Geology, geography and global energy

Scientific and Technical Journal

The geo-ecological condition of the big bend in the don river

2012. №4, pp. 126-134

Yarygin Aleksey N. - Post-graduate student, Volgograd State Socio-Pedagogical University, 27 Lenin ave, Volgograd, Russian Federation, 400005, yarygin84@mail.ru

The article assesses the geo-ecological condition of the Big Bend, the northwest section of Volgograd Region, in the Don River. It indicates that the Bend’s major geo-environmental problems (GEP) are anthropogenic in nature and have resulted from the territory’s transformation in the face of economic growth, petroleum-related production, development of Russia’s transport infrastructure, and recreational activities. Other GEP-causing activities, specifically within Volgograd, include urbanization processes and local emergency situations. Subsequently, the critique shifted its focus to the Big Band area itself, which is about 15 thousand sq km in size and encompasses 13,3% of Volgograd’s overall regional population. According to the critique, the area’s main specializations are agriculture, extracting hydrocarbons (oil and gas) and development of construction materials. Various types of GEP-generating anthropogenic activities – including those associated with oil and gas production, mineral deposits, agricultural and transport system development – take place, with many of them polluting Big Bend’s atmosphere, reservoirs and soils. But few of these have a major impact on the area. More recently, the number of problems related to recreational use of the area and anthropogenic fires has grown sharply.

Key words: geo-ecological problems,human-induced conversion,quarries,oil and gas production,transportation complex,residential load,recreation,fires,pollution

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