Contacts:

2, Champagne Lane, Odesa, 65058, Ukraine;

Tel.: (0482) 68-78-42

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Head of Department – Andriі Buіanovskyі

Department of Geography of Ukraine, Soil Science and Land Cadastre was established in 1967 on the basis of the Faculty Laboratory of Soil Science and Topographical-Geodetic and Cartographic Research. The first head until 1995 was Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Ivan Gogolev. From 1995 to 2020, the department was headed by Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor Yaroslav Bilanchyn. From 2020 to the present, the department has been working under the leadership of Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor Andriі Buіanovskyі.

Faculty and teaching staff of the department:

• Adobovska Maria Volodymyrivna – Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor
• Buyanovsky Andriy Oleksandrovych - Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Head
• Krasyekha Yerofiy Nikiforovych – Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor
• Tryhub Valentyna Ivanivna - Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor

Teaching and support staff:

• Argirova Anna Mykolayivna – Specialist of the 1st category
• Kichuk Liliya Ivanivna - Specialist
• Marchenko Larisa Anatoliivna – Leading Specialist

Specialty

The department trains specialists at the bachelor's, master's and doctor of philosophy levels in the following specialties: 014.07 "Secondary Education (Geography)"; 103 "Earth Sciences"; 106 "Geography".
It also provides training for specialists at the bachelor's and master's levels in the following specialties: 091 "Biology"; 103 "Earth Sciences"; 206 "Landscaping"; 242 "Tourism".

The department consists of:

• Problematic research laboratory of soil geography and soil protection of the black earth zone (PNDL-4), established in 1971;
• Training laboratory of chemical analysis of soils and waters;
• Office of geodesy, topography, cartography and land management;
• Computer class - training laboratory of geoinformation support of disciplines of topographic-cartographic and land management cycles.

Scientific activity

Structure of the scientific and research part of the department: Problematic research laboratory of soil geography and soil protection of the black earth zone (PNDL-4); groups on the study of genesis, geography and soil improvement, land use and land assessment, professional training of future geography teachers.

Scientific school: Soil-forming processes in chernozems of the steppe zone of Ukraine.
About 15 people participate in scientific work, of which 2 are doctors of sciences, 7 are candidates of sciences.

Areas of scientific research:

research and assessment of the state and resource potential of the region's soils, the effectiveness of their use and protection in modern conditions of land ownership reform;

soil mapping, rational soil and land use and its ecologization;

study of soil protection and agro-production efficiency of various irrigation technologies;

study of soil and land degradation processes;

halogeochemistry of the steppe zone of Ukraine, landscape-geochemical studies of estuaries and coastal areas;

study of soil-ecological problems of agricultural lands and settlements;

history of the development and formation of geographical science, in particular soil science;

preparation of future geography teachers for professional and pedagogical activity.

Traditionally, research has been conducted and is being conducted on the following issues:

study of the impact of irrigation with low-mineralized waters of the Danube, Dnieper, Dniester and Southern Bug rivers and with waters of high mineralization of the Sasyk, Kitay and Yalpug reservoir lakes on the properties and productivity of soils (associate professors Ya.M. Bilanchyn, S.P. Poznyak, I.M. Voloshyn, P.I. Zhantalay, M.Y. Tortyk, V.I. Trygub, A.O. Buyanovsky, professor E.N. Krasyekha, senior researchers V.P. Mursanov, G.S. Sukhorukova, O.I. Tsurkan and others);

use of wastewater from the cities of the Black Sea region for irrigation and its impact on the properties and physical and chemical composition of chernozems (senior researchers B.M. Turus, Yu.V. Mykhalchenko, T.M. Kryvytska and others);

research and mapping of soils and soil cover of Zmiiniy Island (associate professors Ya.M. Bilanchyn, P.I. Zhantalay, M.Y. Tortyk, A.O. Buyanovsky, I.V. Leonidova, research fellow of PNDL-4 L.M. Goshurenko, etc.);

research of soil degradation processes (mainly black soils) under various agricultural uses (professor E.N. Krasyekha, associate professors A.O. Buyanovsky, M.Y. Tortyk, V.I. Trygub, M.V. Adobovska, etc.);

formation and development of soil science (Professor E. N. Krasyekha, Associate Professors Ya. M. Bilanchyn, P. I. Zhantalay, M. Y. Tortyk, V. I. Trygub, A. O. Buyanovsky, N. O. Popelnytska, etc.)

preparation of future geography teachers for professional and pedagogical activity (Associate Professors A. O. Buyanovsky, V. I. Trygub, N. O. Popelnytska, Senior Lecturer M. V. Adobovska).

Students and postgraduates of the department are traditionally involved in conducting scientific research on the issues of the department and PNDL-4 every year. The materials of the field and office-analytical research conducted by them are used in writing course, diploma and dissertation works.

International Department activity:

• Scientific and educational collaboration with Soil science Department of Berlin technical university (1994-1997 years. Prof. I. M. Gogolev, Doc. Ya. M. Bilanchyn, Doc. P. I. Zhantalay, Doc. A. I. Gogolev);
• Scientific collaboration with Physical geography and soil science Department of Geographical Institute, Regensburg university (international IPTRID project, 1995-1998 years, investigations in the sphere of irrigation and drenage -Prof. I. M. Gogolev, Doc. A. I. Gogolev; 2003-2005 years -Doc. Ya. M. Bilanchyn);
• Participation in International Tacis-projects: “Lower Danube lakes” (2000-2002 years), “Technical aid in management of Lower Danube basin” (2006-2007 years); Doc. Ya. M. Bilanchyn, Doc. P. I. Zhantalay, Doc. M. Y. Tortyk;
• Professional business trips to foreign higher schools (1997 -Doc. A. I. Gogolev, Doc. P. I. Zhantalay; 1999 -As. M. V. Adobovska, 2003 -Doc. Ya. M. Bilanchyn);

In 2001 year Department was visited by a group of Japanese soil science association specialists. They declared an initiative to organize common soil and genetical investigations in Eurasian step zone.

In subsequent years, the department's staff participated in the implementation of international projects: EU projects "Nitrogen Cycle and its Impact on the Greenhouse Gas Balance in Europe" (NitroEurope IP, 2006-2011) and Enviro GRIDS (2009-2012), INMS (2019-2022) and many others. International cooperation continues today within the framework of the already mentioned EU project "Nitrogen Cycle and its Impact on the Greenhouse Gas Balance in Europe". Since 2020, the staff of the department and PNDL-4 have been involved in the project "Ecological monitoring in the Black Sea basin using Copernicus program products (PONTOS)" in the assessment of agricultural water balance. Since 2025, the staff of the department have been involved in international projects to study the biology of soils and those affected by military operations (together with researchers from Umeå University and Kiel University).