Uzbekistan’s mountainous forests, particularly within the Gissar Range, provide vital ecosystem services such as soil erosion control and biodiversity conservation. However, these semi-arid ecosystems are increasingly pressured by anthropogenic activities, necessitating efficient monitoring tools. This study develops a robust methodology for forest area evaluation in the Dekhkanabad forestry organization using a multi-source remote sensing approach. The methodology integrates Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery with high-resolution Kompsat-3 data and topographic variables derived from an ALOS PALSAR Digital Elevation Model (DEM). To address the spectral heterogeneity of the mountainous terrain, an Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) framework was employed. Ground truth data were established using the FAO’s Collect Earth tool, through which 1,980 plots were classified according to IPCC and FAO Forest Resources Assessment guidelines. A supervised classification model was implemented using a 70/30 training-to-validation split. The results yielded an overall accuracy of 76 % and a Kappa coefficient of 0.66. While Pasture and Cropland classes showed high reliability, the Forest class (0.198 error) experienced spectral confusion with pastures due to the “open-canopy” nature of local juniper forests, where the understory influences the spectral signature. Settlements presented the highest classification challenge (0.731 error) due to spectral mixing with rural vegetation. Despite these challenges, the OBIA approach significantly reduced “salt-and-pepper” noise and improved boundary definition compared to pixel-based methods. This study provides a cost-effective, statistically reliable baseline for the Dekhkanabad State Forest Fund, offering a scalable workflow for sustainable forest management and conservation planning in Central Asia’s semi-arid regions.

There are more than 80 salt mines in the world that have been flooded in emergency mode, mainly due to insufficient information about engineering and geological conditions. In this regard, the problem of forming favorable scenarios for the development of the sustainability of natural-technical systems (NTS) during the underground development of salt deposits is very relevant. The purpose of the work was to develop scientific and methodological foundations for assessing and predicting the stability of NTS during underground mining of salt deposits. The idea of the work was to evaluate and forecast the stability of the NTS based on the established patterns of propagation of elastic waves in an array under man–made influence. To achieve this goal, methods of physical and numerical modeling, experiments, and statistical analysis were used. The results of experimental and scientific research works were used as research materials. The developed scientific and methodological foundations are based on geophysical and engineering-geological models of NTS, which make it possible to identify dangerous engineering-geological processes, and on methods for assessing the engineering-geological conditions of the water barrier and predicting the stability of waterproofing structures. The developed methodology makes it possible to assess and forecast the stability of the NTS to ensure the safe construction and operation of facilities during the underground development of salt deposits. The research results are implemented in methods and software products that are used in the production process to ensure the stability of underground structures and substations in general. The new geological information obtained was taken into account in the construction of engineering and geological models, the design of sinking and laying operations, the development and implementation of projects for exploration and additional exploration of various sections of the Verkhnekamskoye salt deposit, and the implementation of projects to eliminate sections of mine fields.

The Verkhoyansk fold and thrust belt (VFTB) is the largest geological structure in the Verkhoyansk–Kolyma orogenic region. Despite decades of study of the Verkhoyansk fold and thrust belt, the region’s deep structure remains poorly understood. Existing models and schematics of the region’s lithospheric structure are based primarily on the interpretation of key seismic profiles located in the northern end and South Verkhoyansk sector of the fold and thrust belt. The aim of this study is to summarize the available data and analyze anomalous geopotential fields and their transforms to clarify the deep structure.

This paper presents the results of geophysical surveys of the West Verkhoyansk sector and adjacent territories of the Verkhoyansk fold and thrust belt. To obtain information on the distribution of magnetic and density heterogeneities, higher-order derivatives were recalculated in the Oasis Montaj geoinformation system, and two- dimensional energy filtering with separation of fields into mid- and low-frequency components was performed in the automated COSCAD 3D program. To study the deep structure of the study area by solving an inverse problem in COSCAD 3D, magnetic and gravity models were calculated to estimate the parameters of anomaly-forming objects.

