The methodology, structure and major categories of fundamental studies are considered to be carried out within the framework of the Program adopted by the Presidium of Russian Academy of Sciences in accordance with the priority trend in “Depositary functions, indication technology of the state and risks of soil degradation in the system of planning and rational environment conservation in Russia”. These studies are foreseen to be realized according to 5 projects including digital remote sensing inventory and monitoring of arable lands; transformation, evolution and degradation of soils due to agrogenesis and global climate changes; depositary and ecological functions of soils in agrolandscapes; optimal use of the soil resources; analysis of the soil microbiome index in processes associated with the soil formation, organic matter transformation and fine regulation of the vegetative process. Theoretically the above program is based upon the available typology and the system of agro-ecological valuation of lands; methodology and projecting of adaptive-landscape systems in agriculture; the development of the theory of creating and functioning of plant-microbial associations; methods of taxonomic identification of more than 100 soil microbiomes and the development of the theory of soil ecological functions. This methodology differs from available approaches by the fact that the study of soil functions (function groups) is carried out as based upon the statistic and dynamic description of the energy-mass exchange processes at global biosphere levels and services rendered by the soil at the current stage of the human society’s development. A block-scheme of studies and methods has been elaborated. The empiric analysis, physical modeling, the state simulation in space are used at the depositary level. Biocenotic functions are described on the basis of studying the cycles of transformation, monitoring, metagenome indication, digital inventory and the other up-to-date technologies. The objects, categories, basic trends in transformation, evolution and degradation of soils as well as the adaptation, management and regulation practices have been determined; the results of scientific and applied studies are expected to be successfully obtained.

The objectives relating to the optimization of the environment conservation involve the determination of biotope sensibility, valuation and forecasting of the landscape sustainable development and excessive anthropogenic loads, assessment of ecological risks and possible adverse consequences, analysis of conflicts, choice of methods for protection and development of the territory, determination of proportions between the agricultural lands and priority trends in land use, compromise decision-making and elaboration of methods to bring in correspondence the interests of land owners. These tasks are solved on the basis of landscape functional analysis. The major ecological functions are the following: bioecological (biotopic and biocenotic, bioproduced, bioenergetic, biogeochemical, concentrated, oxidation-reduced, destructed, activated-inhibited, sanitary); atmospheric (gaseous, heat exchanged, hydroatmospheric); lithospheric (relief-forming, lithological); hydrological and hydrogeological ones. Based upon the identification and assessment of ecological functions of landscapes the social-economic functions are determined to meet the requirements of the human society.

Foreign publications devoted to the problems of determination and valuation of ecosystem services and their practical application in planning economic activities are under review. This direction of studies is being rapidly developed. It was clearly shaped after the global Millennium Ecosystem Assessment performed in 2005 on the initiative of the United Nations. In the recent decade, this direction has got an official status; specialized journals have been founded; regular conferences and workshops have been conducted. The number of publications in this field has increased considerably. The contribution of soil scientists to the valuation of ecosystem services remains modest. It is argued that the assessment and valuation of the ecosystem services of soils is a promising direction for soil science. Ecosystem services are subdivided into the groups of provisional, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. The latter group is considered the natural basis ensuring the efficient performance of other ecosystem services with their direct or indirect impact on human well-being. The assessment of ecosystem services implies three major directions: ecological, economic (monetary), and social. For each of the groups of ecosystem services, specific methods of their economic valuation are applied. Thus, provisional services are mainly assessed according to their market values. The contribution of provisional services to the total value of ecosystem services is relatively small. Regulating services are often estimated by the avoided cost and replacement cost methods, and cultural services (recreation, inspiration source, aesthetic value, spiritual value) are valued by the travel cost method. The methods of nonmarketable valuation are essentially based on the willingness-to-pay approach. Upon valuation of ecosystem services at the local level, a systems approach should be applied; it is necessary to taken into account cooperation bonus obtained by the particular stakeholders. It should also be noted that the removal of additional pressures from ecosystems in a given place might result in the increase of the anthropogenic loads on ecosystems in other places. The separation, mapping, and valuation of ecosystem services are performed with an ultimate goal to ensure sustainable development of the society and human well-being. The ecological and economic approaches in this field are actually aimed at strengthening of the role of market mechanisms in the environmental protection policy.

Under discussion are the results of systematization and comprehensive analysis of different literature sources containing the information on degradation and dangerous natural processes at the Asian territory of the Russian Federation. The degradation and adverse natural processes are divided into 3 groups according to their hazard extent: (a) processes oriented to destroy the soils and lands, (b) processes changing the soil cover pattern and leading to degradation of soils and decreasing their fertility; (c) processes deteriorating the land productivity. The assessment is given to show the distribution and dangerous occurrence of degradation and adverse natural processes in the Asian part of Russia (gully erosion, destruction of seashores and banks of water bodies, changes in river channels and floodplains, underground flood, heavy rainfall, flooding). The distribution and dangerous manifestation of adverse processes are highly varying at the studied territory in dependence on peculiar natural-climatic conditions. The paper presents the plans to continue such studies at the territory of European Russia in 1916 and their further development at the total country’s territory within the framework of the project “Transformation, evolution and degradation of soils due to agrogenesis and global climate changes”. The solution of the problem envisaged by this project is of primary importance in order to solve the social-economic tasks and objectives facing the country as well as to strengthen the Institute’s position as a leading centre in the given field of soil science.

