Siberia Research Articles

Diptera of Yakutia. Lower Brachycera: Athericidae, Xylophagidae and Rhagionidae (Diptera) with description of a new species of the genus Chrysopilus Macquart

A review of the Diptera families Athericidae, Xylophagidae and Rhagionidae of the fauna of Yakutia is presented for the rst time. A new species Chrysopilus czekanovskyi sp. n. is described. The annotated list comprises 17 species (Athericidae - 1, Xylophagidae - 1, Rhagionidae - 15) with data on the localities, dates of collecting, and general distribution. Most species are found in Yakutia and in East Siberia for the rst time. All localities are dotted on the map of Yakutia.

Research on the pottery decorations and manufacturing techniques of the Houtaomuga Phase I culture

Abstract The Houtaomuga Phase I culture represents the earliest Neolithic remains found in Northeast China heretofore, thus filling an over 10,000-year gap in early pottery distribution. Pottery decorations and manufacturing techniques from this culture are unique. The pattern application methods seen are stamping, rolling, and incising. The emergence of flat-bottomed pottery and coiling techniques serves as a prelude to the later ceramic tradition of cylindrical jars with flat bottoms. Comb-teeth decorations along with plant fiber temper indicate similarity with pottery remains in Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East.

Лесные типологии в Российской Федерации

The aim of the work is to conduct a comparative analysis of the main Russian forest type classifications: forest-ecological classification by E.V. Alekseev – P.S. Pogrebnyak, phytocoenotic classification by V.N. Sukachev, genetic classification by B.A. Ivashkevich – B.P. Kolesnikov and dynamic one by I.S. Melekhov. The comparison is made on the following positions: the content of the concept of classification unit (type of habitat conditions, forest type); peculiarities of the classification unit boundary; classification features for determining the type of habitat conditions; distinctive features of phytocenosis classification for establishing the forest type; the degree of consideration of successional dynamics of forest plantations and the influence of anthropogenic factors; the level of implementation in forestry practice and regions of implementation. It is established that during the development of forest typologies the idea of forest type changed from a forest area that is homogeneous in composition, structure and appearance (homogeneity in space) in natural classifications to the idea of forest type with the priority of homogeneity in origin (genesis), development processes and dynamics (homogeneity in time) in comparison with the homogeneity of composition and structure in genetic and dynamic typologies. The geographical distribution of forest-ecological, phytocenotic and genetic classifications of forest types in the Russian Federation at the present moment is given. Forest-ecological classifications are used mainly in the southern regions of the European Russia and in the North Caucasus. Forest typologies based on the genetic approach to forest type classification are used in Western Siberia, in the south of the Far East and Eastern Siberia, and in some regions of the Urals. In the rest of the Russian Federation, phytocenotic classifications of forest types are used. The unification of existing typologies into a single classification is possible on the basis of the genetic approach, as natural typologies within the framework of this approach can be a component of genetic classifications. The solution of the problem of combining the use of different typologies in one region will provide the level of forest inventory, allowing to optimize forest management and compare the obtained data both for the subjects of the Russian Federation and for the country as a whole. For citation: Fomin V.V., Ivanova N.S., Zalesov S.V., Popov A.S., Mikhailovich A.P. Forest Typologies in the Russian Federation. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2023, no. 6, pp. 9–30. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2023-6-9-30

Carbon and Oxygen Stable Isotopes in Isochemical Contact Metamorphism (Case Study of the Kochumdek Aureole, East Siberia)

Abstract ––Carbon and oxygen isotope compositions have been determined in (CO3)-groups of Ca carbonate–silicate minerals (spurrite, tilleyite, and scapolite) and calcite from samples of the Kochumdek contact aureole (East Siberia). The observed small δ13C and δ18O difference between the Kochumdek marbles and their protoliths (Δδ13C ≤ 1.5‰ and Δδ18O ≤ 2.0‰) is consistent with moderate high-temperature metamorphic decarbonation of the protolith (0.1–0.2) and with almost absent metasomatic alteration in the aureole. Significant 18O depletion was inferred only for vein scapolite (δ18O from +17.0 to +17.3‰ V-SMOW) and calcite from recrystallized limestone layers (δ18O from +18.9 to +20.6‰), which is evidence for limited infiltration of magmatic aqueous fluids from the cooling sill into the host sediments. The C and O isotope compositions of (CO3)-bearing spurrite and tilleyite show lower 18O depletion and insignificant 13C depletion relative to calcite, especially in highest-temperature merwinite marble (Δδ18OSpu–Cal = +3.3‰; Δδ13CSpu–Cal = –0.8‰). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) provided constraints on the relative percentages of H2O and CO2 in the fluid at highest-temperature spurrite-merwinite metamorphism. The fluid phase entrapped in calcite from merwinite marble is rich in CO2(XCO2=0.4−0.6).

