Baltic Area Research Articles

Kongemose Flint Technology in the East Baltic Area. Some Examples from Lithuanian Stone Age Sites

This article presents data on Kongemose culture material which has been found in Lithuania but not yet studied. Based on material from west, east and south Lithuania Stone Age settlements, the aim is to acknowledge the existence of this culture’s technology during the Atlantic period in the east Baltic region. The use-wear method was also used for a more detailed analysis. The results of the article contain versions of the emergence and development of rhombus-shaped arrowhead technology in the east Baltic during the Stone Age period. Key words: Kongemose and Nemunas cultures, microlithic technology, Late Mesolithic-Early Neolithic, use-wear, Lithuania. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.15181/ab.v25i0.1831

Creative Industry in South Baltic Area Region

The article presents primary and secondary data collected in research on Creative Industry in South Baltic Region. In the article authors present the wide overview on creative industries in West Pomerania region and give the background on situation of creative industries in South Baltic Area. This region is particularly interesting in research considering the diversity in the development dynamics of the creative sector. In this region there are places leading in the development of the creative sector in Europe, as well as places where this sector is just beginning to develop and take advantage of the prevailing trends.

Problems of the time of foundation and the tectonic evolution of the Onega — Kandalaksha paleorift in the light of the data of isotopic geochronology

Kandalaksha graben, located in the water-area of the White sea, is a part of the Onega-Kandalaksha paleorift of the Riphean time of foundation. It is filled with the terrigenous formations of the Terskaya suites ranging from 3 to 8 km by depth, while the age of the rocks of the Terskaya suite is still controversial, and according to different sources, ranges from 1300 to 670 Ma. This means that the time of the formation of Kandalaksha Graben is not precisely defined. In 2016, on the Tersky Bank of the Kola Peninsula, a sample of sandstones of the suite was selected. The age of the rock of 1390±25 Ma, i.e. the boundary of the early and middle Riphean, was determined by the K-Ar isotope method.. This corresponds to the time of the beginning of the stretching of the lithosphere and continental rifting. Quartz-microcline metasomatites formed on sand-shale spit of Terskaya suite in the zone of amethyst deposit of Cape Korablik gave the age of 821±170 Ma, determined by Sm-Nd method, and fluorite of the same rocks gave the age of 690±71 Ma. The last value is close to the age of the basalts from the Onega depression, defined by the same method. These data correspond to the momentum of stretching of the passive Timan margin of the Baltic area at the end of the late Riphean.

Some Remarks on the Linguistic Community of the Russian Old Believers’ Dialect in Poland and in the Baltic Area

[full article, abstract in Russian; abstract in Lithuanian and English]
 In 2001, Valery N. Chekmonas (1936–2004), an excellent expert on Slavic and Baltic languages, advanced a hypothesis that Old Believers’ Russian dialects in the Baltic area form a rural dialectal community, partly due to their origin. This view was repeated in his paper that was prepared together with Nadezhda Morozova and published in 2007. The Old Believers’ dialect in Poland, investigated by scholars from Nicholas Copernicus University in Toruń (Poland) for several years, appears to be the most western point of the dialects at issue and seems to give additional arguments to Chekmonas’s view.This paper examines the lexical items that may be of Polish origin or are consonant with Polish words. A partial investigation of the collected material (about 15% of all records) allows us to affirm that many of them are present in Russian dialects in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Some of them are restricted to the Baltic area, but most of them can be found in the Russian dialects close to that area (Pskov, Novgorod, Smolensk, Briansk), others in the different Siberian dialect and, what is very significant, in the Belarusian as well. Thus, the investigation supports Valery N. Chekmonas’s hypothesis. Further researches should provide new arguments.

Internationalising higher tourism education: the case of curriculum design in the Central Baltic Area

ABSTRACTThe aim of this article is to increase understanding of the process of curriculum design when incorporating an international dimension into a curriculum in higher tourism education. The process of the internationalisation of the curriculum design is investigated against a theoretical basis and described from a practical perspective by presenting a case from the Central Baltic Area. In this case, the purpose of the internationalisation of the curriculum is to provide an aligned skillset and knowledge necessary to support the development of the Central Baltic Area as a common tourism destination. First, a relevant and mutual skillset was identified by reviewing the existing curricula (N = 17) and national tourism strategies and plans (N = 3) as well as by interviewing representatives of tourism organisations (N = 103). Then, the identified skills and knowledge were translated into a joint curriculum and teaching processes.

