The oldest scientific journal «Izvestiya Russkogo geograficheskogo obshestva» («Proceedings of Russian Geographic Society») celebrates the 150th anniversary in 2015. The role of «IRGO» in the development of national geography in the last third of the nineteenth century, pre-revolutionary period of the XX century, as well as the reflection in the journal of the complex processes of development of the Soviet geography in the period up to 1941 are discussed. It is demonstrated that by the beginning of the Great Patriotic war the edition of «IRGO» peaked in its history (5000 copies), and the journal remained the most common scientific periodical in geography.

Results of the geological and geomorphological researches of a bottom and coastal zone of Peter the Great Bay executed in 2012-2013 are given in the article. By the results of works the bottom relief and the structure of coasts are characterized, the ground rainfall is studied. Four types of coasts are distinguished: abrasion, abrasion accumulative, accumulative and lagoon coasts. The bottom of the gulf represents rather equal, inclined surface within which the erosive valleys promoting carrying out of fine material to the external shelf are established. The granulometric composition and mineralogical structure of bottom sediments is analyzed. Distribution of types of bottom sediments has a complex pattern that is caused by hydrodynamic and lithodynamic processes and the existence of two large gulfs shooting out into the land. In general the atypical distribution of rainfall is noted: from the coast towards a shelf edge there is a change of bottom sediments: clay - silt - sand. Lithological types of bottom deposits and the main associations of heavy minerals are allocated. Results of statistical processing of the contents of light and heavy minerals are presented. The received materials are displayed on five maps of Peter the Great Bay.

The article is devoted to the analysis of problems of natural protected areas management in one of the largest cities in the world - Moscow. As a case study the territory of Moskvoretsky Natural Historical Park was chosen, situated in the western part of the city. It is shown that landscape features of protected areas, namely the morphology of geosites, anthropogenic history, current status and dynamics of landscapes have special management requirements, which are very poorly taken into account in modern practice, and are reflected in Moscow in project planning, functional zoning and forest management of protected areas. This circumstance leads to the accumulation of a number of contradictions. The main of these are the contradictions between policy of ecological framework and real investment for infrastructure development, between recreational and environmental functions of protected areas, between the conservation status and their environment-stabilizing ability, as well as between environmental conservation and need for landscape care. Key object ofthe proposed alternative arrangements is a plan for management and optimization of the landscape.

Assessing the shift of risk farming areas for cereal cropping is performed. The research methods involve climatic indicators application for estimating the observed changes in baseline climate, climate variability and extreme events, as well as assessing climate-related risks in agriculture associated with them. As shown, the cultivable areas under cereal crops vulnerable to over-wetting and drought effects are widening. Meanwhile, the changes in climate beneficial to farm practices are noticeably compensated by increase in harmful biota activity. Considering this, a focus is placed on a number of adaptation options in agriculture to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

As a result of complex study of loess-soil formation of Late Pleistocene in a series of key sections the features of soil genesis are revealed in soil covers of Mikulino's interglacial, early- and middle-Valdai interstadials on the territory of Dnepr, Don, Oka, Middle Volga, and the Lower Kama basins. It is established, that in the last interglacial of Pleistocene on the territory of Russian plain a formation of soil types of subboreal soil-climatic zone took place, forming a complex zonal spectrum of soils, with a position of soil zones borders that is distinct from modern one. The basic difference consists in significant expansion of forest zone, reduction of steppe, displacement of border between forest and forest-steppe zones. In soil cover of early and middle Valdai interstadials a development have been obtained accordingly by chernozem-type soils of open stepper landscapes, sod-cryogenic-glei and sod-cryogenic-carbonate soils. In development of soil cover of the main periods of Holocene the following stages are allocated: the poorly developed cryogenic soils of post-glacial period; the well-developed zonal soils of early and middle Holocene periods; the climatic evolution of soil profiles.

Baby-boom that swept Poland in the beginning of its EU membership was short-lived. It began in 2005 and completely stopped by 2012. «Euro-optimism» of Polish people during EU membership is determined specifically by personal perspectives of going abroad for inhabitancy or temporary residence. Poland's perspectives in the «United Europe» are faintly visible by Polish citizens. This fact explains the replacement of natural change for depopulation and increasing emigration abroad.

Landscape-situational analysis of the events, associated with S.P. Krasheninnikov's journeys from Bolsheretsk to Nizhne-Kamchatsk across the Central Range of Kamchatka, shows that he happened to be struck twice by the strong earthquakes. So that the notion, stated by some publications, about only one (1740) Oblukovina earthquake, supposedly genetically connected with the powerful eruption of a Middle Ridge volcano, is untrue.