MAPPING OF ECOLOGICALLY VULNERABLE ZONES AND REGIONS OF WATER AREAS AND SHORELINES WITH PRIORITY PROTECTION AGAINST SPILLS OF OIL AND OIL PRODUCTS IN RUSSIA

Map development for ecologically vulnerable zones and regions of water areas and shorelines with priority protection against spills of oil and oil products is important because of (1) the population’s concern about the growing technological load on nature, and (2) the need to comply with the existing state legislation. At present there is no general methodology for development of vulnerability maps in Russian Federation. The integral maps to be used in prevention and control of oil spills should represent data about ecological vulnerability to oil of both coastal and water ecosystems and information about legally protected objects, zones and regions. A set of maps showing absolute and relative integral vulnerability of particular water areas allows analyzing spatial-temporal dynamics of this indicator. The most vulnerable areas (regions) of the water area could be selected, as well as the most dangerous seasons. Recommendations are elaborated in order to organize the most effective protection of the environment against any possible emergency spills of oil and oil products

Природные условия района расположения полевой базы ААНИИ Хастыр на п-ове Хара-Тумус в Хатангском заливе

The aim of the article is to characterize the current and ancient environmental conditions in the area around a new AARI meteorological station, located in the west of the Khara-Tumus Peninsula (73° 49' 39,5'' N 109° 39' 13,5'' E) on the Khatanga Bay of the Laptev Sea. The Khastyr meteorological station was organized in 2016, and for the moment a 6-year (2017–2022) series of hydrometeorological observations has been performed. The average annual temperature at the station is –11.7 °C. The maximum temperature is 31.8 °C, the minimum temperature is –47.3 °C. The annual amount of atmospheric precipitation is 238 mm. The wind blows from west to east or from east to west during most of the year. The maximum wind speed is 28 m/sec, the average wind speed is 5,4 m/sec. The ice cover in the Khatanga Bay disappears in the second part of July and forms again in September-October. The winter lasts here for 9 months of the year.The geological, geomorphological and permafrost structure along the shoreline near the station is investigated.The cliff consists of marine sediments of the Middle and Late Pleistocene. The IR-OSL dating of the sands from the cliff’s basement shows that the sediments are 206 000 year old. The marine sediments, including Karginsky deposits with wood and amber, dated by the radiocarbon method and shown to be 42 000 year old (45 000 calendar year old), are covered by Ice Complex sediments, the mammal bones from which have a radiocarbon age of 32 thousand years (36 thousand calendar years). The saiga (Saiga tatarica) bones found near the Taimyr Peninsula for the first time have a radiocarbon age of 17 thousand 14C years (22 thousand calendar years).Permafrost processes are very active in this area of typical tundra. Therefore, a testing plot for investigating permafrost processes was organized on the territory of the station. Also, this place is very convenient for investigating coastal erosion processes. The Khastyr station can be used as a point for organizing complex studies of the natural environment in a typical tundra on the shore of Khatanga Bay.В статье описаны природные условия настоящего времени и их изменения в прошлом в районе расположения полевой базы Арктического и антарктического научно-исследовательского института (ААНИИ) на полуострове Хара-Тумус в Хатангском заливе. Полевая база организована в 2016 г. с целью обеспечения гидрометеорологической информацией нефтеразведочных работ в заливе. В настоящее время планируется ее закрытие по окончании работ, несмотря на очень благоприятное расположение для получения информации: о состоянии климата юго-западной части моря Лаптевых, слабо освещенной гидрометеорологическими наблюдениями, данными о ледовых условиях и колебаниях уровня моря в Хатангском заливе – важной части Северного морского пути; о режиме и процессах в толще многолетнемерзлых пород; о состоянии природной среды прошлого и настоящего. За 6 лет существования станции собран важный фактический материал по всем перечисленным направлениям исследований, обобщение которого является целью настоящей статьи

Is the meiofauna a good indicator for climate change and anthropogenic impacts?

Our planet is changing, and one of the most pressing challenges facing the scientific community revolves around understanding how ecological communities respond to global changes. From coastal to deep-sea ecosystems, ecologists are exploring new areas of research to find model organisms that help predict the future of life on our planet. Among the different categories of organisms, meiofauna offer several advantages for the study of marine benthic ecosystems. This paper reviews the advances in the study of meiofauna with regard to climate change and anthropogenic impacts. Four taxonomic groups are valuable for predicting global changes: foraminifers (especially calcareous forms), nematodes, copepods and ostracods. Environmental variables are fundamental in the interpretation of meiofaunal patterns and multistressor experiments are more informative than single stressor ones, revealing complex ecological and biological interactions. Global change has a general negative effect on meiofauna, with important consequences on benthic food webs. However, some meiofaunal species can be favoured by the extreme conditions induced by global change, as they can exhibit remarkable physiological adaptations. This review highlights the need to incorporate studies on taxonomy, genetics and function of meiofaunal taxa into global change impact research