat power engineering. Water treatment, as a set of processes, at the sites of heat power engineering can include the following stages: preliminary preparation, softening, desalination, disinfection. Water treatment schemes used at power facilities of the Republic of Belarus in the 60-70’s. The Russian Federation actively implements the modernization of technologies and water treatment systems with transition to the more modern membrane technologies. In aims of the advanced scientific and technical developments in the field of thermal power facilities
water treatment utilization in the Republic of Belarus, the problem of the existing methods, technologies and water treatment schemes analysis becomes actual as well as developing recommendations for their optimization, taking into account economic and environmental indicators, in order to reduce the impact of heat power facilities on environment and obtaining economic benefits from the use of wastewater treatment in the process. As a result, an environmental-economic calculation was prepared justifying the introduction of the best available technologies.

Current herpetofauna of Belarus is characterized by a relatively low species richness (13 species of amphibians and 7 reptiles), but significant ecological and taxonomic diversity (5 orders, 11 families, 16 genera). 20% of all the species assigned to rare ones and included into the Red data book of the Republic of Belarus (crested newt, natterjack, pond turtle and smooth snake). Due to the wide range of habitats, high abundance and biomass of these groups of populations of vertebrates play a significant and often decisive role in structural organization and bioenergetics of natural ecosystems. Amphibians because of staged development serve as a link between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The species which produce zootoxins and use in medication production have greatest practical importance at present time. The green frogs (pond, edible and pool frogs) traditionally used as a food in the regions of South and Central Europe represent the commercial interest. The results of the number and resource potential estimation for the regional populations of three toxic species of herpetofauna – common adder, common toad and fire-bellied toad are presented, too.

The paper presents the results of the palaeoichthyological study of the rocks of the Rechitsa Regional Stage exposed in the Uvarovichi 94 borehole within the Uritsk Block of the Gomel Structural Dam. A vertebrate assemblage established in this borehole is correlated with the synchronous ichthyologic assemblages in the adjacent territories of the East European Platform. The vertebrates of this assemblage are represented by the heterostracans, placoderms, acanthodians and bony fishes. The ichthyofauna data obtained in the Rechitsa Regional Stage slightly supplement the available information on its geographical distribution and systematic composition within the country. The Stratigraphic Chart of the Devonian deposits of Belarus (2010) was assumed as a stratigraphic basis of the Upper Devonian deposit division in the studied area.

Based on the analysis of the prevalence of 9 alien species of amphipods (Amphipoda) in watercourses in Belarus in the period from 2007 to 2017, the rates of distribution were established. The rates can be used for prognostic purposes. The given speeds differ both between species and in different rivers, and from literary data, which is explained by the settlement influence of these species’ biotic features, environmental factors and methods of settlement on the process. According to the long-term data and obtained propagation rates of alien species of different-legged crustaceans on the territory of Belarus, possible ways of their settlement along the main rivers have been considered: the Sozh, the Dnieper, the Berezina, the Svisloch, the Ptich, the Ubort, the Neman, the Yaselda and the Mukhavets. Based on the occurrence of alien amphipod species in neighboring states, potential aggressors who may penetrate in the foreseeable future have been considered, due to the fact that their ranges are near the borders of our state or there are other reasons contributing to their penetration. The main directions and rivers along which the introduction of new alien species of amphipods will be established, are: the Western Dvina, the Dnieper, the Sozh, the Pripyat, the Neman and the Vilia.

     Anthropogenic pollution of the urban air is a serious problem for many countries. Naturally, the main factor in the prevention of air pollution is the reduction of harmful emissions. However, the meteorological conditions also have an important effect on the content of pollutants in the urban air Mainly the wind contributes to the removal of pollution from it And the vertical stability of the atmosphere, which determines the effectiveness of air mixing in the vertical direction, contributes to a reduction the concentrations of contaminants in the surface layer of the  atmosphere.                                       Using the monitoring data of the Hydrometeorological Center, significant features of weather conditions influence on air quality in Belarusian cities were revealed It was found that during the day the greatest concentrations of pollutants are most often registered in the morning and evening and much less in the afternoon Morning rise does not depend on the season and occurs at the same time, and the evening peak of the frequency of increased concentrations shifts to a later time of the day, moving from winter to summer.
     The diurnal variation of vertical stability of the atmosphere over the cities of Belarus shows, on average, insignificant differences throughout the country: stability is maximized at night, minimal in the afternoon and gradually increases from summer to winter. The diurnal variation of the climatic normal of wind speed shows features like the behavior of the maximum concentrations of pollutants: in the evening, the decrease in wind speed also shifts by the time of day depending on the season, and the morning increase is constant by time and does not depend on the season.
     However, traffic intensification in the daytime influenced on the appearance of the morning and evening peaks of the urban air pollution. Meteorological factors play an important role in the formation of these peaks, but not the main one.

