Vol. 58 No. 1 (262) (2024)

Armenia's drinking water supply is mainly provided by high-quality groundwater from the volcanic highlands. Over the past decade, there has been a constant decline in the flow of springs, which is due to a decrease in precipitation. The main role in the formation of groundwater is played by precipitation in the recharge zone – at absolute elevations above 2500 m. Groundwater formation occurs in fractured volcanic rocks, and accumulation and movement occur in buried river valleys. Various scientific and political organizations have developed models for climate change projection under various scenarios (IPCC, METRAS), which were used by various public organizations to simulate climate change until 2100 for the territory of Armenia and published in the form of national communications. A comparative analysis of the data obtained in the work with the IPCC reports showed that the forecasts of various IPCC scenarios are not reliable. And METRAS forecasts indicate that the lack of factual material complicates the accuracy of calculations. To find out the relationship between precipitation in the recharge area and the flow rate of springs, the approximate groundwater residence time was calculated using the pattern of the Arzakan springs, where the groundwater travel distance is 24 km and the estimated time was calculated as 6.5 years. It was found that from 2013 to 2023, the flow rates of springs decreased according to a linear dependence, and the decrease in flow rates was 24–33%. Changes in the chemical composition of spring waters due to a decrease in flow rates have not been established, except for sulfate ion, the concentration of which increases with increasing flow rates of springs. The assumption that an increase in the content of sulfate ions may serve as a precursor of an increase in the flow rate of springs requires further research. Based on the research results, it is assumed that based on the amount of precipitation in the high-mountain zone, it is possible to reasonably project the groundwater flow rate for the studied springs for upcoming 6–7 years.

The Vokhchaberd landslide is one of several large seismogravitational landslides confined to the zone of the seismically active Garni fault. It is a block in size from 2.5–2.8 km² and an estimated average thickness of 70–80 m, torn off the steep slope of the ridge of the same name and shifted along the fault line of an upsurge character. To date, there is a certain amount of factual material on the Vokhchaberd landslide (its origin, a number of external parameters, the nature of activity, the position of groundwater, the destruction of rural buildings and highways caused by it, etc.). However, there is no reliable data on the thickness of the landslide, which does not allow to determine the most suitable landslide measures for this area. Capital measures are required to completely stop the displacement of the landslide layer. To determine the thickness of the landslide, it is necessary to drill at least 3 wells along its length, but be sure to drill to the sliding surface.

The article analyzes the geoecological condition of the landscape zones of Tavush Region. Anthropogenic load on natural landscapes expresses the degree of intensity of anthropogenic negative impacts in a given landscape zone. And anthropogenic impact on landscapes is expressed by the nature of land use structure. According to the concept of B. Kochurov, ecological and economic balance of the area 1–6 points of expert assessment are used to determine the degree of anthropogenic load on the area. Areas depending on the type of land use receive a corresponding score and are grouped into appropriate groups. Using B. Kochurov's methodology and applying the cartographic tools of the ArcGis, we obtained the map of the anthropogenic load of the landscape zones and calculated the surfaces of the areas with the corresponding level of load in each zone expressed as percentages. Then we carried out a spatial quantitative assessment of the anthropogenic load of the landscape zones with the absolute and relative coefficients of the selected concept and the tools of the ArcGis. As a result of the research, the forest-steppe zone was considered an area of critical tension based on ecological and economic indicators, the forest and meadow landscape zones were considered tense and conflicting, and the sub-alpine and alpine landscape zones were conditionally favorable.

This research investigates and evaluates the factors and conditions contributing to mudflow occurrences in the Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) Region. It identifies the primary origins of mudflows and categorizes areas prone to mudflows for zoning purposes. Additionally, the study outlines current trends in mudflow evolution. Furthermore, the research proposes a range of hydraulic engineering, preventive, and forest reclamation measures aimed at mitigating mudflow risks. Implementing these measures within the NK context has the potential to yield significant and beneficial outcomes in addressing mudflow-related challenges.

The article considers the analytical methods used to optimize the linear structure design profile, according to the main criteria of optimality (minimization of working marks, minimum balance and land work, and the limit value of the design slope). An analytical design through the use of the methods of least squares and quadratic programming was considered. The authors developed and offered the methodology that can be used to balance the design marks of profile inflection points, taking into consideration the weighting factors of the working marks influence the balance of land works. The quadratic programming method has been proven to be efficient and useful when it is necessary to take into account additional optimization conditions regarding the sum of working marks and the marginal slope. Examples of analytical design of a longitudinal profile of a road section are introduced.

The article discusses the practical-applied significance of geographical studies in terms of planning, organization and development of tourism. Particularly, the following directions of applied touristic-geographical studies were distinguished and discussed: planning and justification of touristic routes contents, development of certain types of tourism, provision of a complex destination approach, touristic-geographical marketing, organization of proportional territorial development of tourism, sustainable development of tourism. The emergence of a new, complex and interdisciplinary direction of geographical studies – applied tourist geography – is justified as well.

On November 16-17, 2023, the International Scientific Conference "Geophysical Processes on the Earth and Its Environments" was held at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Mikhail Nodia Institute of Geophysics. The conference was organized by TSU, the Institute of Geophysics and the Geophysical Association of Georgia.