Application of Web-GIS and Geovisual Analytics to Monitoring of Seabed Evolution in South Baltic Sea Coastal Areas

Regular surveys of coastal zone seabed deliver important information about geomorphologic processes such as silting of waterways. The recent introduction of the Sentinel series of sensors has allowed for the use of satellite sensing for shallow bathymetry morphology monitoring. In this context, this article presents a dedicated Geographic Information System for Baltic Sea shallow water depth monitoring on the basis of Sentinel-2 imagery. The system employs Geovisual Analytics for differential analysis of bathymetry changes as well as monitoring the visibility of known wrecks in the coastal waters of Southern Baltic Sea. Results are verified with regard to known changes in shallow water bathymetry between 28 June 2015 and 3 March 2017.

Late glacial and early Holocene climate and environmental changes in the eastern Baltic area inferred from sediment C/N ratio

We assessed the utility of using the sediment total organic carbon/total nitrogen (C/N) ratio as an indicator of paleoclimate changes in the eastern Baltic area during the late glacial and early Holocene. The C/N ratio in sediments from Lake Lielais Svētiņu, eastern Latvia, was compared with other sediment variables that are used as proxies of past climate and environment. Analysis revealed that although the organic matter (OM) content in late glacial sediments was extremely low, the C/N ratio captured information about OM origin, and fluctuations in the ratio tracked climate oscillations. The C/N ratio was significantly positively correlated with pollen-inferred mean summer temperature. Therefore, C/N ratio was lower under colder conditions, indicating a predominantly phytoplankton origin of OM, and was higher during warmer conditions, when there was more vegetation around the lake. A strong positive correlation between C/N ratio and the paleopigment beta carotene suggested that elevated phytoplankton production resulted from higher nutrient availability that was controlled largely by the input of terrestrial OM to the lake during warmer climate episodes. Thus, C/N ratio was a good indicator of paleoclimate changes, at least for the late glacial period, when generally cold conditions prevailed. This study also demonstrates the power of multi-proxy paleolimnological analyses for investigating past environmental changes in lakes and their watersheds.

A sword scabbard chape with a depiction of a bird of prey from the surroundings of Kostrzyn

In 2016, an Early Medieval sword scabbard chape was handed over to the Museum of Kostrzyn Fortress. According to the person submitting it, it was found about 5-6 years earlier in the northern part of Kostrzyn nad Odrą. The main decorative motif of the openwork field is a heraldically arranged bird. The closest analogies to the chape in question are dated to the second half of the 10th and 11th century. Artefacts of this type could have been produced in Scandinavia, but also in the Rus and Baltic areas. Unfortunately, we are not able to say what raw material was used to cast the artefact in question. An analysis of the metal composition of the find carried out on the surface of the artefact demonstrated that a very heterogeneous lead alloy was used, which could have also been a result of lead-bleaching. The same technology was also observed on the chapes from Ruthenia. Scholars have explained the presence of an ornithomorphic motif on the surface of the artefact in various ways

Contrasting responses to long-term climate change of carbon flows to benthic consumers in two different sized lakes in the Baltic area.

The study of lake sediments and archived biological remains is a promising approach to better understand the impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems. Small lakes have been shown to be strongly sensitive to past climate change, but similar information is lacking for large lakes. By identifying responses to climate change of carbon flows through benthic food web in two different sized lakes, we aimed to understand how lake morphometry can mediate the effects of climate change. We reconstructed the dynamics of phytoplankton community composition and carbon resources sustaining chironomid biomass during the Holocene from the combined analysis of sedimentary pigment quantification and carbon stable isotopic composition of subfossil chironomid head capsules (δ13CHC) in a large lake in the Baltic area (Estonia). Our results showed that chironomid biomass in the large lake was mainly sustained by phytoplankton, with no significant relationship between δ13CHC values and temperature fluctuations. We suggest that lake morphometry (including distance of the sampling zone to the shoreline, and lake volume for primary producers) mediates the effects of climate change, making large lakes less sensitive to climate change. Complementary studies are needed to better understand differences in organic matter dynamics in different sized lakes and to characterize the response of the aquatic carbon cycle to past climate change.

