5th International Summer School for Students and Young Scientists "Natural and Human Environment of Arctic and Alpine Areas: Relief, Soils, Permafrost, Glaciers, Biota Life Style of Native Ethnic Groups in a Rapidly Changing Climate

Abstract

The fifth International Conference and Research-Educational Summer School for young scientists “Natural and human environment of Arctic and Alpine areas: relief, soils, permafrost, glaciers, biota and lifestyle of native ethnic groups in a rapidly changing climate”.07-21, July 2018, Tomsk-Aktru (Russia)S N Kirpotin“Bio-Clim-Land” Center of Excellence, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, RussiaThe Fifth International Conference and Research-Educational Summer School “Natural and human environment of Arctic and Alpine areas: relief, soils, permafrost, glaciers, biota and lifestyle of native ethnic groups in a rapidly changing climate”. The Conference and Summer School are dedicated to specially protected natural territories in Russia. It was started with the plenary session in the cosy city of Tomsk on 8 July. This famous cultural centre has been named “the Siberian Cambridge”. After plenary session, there were 3 days for the field excursion to the High Altai (1200 km South from Tomsk). This crossed different landscapes, such as south taiga, sub-taiga, forest-step, step, mountain taiga, mountain meadow, mountain tundra, glacial and periglacial areas. Participants observed different geographical provinces, such as West-Siberian Plain, Piedmont Altai, North Altai, High Central Altai and High SouthEast Altai. All this provided an opportunity to become acquainted with a great variety of landscapes, different types of reliefs and paleogeographical relics, well-expressed geological structures and evidences of earthquakes, amazing biodiversity in wild ecosystems, unique archaeological objects and the dynamic variety of nomadic populations. The main part of the School (6 days) was hold at the Aktru Research Station of the National Research Tomsk State University. The Station was founded by M.V. Tronov, the distinguished scientist and Professor of the Tomsk State University, who is a founder of the Siberian Glaciological Scientific School. There were various field excursions as well as lectures at the Station and in its surroundings. Moreover, students and young researchers had a unique opportunity to participate in the real field research to study the tree-line shift and primary successions on deglaciated areas.