The search for hybrids between Myriophyllum sibiricum and M. spicatum (Haloragaceae) in North Eurasia allowed to clarify their morphological differences and distribution

Myriophyllum sibiricum and M. spicatum are sympatric in large part of their vast ranges in Eurasia and North America and have different habitat preferences only in East Europe and Siberia. Such absence of both geographic and ecological isolation should trigger extensive hybridization between these species that is indeed observed in North America. The hybrid could be reliably documented only with genetic markers, and in Eurasia this was done only in China. Using genetic markers (ITS2 region of nuclear ribosomal DNA and trnL-trnF intergenic spacer of cpDNA) we documented hybrids between M. sibiricum and M. spicatum on the North Asian Pacific islands with dynamic geological history and climate (Commander and the southern Kuril islands). The hybrid also originated in East Europe (Ivanovo Region) as a result of ecological isolation break due to rapid artificial habitat change. Using genetically verified material throughout temperate Eurasia we clarified morphological characters discriminating M. sibiricum and M. spicatum and, basing on them, refined the species distribution. For the first time we provide a full morphological characteristic of the hybrid between M. sibiricum and M. spicatum and suggest a name for it, M. × hybridum.

Coherent amplification of the Okhotsk high, Korean trough, and northwestern Pacific subtropical high during heavy rainfall over Japan in August 2021

In August 2021, rain front stagnation in Japan resulted in prolonged and disastrous rainfall across the entire country. During the heavy rainfall period, the large-scale atmospheric field over the East Asian–western North Pacific region was characterized by meridional tripolar circulation anomalies: the Okhotsk high (OH), the trough over the Korean Peninsula (Korean trough), and the northwestern Pacific subtropical high (NWPSH). Simultaneously, tropical convective activity was enhanced over the eastern Indian Ocean and suppressed over the tropical western–central Pacific. This study investigates the dynamic mechanism of linkage of the extratropical tripolar anomalies and the effects of tropical convective modulation using a reanalysis dataset, a cutoff low detection scheme, the potential vorticity inversion method, and numerical experiments. Upper-tropospheric blocking over eastern Siberia connected to the surface OH is conducive to the stagnation of synoptic depressions, including cutoff lows and troughs, over the Korean Peninsula, contributing to the development and maintenance of the quasi-stationary Korean trough. Rossby waves emanating from the Korean trough excite an anticyclonic anomaly over the northwestern Pacific. This upper-level anomalous anticyclone acts to enhance the surface NWPSH through zonal heat transport, accompanied by a northward tilting structure with height. Simultaneously, the tropical intraseasonal oscillation is amplified over the Indo–western Pacific Ocean sector under the negative-phase Indian Ocean dipole and multi-year La Niña conditions. The combination of enhanced convection over the eastern Indian Ocean and suppressed convection across the tropical western–central Pacific reinforces the NWPSH. The anomalous circulation associated with the extratropical tripolar pattern and concurrent tropical heat forcing causes more moisture transport, convergence, and anomalous ascent, which contribute to heavy rainfall in Japan. These results suggest that the dynamically correlated amplification of tropical and extratropical circulation anomalies plays a crucial role in precipitation variability in East Asia.

Digitization of the herbarium collection of Irkutsk State University

Since 2019, the Herbarium of Irkutsk State University (IRKU), the largest herbarium collection in Eastern Siberia (150,000 samples), including collections of the XIX century, has been digitized. By March 2023 on the MSU Digital Herbarium platform (https://plant.depo.msu.ru/) 42,297 samples of the IRKU collection from various regions of Siberia and the Far East are freely available. Among them there are species included in the regional and federal Red Books. A modular regional portal “Flora of Baikal Siberia” has been created (https://baikal.depo.msu.ru/) containing 64,163 samples from the territory of Baikal Siberia. More than 42,000 records are integrated into the international GBIF platform.

Columnar optical-radiative properties and components of aerosols in the Arctic summer from long-term AERONET measurements

