Spatiotemporal analysis of settlements in Central Yakutia from 1959 to 2020 under the conditions of permafrost degradation and climate change.

The subject of the research is the dynamics of population size and density in Central Yakutia in the context of the degradation of permafrost and climate change. The object of the study comprises rural communities in Central Yakutia. The article examines aspects such as the influence of permafrost degradation and climatic changes on the sustainability of rural communities; the spatial distribution of the population and its connection with economic activities; the mapping of settlement areas and the calculation of population density using historical-statistical and cartographic analysis methods; the identification of high-risk zones and the determination of the vulnerability of rural settlements due to permafrost degradation. Special attention is given to the spatiotemporal analysis of the distribution of population and its density from 1959 to 2020. The research was conducted using historical, statistical, and cartographic methods aimed at identifying changes in population size and density in Central Yakutia due to permafrost degradation. The application of these methods allowed for tracking the dynamics of changes in population size and density from 1959 to 2020, depending on the economic specialization of settlements. The main findings of the research indicate that, based on the calculated density data, the regions of Central Yakutia rank among those where economic activities and populations are significantly spatially vulnerable due to permafrost degradation. The differentiation by density at the settlement level allowed for the identification of high-risk zones characterized by increased vulnerability of rural communities to the negative consequences of climate change and permafrost degradation. A particular contribution of the author to the study of the topic is the spatiotemporal analysis of the dynamics of population size and density in Central Yakutia from 1959 to 2020 in the context of permafrost degradation and climate change. The novelty of the study lies in applying cartographic methods to identify the relationship between areas of population density in Central Yakutia and territories experiencing cryogenic processes leading to degradation of permafrost.