    

 

The consequences of climate change (warm winters, the early onset of spring processes, the increase in the duration and heat availability of a vegetation period, the increase in the frequency of droughts, heat waves, high air temperatures, etc.) form the new climatic conditions of the territories and have a significant impact on the weather-dependent sectors of the economy. The main results of the research work “Assessment of agroclimatic resources and the new agricultural and climatic zoning of the territory of Belarus taking into account climate change” were performed in 2016–2017 in the framework of 1.06 task 1.06 “Assessment of the influence of urbanization and land improvement on the climatic, water, land and forest resources of Belarus” activities of “Natural resources and environmental safety” 1 subprogram of the State program of scientific research for 2016–2020 “Environmental management and ecology”. The boundaries of agroclimatic regions on the territory of Belarus for the longest warming period (1989–2015) have been specified, and the new updated map of the boundaries of agroclimatic regions has been constructed. The values of the most significant climatic parameters of agroclimatic regions (for heat supply and moisture supply, the conditions of wintering), calculated for the period of 1989-2015 according to the data of the State Hydrometeorological Observations Network are presented. Based on the calculated climatic parameters, the description of agroclimatic regions and conditions of the growth of agricultural crops in the territory of the Republic of Belarus has been made. The obtained results show a significant change in climatic conditions and the need to introduce of changes into the crop cultivation technologies, as well as the need for a new agroclimatic zoning of the territory of Belarus in the conditions of modern climate change. The obtained research results can be used in weather-dependent sectors of the economy, first of all by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Belarus when planning and making management decisions, taking into account changes in climatic and agroclimatic resources, as well as in the highest educational institutions of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus in the preparation of programs, training manuals, information materials related to climate assessment and agroclimatic resources in the modern conditions.

Using data from satellite observations for the period of 1978–2017, one has determined dynamic climatic norms and longterm trends of total ozone in the mid latitudes of the northern hemisphere (30 – 60°N). The annual course of total ozone has been shown as changing over the various regions during the period of observations. The specific features of alteration in the state of the ozonosphere depending on latitude and longitude have been discussed. Thus, one has revealed a general increase in total ozone in winter, an increase in spring (except for the northern latitudes of Europe and Asia), and a continuing decrease in summer (except for the northern latitudes of America) during the last 17 years. The long-term trends of total ozone for different regions and latitudinal zones (30 – 40°N, 40 – 50°N, and 50 – 60°N) have been given as depending on the season.

In the article are presented the results of identification of the geography of location limiting factors for contact, contactless and commercial types of tourism­recreational uses for 303 parts of 125 rivers of Belarus with application GIS­technologies. As a result, contact types of tourist and recreational use in the composition of water skiing (up to 6 factors), bathing and diving (up to 5 factors) are leading in the limits of the investigated rivers in terms of the number of limiting factors. On the second place in the number of limiting factors are contactless types of tourism, in the structure of which the maximum is revealed for yachting – up to 5 factors, and the minimum – for rowing on boats – to 3.Minimal values of limiting factors were revealed for commercial types of recreation as part of amateur hunting (up to three factors) and for amateur fishing (up to two factors).

Article shows the possibility of reduction the impact of galvanic production on the environment due to the processing of spent zinc electrolytes. Analyzed existing methods of treatment of spent zinc electrolytes, allow to reduce the flow of heavy metals into the environment. Presented results confirm the possibility of recycling spent zinc electrolytes to produce pigments. The precipitation of zinc ions from spent zinc electrolytes with sodium phosphate in the presence of admixtures of bright agents and iron compounds, which are most often found in spent electrolytes due to their contamination during operation, was studied.