Effect of the Karlino oil field operations (Zachodniopomorskie Province) on metal bioaccumulation in aquatic plants in rivers within the Baltic drainage area

Effect of the Karlino oil field operations (Zachodniopomorskie Province) on metal bioaccumulation in aquatic plants in rivers within the Baltic drainage area

The experimental testing of semi-authomated process of degraded DNA extraction and reading on ancient samples from Baltic area

The extracting the genetic information from old and degraded DNA now become a serious and promising direction of biotechnology. In Russia, this kind of technological systems is fully developing only recent years, so building and testing the processes for degraded DNA extraction and reading is still important, as it makes Russia independent from foreign laboratories. Below we outline the authomated process designed and performed in Russia, and mainly the result of the experiment on Y-DNA haplogroup defining of two ancient burials from Kaliningrad Area. The obtained data allows defining the Y-haplogroup R1a with a certain probability. The paper outlines the experiment, testing process, and the obtained results for both samples in form of precise but scarce data. The experiment showed that the developed system manages with 1000-1500 year old samples preserved in acid soils prevailing in Russia. The technology mentioned and used in the test was developed in Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology by the Laboratory of Historical Genetics, Radiocarbon Analysis, and Applied Physics and was used in the project according to the agreement.

Cross-border collaboration for innovation in tourism: The case of oceanographic museums

One of the key cross-border collaboration areas covered by the support of the European Union is tourism. As a policy area of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, tourism is of strategic importance in the region. While EU reports present mostly aggregated information on the outcomes and achievements within respective programmes, this paper takes a case study approach and concentrates on a single project, aimed at introducing an augmented form of touring based on interactive multimedia guides in three oceanographic museums located in the South Baltic area. The research goal is to reveal the obstacles encountered during the project implementation, the solutions applied to ensure efficient cooperation, the project’s influence on the mutual perception of the participating organizations and its benefits as seen from the perspective of the personnel involved in the project’s realization as well as their general attitude to the project after its completion.

Three-Dimensional Geographically Weighted Inverse Regression (3GWR) Model for Satellite Derived Bathymetry Using Sentinel-2 Observations

ABSTRACTCurrent trends of development of satellite derived bathymetry (SDB) models rely on applying calibration techniques including analytical approaches, neuro-fuzzy systems, regression optimization and others. In most of the cases, the SDB models are calibrated and verified for test sites, that provide favorable conditions for the remote derivation of bathymetry such as high water clarity, homogenous bottom type, low amount of sediment in the water and other factors. In this paper, a novel 3-dimensional geographical weighted regression (3GWR) SDB technique is presented, it binds together methods already presented in other studies, the geographically weighted local regression (GWR) model, with depth dependent inverse optimization. The proposed SDB model was calibrated and verified on a relatively difficult test site of the South Baltic near-shore areas with the use of multispectral observations acquired by a recently launched Sentinel-2 satellite observation system. By conducted experiments, it was shown that the proposed SDB model is capable of obtaining satisfactory results of RMSE ranging from 0.88 to 1.23[m] depending on the observation and can derive bathymetry for depths up to 12m. It was also shown, that the proposed approach may be used operationally, for instance, in the continuous assessment of temporal bathymetry changes, for areas important in the context of ensuring local maritime safety.

Asida groehnisp. nov., the First and the Oldest Fossil Representative of the Subfamily Pimeliinae from Eocene Baltic Amber (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Asidini)

Asida groehni sp. nov. (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Asidini) is described from Eocene Baltic amber from the Kaliningrad Region (Russia). This is the first fossil species belonging to the genus Asida Latreille, 1802 and only the eighth described darkling beetle species from Eocene Baltic amber. This species helps support the hypothesis that the climate in this part of Europe was warmer during Eocene, as no Asida species are currently present in the Baltic area due to not appropriate climate. This new fossil species is similar to modern Asida species in the subgenus Planasida Escalera, 1907, which occur in the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb, but it differs from all known Asida in pronotal sculpturing and pilosity, and by its yellow brown shiny cuticle, well visible on the pronotal disc. Despite species-level differences, the new extinct species appears to fit easily within the extant genus Asida.