The results of field experiments conducted on the medium loamy agro soddy-podzolic soil showed that due to the hydraulic head of water at the soil surface the moisture movement occurs predominantly through migration ways that deteriorate the hydro-depositary properties of soils. The moisture movement was studied by a special method performed in two soil monoliths identical in size (42 cm in diameter and 60 cm high). The monolith walls were covered by a film, foamed and buried with the view of avoiding the lateral water loss. Both monoliths were simultaneously saturated with water: one of them was under a constant head of water in 5 cm, the other monolith was watered by fine-dispersed sprinkler without the formation of the water layer at the soil surface. The study was aimed at modeling the water movement under conditions of small headed infiltration and without the head of water as well as comparing the calculated and experimental data with the view of assessing the most adequate experimental provision of the model - the major hydrophysical characteristics obtained by empiric methods in the experiment or those calculated on the basis of hydrological constants and soil properties (pedo-transmitting functions). It seemed reasonable to establish that the experimental provision of the model can be shown in the following order: the use of regional pedo-transmitting functions provides better results as compared to the major hydrophysical characteristics, the latter being obtained by the method of tensiometers and capillarometers is better than the pedo-transmitting characteristics used the particle-size distribution as a predictor in Agrotool program (ROSETTA database) as well as those obtained by Voronin’s “secants”.

At the current stage of soil microbiology development the study of the entire complex of microorganisms inhabiting the soil became possible, which helps finding the optimal combination of factors resulting in the formation of soil fertility as well as the development of stable and stress resistant phytocenosis. Soil metagenome is the largest genetic depository for all purposes, from the soil formation processes - transformation of barren rock into a substrate for plant growth and development, to the temporary adaptations in the short-term interests of the plant. The investigation of genetic potential of soil metagenome and its mobilization are the main goals of this project. Such studies should be comprehensive and solve actual issues: 1) the study of the mechanisms of soil-forming processes and the analysis of the evolution of metagenomes due to the special features of pedogenesis; 2) investigation of microbiome participation in organic residues decomposition and efficient transformation of soil organic matter; 3) screening of the associative plant-protective and growth promoting microorganisms. The object for the analysis of microbiome evolutionary potential in the process of soil formation may be the technogenic dumps resulting from mining operations, which are chronosequences of soils of different ages. Samples of paleosols are also of particular interest in the evolutionary aspect of the analysis of the soil metagenome. The project is expected to reveal a group of soil microorganisms, which take the most active part in the formation of soil fertility and effectively implement growth-stimulating and protective functions for the plant. The data may be of value for both fundamental science and serve as a base for the design of environmentally friendly high-productive phytocenoses based on the use of the adaptive potential of soil microbiota.

As seen from a comprehensive review of literature sources, at the current stage of technological development and simplicity the pilotless aircrafts should be considered as a reliable tool for operative monitoring of soils and crops on fields and areas of small farms. The possibilities to use the imagery obtained by pilotless aircrafts are predetermined by a type of survey apparatus to a considerable extent. At present, the miniature survey apparatus permits to obtain images, the spectral resolution of which can be compatible with those obtained by satellites. Today, the images of pilotless aircrafts are used to give a visual assessment of any object to be surveyed. There are publications devoted to the computer analysis of images including those used for agricultural purposes. The experience is becoming common to use the imagery obtained by pilotless aircrafts and their computer analysis for constructing digital models of the field relief, monitoring over the soil erodibility and operative valuation of the agricultural crops state. Being compared with satellite imagery, the data of pilotless aircrafts have a number of advantages in aerial surveying. The major limits to use data obtained by pilotless aircrafts consist in insufficient miniaturization of the surveying apparatus and the fact that the monitoring cannot be organized to control over large areas.

The valuable criteria for identification of the soil profile form and its some functional properties are considered as determined by interpretation of radarograms in the course of georadiolocated profiling of different territories using the geophysical device “Loza-B”. Apart from a standard set of procedures for digital processing of radarograms and constructing a temporary profile of changes in the reflected impulse amplitude along the direction of its sounding and transformation with depth, it is suggested to use the information on changing the dynamic characteristics of the wave field in homogenous media. This information involves the data about splash of the wave field, determination of diffraction points (synphasic axes) corresponding to horizons and objects under study, calculation of the frequency characteristics for distribution of reflected signals in the soil profile. A simple homogenous layer has a periodical sequence of picks in the amplitude spectrum within the depth of this layer. Changes in the thickness of the soil horizon are calculated by analyzing the local values of amplitude maximum of reflected impulses in the radarogram. The procedure of soil verification based upon the comparison of real soil profiles with standard ones within the framework of a definite classifier is conducted by statistic methods for calculating the polynomial functions of trend values of the signal amplitude according to its duration. The statistical processing includes calculation of average values, standard deviations and the distribution frequency of signal amplitude connected with the layer thickness and the amount of signal oscillations. The indices of Furie’s spectral transformation (frequency, period, spectral density) along with trend characteristics of polynomial modulations are considered as the major criteria for the two-staged identification of soils. In spite of attractive pattern of Furie’s spectral transformation the calculation of trend models should be testified by data obtained for soil profiles in field.