Aerosols as an external factor have an important role in the amplification of Arctic warming, yet the geography of this harsh region has led to a paucity of observations, which has limited our understanding of the Arctic climate. We synthesized the latest decade (2010–2021) of data on the microphysical–optical–radiative properties of aerosols and their multi-component evolution during the Arctic summer, taking into consideration the important role of wildfire burning. Our results are based on continuous observations from eight AERONET sites across the Arctic region, together with a meteorological reanalysis dataset and satellite observations of fires, and utilize a back-trajectory model to track the source of the aerosols. The summer climatological characteristics within the Arctic Circle showed that the aerosols are mainly fine-mode aerosols (fraction >0.95) with a radius of 0.15–0.20 μm, a slight extinction ability (aerosol optical depth ∼ 0.11) with strong scattering (single scattering albedo ∼0.95) and dominant forward scattering (asymmetry factor ∼ 0.68). These optical properties result in significant cooling at the Earth's surface (∼−13 W m−2) and a weak cooling effect at the top of the atmosphere (∼−5 W m−2). Further, we found that Arctic region is severely impacted by wildfire burning events in July and August, which primarily occur in central and eastern Siberia and followed in subpolar North America. The plumes from wildfire transport aerosols to the Arctic atmosphere with the westerly circulation, leading to an increase in fine-mode aerosols containing large amounts of organic carbon, with fraction as high as 97–98 %. Absorptive carbonaceous aerosols also increase synergistically, which could convert the instantaneous direct aerosol radiative effect into a heating effect on the Earth–atmosphere system. This study provides insights into the complex sources of aerosol loading in the Arctic atmosphere in summer and emphasizes the important impacts of the increasingly frequent occurrence of wildfire burning events in recent years.

Prisoners of War of the First World War in the cities of Eastern Siberia (on the Materials of Kansk from Yenisei Province)

Prisoners of War of the First World War in the cities of Eastern Siberia (on the Materials of Kansk from Yenisei Province)

Lichens of carbonate substrates of the Patom Highlands (Eastern Siberia)

The study of lichens of carbonate substrates of the Patom Highlands was carried out. 177 samples were collected and 28 species of lichens were identified. Among the discovered species there are representatives of both strictly calciphilous flora and lichens of the eurysubstrate group. Calciphilic species constitute a special group of lichens, usually xerophytic or even ultraxerophytic, and have a complex of adaptations to life on carbonate substrates, and adaptation strategies affect not only the fungal component, but also the photobiont. As adaptations to xerothermic habitat conditions, lichens are considered to have a squamous thallus, the presence of pruritus, an epinecral corteх of the thallus, as well as cyanoprokaryotes as a photobiont. Some of the discovered species of cyanobiotic lichens are rare in Russia, among such species are Synalissa symphorea (Weber) Poelt and Racodium rupestre Pers. Increased resistance to adverse climatic conditions is provided to them by blue-green algae as a photobiont, or rather, their mucous membranes surrounding cells and leveling the effects of high humidity - dryness, as well as temperature fluctuations. The carbonate substrates of the Patom Highlands are inhabited by a peculiar complex of lichens, among which there are both ecologically plastic, occurring quite often and under various conditions, and specific species with a narrow ecological amplitude. It is carbonates that are «guides» to the northern latitudes of heat-loving species that have a number of specific adaptations.

Seed efficiency of Pinus sibirica and Pinus pumila hybrids on Lake Baikal shore

Two 5-needle pine species, Pinus sibirica and P. pumila, have vast geographic distribution and form wide hybrid zone in the Eastern Siberia. In the interspecies hybridization studies, seed production of hybrids has primary significance for further evolution of the cross-pollinated species. Seed efficiency of the hybrids and their parental species found on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal was studied. It was shown that mature cones of the hybrids were smaller than that in P sibirica but bigger than that in P. pumila. Seed efficiency, i. e., portion of ovules which give rise filled seeds with well-developed embryo, of the hybrids was 34.0 % and was almost 2-fold less than that in P. pumila (66.2 %) and quite comparable with that in P. sibirica (36.8 %). Low seed efficiency in P. sibirica was due to low seed formation frequency and high portion of empty seeds. Main reproductive losses in the hybrids occurred at all stages from the seed development beginning, portions of the aborted and empty seeds were especially high. Thus, seed efficiency of the hybrids appears high enough for further renewal, but, as a rule, only F1 hybrids are found on Lake Baikal shore.

Stempellinella Brundin, 1947 (Diptera: Chironomidae) from Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East, with the description of new species.

Two new species of the genus Stempellinella Brundin, 1947, S. bazovae sp. nov. and S. chirka sp. nov., from Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East are described. Illustrated redescriptions of males for further three species, S. coronata Inoue, Kawai et Imabayashi, 2004, S. edwardsiSpies et Saether, 2004, S. tamaseptima (Sasa, 1980) are given. Stempellinella ministylus Ree, 2015 is a new synonym Stempellinella coronata Inoue, Kawai et Imabayashi, 2004. Key to the males and pupae of the Russian Far East and Eastern Siberia Stempellinella species is provided.