The data obtained allowed us to clarify the tectonic structure and distribution of igneous formations and estimate the depths of magnetic and density heterogeneity sources in the West Verkhoyansk sector of the Verkhoyansk fold and thrust belt. Hidden tectonic faults with sublongitudinal and east-northeast strikes were identified. The position of the West Verkhoyansk buried rift graben was demonstrated. The resulting geophysical models revealed three structural stages, with different magnetic and density mass source positions, correlating with the sedimentary cover and the upper and lower crust.

The paper presents the results of GPR sounding of key areas in Central Yakutia along the federal highways “Vilyui” and “Lena” to search for suprapermafrost subaerial taliks. Suprapermafrost taliks are characterized by complex structures and dynamic seasonal and annual variations in geometric and physical parameters. The measurements were carried out using 150 MHz, 250 MHz, and 400 MHz OKO-3 GPRs with the GPR profiling technique. The survey depth exceeded 25 meters in sandy frozen rocks. The data show that the main indicator of taliks is the presence of a thaw-frozen boundary below the seasonally thawed layer. This boundary is clearly visible on radarograms due to the contrast in dielectric permittivity coefficients. Suprapermafrost subaerial taliks with thicknesses ranging between 5 and 20 meters were detected in 28 % of the GPR profiles. The depth of the seasonally thawed layer varied from 2.3 to 4.0 meters. The GPR technique for detecting and mapping talik zones, tested in the Shestakovka River basin, proved effective for identifying taliks in Central Yakutia. The most effective frequencies for solving the assigned tasks turned out to be in the range of 75÷225 MHz, which corresponds to the frequency range of the energy level of the signal spectrum of the antenna unit with a central frequency of 150 MHz.

This article examines the climate warming effects on thermokarst development on cropland surfaces in the Lena–Amga interfluve. An increasing number of cropland fields have to be abandoned due to enhanced thermokarst. The main purpose of this study is to assess the condition of the abandoned lands. Historically, land for agriculture in the Lena–Amga interfluve was cleared by clear-cutting larch forests in inter-alas terrain underlain by ice-rich permafrost. Monitoring observations by the Melnikov Permafrost Institute have been conducted mainly in the Dyrgyabai field which is representative of the Tyungyulyu terrace of the Lena River. Increasing air temperatures have resulted in deeper soil thawing and degradation of the Ice-Complex permafrost. During the monitoring period, the permafrost table has lowered from 1.8 m to 2.7 m. In wet areas, thawing has reached the depths of 3.5–4.5 m. The abandoned cropland surface is now dotted by numerous thermokarst features, including byllars and incipient to mature thaw lakes. An assessment of abandoned cropland condition is provided for five administrative districts in the region by three categories: 1) land disturbed by thermokarst; 2) land unaffected by thermokarst; 3) undisturbed land overgrown with shrubs and trees. Presently, 33 % of the abandoned croplands in the region is distorted by residual polygonal landforms and incipient thermokarst lakes, 57 % is undisturbed, and 10 % is overgrown with trees and shrubs. Further warming in the region will increase the percentage of disturbed land.

With the development of the mining industry and growing fuel consumption in the Arctic north of Yakutia, which boasts significant mineral reserves, increasing environmental requirements for mining companies and finding a balance between economics and environmental conservation are increasingly important. Furthermore, given the trend of global warming in Russia’s permafrost zone, measures aimed at studying and developing geotechnical monitoring systems at industrial and civil facilities in permafrost areas are particularly important. It is worth noting that petroleum products in Arctic regions are stored in tank farms constructed on ground foundations. Therefore, studying these issues by subsoil users is important to ensure sustainable socio-economic and infrastructural development of the territory in accordance with industrial and environmental safety requirements.

This article presents methods for using natural sciences in research in the field of environmental engineering and the rational resources.

Fundamental theoretical research is often based on an indirect, conceptual study of processes and phenomena (interconnected natural and technical geosystems). However, practical interaction with the objects being directly studied (industrial infrastructure facilities) may be absent.

Based on analyses of theoretical methods, general principles of environmental engineering aimed at minimizing integral losses of inanimate and animate nature were established and identified. New, previously unknown or unsolved problems of significant practical significance were posed. A qualitative and quantitative assessment of previously obtained precedents in methodological areas of the problems under study was conducted. A fundamentally new system for understanding the phenomena, mechanisms, and processes of environmentally sound nature management in industrially developed areas was developed.