Baltic studies in Romania: sources, beginnings and perspectives

This article analyses the beginnings, development and prospect of Baltic studies in Romania. The article stands on three pillars. It starts with an investigation on the main sources of Romanian knowledge of the Baltic region and sorts out the way they have been represented in the Romanian mental images. Throughout the analysis, knowledge of each other is bonded to the concepts of memory and history based on the assumption that the largest part of our knowledge derives from remembering, this being applicable even in the high sphere of international relations. This theoretical framework is sampled to the case-study of Romania’s knowledge of Baltic area assessing the medieval, modern and 20th century legacy of the Romanian encounters with the Baltic States discovering that, although the distance between Suceava, the medieval capital of Moldova, and Vilnius is less than 1,000 km. (or 600 miles) and the Principality of Moldova of Stephen the Great neighbored the state of Jagiellonians, in most cases, the legacy of the relations between Romanians and Baltic nations played little role in feeding a sense of solidarity or complementarity between these nations. This pattern is now challenged by courses on Baltic and Nordic studies taught at Valahia University of Târgoviște and the activity of the Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies, which joins the efforts of scholars from various Romanian institutes and universities, especially from Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest, Constanța and Târgoviște. The analysis of these endeavors, the other two pillars of this article, brings forth educational, scholarly, editorial and dissemination efforts designed to change the perspective of the Romanian public in this respect.

Energy Security in Europe Political Issues for a Strategic Matter

Every member state of the European Union has its own energy security strategy and its own way of dealing with international partners in the energy field, depending on the national gas and oil necessities, power generating capacities, geostrategic position in Europe and economic and politic influences. Insufficient energy resources led some of the European states with powerful economies to accepting in their bilateral relations conditions, positions and decisions that otherwise would have been unacceptable. On the other hand, countries like Romania, Ukraine, Turkey and the countries of the Baltic Area, give more credit to the national security issues, in spite of being partially or even totally energy dependent on the resources provided by the Russian Federation. Those countries are much more uncompromising in front of the Russians intentions to use energy as an important instrument for blackmailing Europe and imposing a certain political, economic and strategic influence at the global level. The article shows how the globalized economy with its multinational companies influence European strategic development, the main features of the the European Commission strategic projection for energy security on the continent, the Russian Federation strategy for weakening Europe and the alternative solutions for e better European energy security.

Broadleaf deciduous forest counterbalanced the direct effect of climate on Holocene fire regime in hemiboreal/boreal region (NE Europe)

Disturbances by fire are essential for the functioning of boreal/hemiboreal forests, but knowledge of long-term fire regime dynamics is limited. We analysed macrocharcoal morphologies and pollen of a sediment record from Lake Lielais Svētiņu (eastern Latvia), and in conjunction with fire traits analysis present the first record of Holocene variability in fire regime, fuel sources and fire types in boreal forests of the Baltic region. We found a phase of moderate to high fire activity during the cool and moist early (mean fire return interval; mFRI of ∼280 years; 11,700–7500 cal yr BP) and the late (mFRI of ∼190 years; 4500–0 cal yr BP) Holocene and low fire activity (mFRI of ∼630 years) during the Holocene Thermal Optimum (7500–4500 cal yr BP). Charcoal morphotypes and the pollen record show the predominance of frequent surface fires, occasionally transitioning to the crown during Pinus sylvestris-Betula boreal forests and less frequent surface fires during the dominance of temperate deciduous forests. In contrast to the prevailing opinion that fires in boreal forests are mostly low to moderate severity surface fires, we found evidence for common occurrence of stand-replacing crown fires in Picea abies canopy. Our results highlight that charcoal morphotypes analysis allows for distinguishing the fuel types and surface from crown fires, therefore significantly advancing our interpretation of fire regime. Future warmer temperatures and increase in the frequency of dry spells and abundant biomass accumulation can enhance the fire risk on the one hand, but will probably promote the expansion of broadleaf deciduous forests to higher latitudes, on the other hand. By highlighting the capability of broadleaf deciduous forests to act as fire-suppressing landscape elements, our results suggest that fire activity may not increase in the Baltic area under future climate change.

