The successful design and implementation of hydroengineering projects crucially rests upon three collaborative pillars of research: field observations, physical models, and mathematical models.

Arctic glaciers respond quickly to climatic conditions, which is why they play a special role as climate warming indicators. Studying them in the long term is the key to understanding future global environmental changes.

Small Arctic catchments that are sensitive to climate change reinforced by Arctic amplification remain poorly studied. Since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA) glaciers on Svalbard have been retreating, and thus, many catchments have transformed from glaciated or partly glaciated to ice-free conditions. Our study focuses on changes that have occurred since the end of the LIA in a small High Arctic mountain catchment, Bratteggdalen. In this study, we traced changes in the Bratteggbreen glacier areal extent since 1976 with parallel vegetation analysis using Landsat and Sentinel data. The geomorphology of Bratteggdalen was mapped and basic morphometric analyses, such as long profile, hypsometric curve, slope and aspect orientation analyses were carried out. We also present a map of landforms in Bratteggdalen based on a fieldwork in 2018 and an analysis of orthophotomaps. Through this research, we enhance the knowledge of small catchments in polar regions.

The geopark Altai has a set of unique geological, geographical, and archaeological objects. Its basis is made by geological space with a specific relief that plays an important role, and on certain sites, it takes the first place in comparison with other types of objects. The peculiar feature of the geopark Altai is that in its territory there is a landscape connection among archaeological, geological, and geographical objects, which at certain sites is penetrated by mental and cultural fluids causing a deep interest of tourists in this territory. In this regard, the authors consider the relief as an object of cognitive, educational, and practical activities of the geopark Altai. Therefore, the following tasks were set up: to find a site for the realization of several types of activities by the geopark and to develop a theoretical scientific and a popular science base for their imple-mentation. As a result of the work done, the authors allocated the site within the boundaries of the geopark Altai where modern dynamics of the relief are characterized by the maximum speed. On this site, it is possible to recreate the processes that created the relief in the geological past and to study these processes now. The specifics of weather and climatic conditions in this region made its relief very important for economic activity of the population inhabiting this territory. Therefore, as of today, the study of the condition of certain surface sites and forecasting the development of relief-forming processes is an important part of any activity on the described territory. The long-term geological, ecological, geographical, and archaeolog-ical research conducted by the authors on the territory of the Altai Republic served as materials for this study. The geological materials were collected by the methods adopted in this field of research (field survey of structures and rocks, cartographic methods, analysis of general geological data, and others). The ecological and geographical results were obtained using geo-chemical, hydrochemical, analytical, and others.

The scope of this analysis included fluvial sediments of the low terrace of the Grajcarek stream in the Małe Pieniny Mts. (Western Carpathians). The structure of the terrace has been surveyed in five profiles. The sedimentary sequence includes alternating layers of gravel and calcareous mud with a maximum thickness of up to 2.2 m. A rich and varied malacofauna has been found in the mud. The age of the sediments was determined using the radiocarbon method. The sediments that make up the terrace cover the younger part of the Middle Holocene and the entire Late Holocene. The analysis of the malacofauna has allowed for the characterization of environmental changes. The most important of them dates back to the Middle Ages and is associated with the phase of intensive settlement in the Pieniny Mts.. It is indicated by deforestation and the related change in the composition and structure of malacocoenoses manifested by the replacement of forest communities by ones with open-country species. Gravel horizons are records of flood periods correlated with wet climatic phases. It is possible to distinguish six such phases covering the following periods: 6600–6100 y cal BP, 5500–5100 y cal BP, 4500–4100 y cal BP, 3200–2300 y cal BP, 2000–900 y cal BP and 400–200 y cal BP. They correspond to the periods of increased fluvial activity of rivers, intensification of mass movements, advances of alpine glaciers and the increase in the water level in lakes.