A plausible scenario of nuclear war in Europe, and how to deter it: A perspective from Estonia

ABSTRACTThe specter of nuclear war in Europe has returned under the regime of Vladimir Putin in Russia. Russia’s large-scale exercises incorporate the scenarios of a limited nuclear strike against NATO as part of Moscow’s “escalation to de-escalate” concept. Russia has acquired an edge over NATO in tactical nuclear weaponry and is expanding the range of tactical delivery systems. Moscow’s political rhetoric includes nuclear threats toward the West. NATO’s range of response options to such threats and limited nuclear war scenarios has shrunk considerably, and the alliance to lacks the collective will to call those threats a bluff. Because of Russia’s regional superiority in conventional forces and its anti-access/area denial capabilities, the Baltic area is particularly vulnerable. Despite deployment of Enhanced Forward Presence units to the eastern flank members, NATO still relies on deterrence by punishment to prevent the possibility of Russian military attack in the area. But Russia’s posture and capabilities could allow it to seize the Baltics, establishing a relatively quick fait accompli that it then defends by issuing nuclear threats. To prevent Russian miscalculation of the alliance’s determination – a miscalculation that could lead to a major war – NATO needs to build credible conventional deterrence in the Baltic area, making it impossible for Russia to seize any of these countries quickly.

Cutaneous Complications Related to Tattoos: 31 Cases from Finland

Background: Cutaneous complications related to permanent tattoos affect 2-30% of those patients who have tattooed their skin. Little is known about the cases of tattoo complications in Finland. Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a retrospective review of a series of Finnish patients with cutaneous tattoo reactions. Methods: We collected cases of tattoo reactions from the Department of Dermatology at Helsinki University Central Hospital, from members of the Finnish dermatological society and from various other sources (author's private practice, tattooists, professional internet forum). We analysed the demographics, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and microscopic findings on the skin biopsies, and evaluated the therapeutic outcome. Results: Thirty-one patients (16 men and 15 women, mean age 37.8) were included from 9 cities, mainly from Helsinki. Fifty-two percent (16/31) presented with an allergic tattoo reaction mainly against the red colour (75%, 12/16). Reactions were clinically polymorph ranging from scattered papules or nodules to complete infiltration of a colour. Lesions were itchy and sometimes painful. The reactions were lichenoid, granulomatous, pseudolymphomatous or less specific with a dermal lympho-histiocytic or plasmocytic infiltrate. Other diagnoses included tattoo blow-out (13%), melanoma within a tattoo, naevi within a tattoo (10% each), lichen planus (6%), granulomatous reaction with uveitis, sarcoidosis and dermatofibroma (3% each). Allergic tattoo reactions were mainly treated with local corticosteroid (CS) ointments, CS infiltration or surgical removal. Conclusion: This review is the largest series of tattoo complications in the Baltic area. It illustrates the wide spectrum of complications. Prospective, controlled therapeutic studies are necessary to assess the best treatment protocols for tattoo allergies and tattoo reaction management in general.

Basement structure of the Paleozoic Platform in Poland

The Paleozoic Platform comprises the southwestern half of the Polish territory, separated from the Precambrian East European Platform (EEP) by a NW–SE trending subvertical lithospheric-scale discontinuity – the Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone. In the present study, the Paleozoic Platform basement is subdivided based on geological and geophysical evidence acquired during the last decades, including deep seismic refraction and reflection results, as well as gravity, magnetic and magnetotelluric data. The units adjacent to the EEP, the Mid-Polish Domain (comprising the Łysogory Block) and the Pomeranian Block, are characterized by a thinned three-layer EEP-type crystalline crust (age 1.7–3.7 Gy). Their oldest platform cover is probably composed of thick Ediacaran syn-rift sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Their western extension in the contiguous German and Baltic area can be traced as far as the East Elbian Massif and Thor Suture based mainly on magnetic anomaly patterns. The Upper Silesian and Malopolska blocks located in SE Poland are characterized by Cadomian (660–600 My) basement overlain by the thick deformed Ediacaran foredeep deposits. Whereas the units with the EEP-type basement are interpreted as proximal terranes displaced along the EEP margin during the late Early Paleozoic, the blocks with a Cadomian basement are conceived as exotic terranes of a possible Gondwanan provenance. All these terranes were accreted ultimately during the final, latest Silurian stages of the Caledonian deformation although the exact scenario of the amalgamation remains hypothetical. The Sudetic Domain in SW Poland is a collage of different crustal units juxtaposed ultimately in the Pennsylvanian (ca. 310 Ma) during the final episodes of the Variscan Orogeny. Their northern boundary corresponds to the Rheic Suture traceable in magnetic and gravity anomalies pattern along the northern margin of the Wolsztyn–Leszno High, and continuing westwards along the Mid-German Crystalline High. The arcuate trace of the suture in the NE is dextrally displaced along the Odra Fault, and continues southwards where it is mapped as the Moravian–Silesian Suture.