Population Dynamics of the Largest Cities in Eastern Siberia (1970–1979)

Population Dynamics of the Largest Cities in Eastern Siberia (1970–1979)

Loan Operation in the Issues of Revisions of “Reliability of Capitals and Cashiers” of Mining Associations of State-Owned Mining Plants (second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries)

This article discusses some fragmentary known aspects of the history of mining partnerships – the first domestic institution created in addition to state pension guarantees for retired "free rural residents" of state-owned mining plants in the Caucasus, the Urals, Karelia and Eastern Siberia.
 When writing the article, materials from two Russian archives and, mainly, pre-revolutionary author's publications in the Mining Journal, the official publication of the Mining Scientific Committee, were used.
 The problematic characteristics of loan transactions are analyzed by the content of the identified facts of "neglect" and "damages" investigated during inspections of the activities of the Kusinsky, Zlatoust and Satka partnerships in 1881, 1877–1884 and 1911–1913, respectively. The indicators of financial and material "sustainability" of the system of partnerships as new formations of the post-reform era are given.
 For citation: Orlov P.A. Loan Operation in the Issues of Revisions of “Reliability of Capitals and Cashiers” of Mining Associations of State-Owned Mining Plants (second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries). From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2023, vol.13, no.3, pp.46–59. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2023-13-3.46-59 (In Russian)

Origin of the Badar Sand Field and the late pleistocene tectonic movements in the Tunka depression, the Baikal Rift Zone, Eastern Siberia

The Badar Sand Field is a geomorphological phenomenon representing a dome structure that dominates the topography of the subsiding Tunka Depression in the SW Baikal Rift. Many interpretations of its origin, including tectonic uplift, have been proposed, but the question remains open. We propose a new model to explain its genesis, based on a thorough analysis of both new and previously published geomorphological and sedimentological data. We suggest that the accumulation of the Badar Sand Field occurred in two stages: aquatic and aeolian. The lower part of the sandy deposits accumulated during the long-term existence of a landslide-dammed paleolake within the Tunka Depression. The upper part was formed after the drainage of the paleolake due to aeolian redeposition of sands. New results of OSL-dating from the vertical 40-m geological cross-section “Badar” showed that the accumulation of lake sediments occurred in the period 24–15 thousand years ago (MIS2). Based on the analysis of satellite images, we modeled the paleolake and determined that it arose as a result of landslides that dammed the antecedent section of the Irkut river valley in the Elovsky Spur. The analysis of the Irkut river terraces showed the absence of tectonic uplift within the Tunka Depression in the Holocene. The incision of the Irkut River at 40–90 m into the Badar dome occurred as a result of the restoration of equilibrium in the longitudinal profile of the river due to changes in sedimentation conditions in the post-glacial period.

Long-Term Variations of Ionization Drift Velocities over the South of Eastern Siberia

Long-Term Variations of Ionization Drift Velocities over the South of Eastern Siberia

Faunal Zoning South of Eastern Siberia and Northern Mongolia Using the Example of the Ground Beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Faunal Zoning South of Eastern Siberia and Northern Mongolia Using the Example of the Ground Beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Распространение субаквальной мерзлоты в море Лаптевых по данным сейсморазведки методом преломленных волн

For the first time, for an area of 454 thousand km2 of the Laptev Sea, processing and comprehensive analysis of a large volume of records of the first arrivals of refracted waves of common shot gathers was carried out along 113 CDP seismic lines of JSC MAGE with a total length of about 20.7 thousand km. Fundamentally new information was obtained on the state of the subsea cryolithozone, and the boundary between the predominant distribution of frozen (Southern zone) and thawed (Northern zone) ground was identified. It was substantiated that a number of identified through taliks in the Southern zone have an endogenous genesis and are associated with large disjunctive displacements. High seismic activity in the central part of the Laptev Sea improves faults permeability, which contributes to the activation of subvertical migration of deep fluid flows and enhances the role of the endogenous factor in the degradation of permafrost (frozen ground) and gas hydrates. A large thawed zone was discovered in the North Western area of JSC MAGE activities, approaching close to the coast of Taimyr. A comparison of the results obtained with the data of the stratigraphic well DL-1, drilled in 2022 by FSBI VSEGEI and JSC Rosgeologia near the eastern border of the Laptev Sea, showed their complete correspondence, clearly indicating completed degradation of subsea permafrost in a significant part of the seas of Eastern Siberia.

Regional Dynamics of Industry, Agriculture and Population in Russia in 1990–2020: Geoecological Interpretation

Abstract—The grouping of Russian regions by the type of conjugate dynamics of industry, agriculture and population for 1990–2020, indirectly reflecting the dynamics of the integral anthropogenic load on nature, is carried out. The zones most severely affected by the transformational depression have been identified, which cover practically the entire European Non-Chernozem region, south of Eastern Siberia and the Far East. And a significant increase in loads is observed in the North Caucasus, the Russian Baltic States, the sub-latitude area of the regions stretching from the Bryansk region to Bashkortostan, as well as the Tyumen region. The increase in load occurred primarily within the steppe and forest-steppe zones, which were most transformed by anthropogenic activity. In general, “pressure” on nature increases in a well-developed territory (about 1/10 of the country, where about a third of the population lives), and decreases in a vast poorly developed territory (about half of the territory and 1/6 of the population of Russia). A new environmentally unfavorable trend in the dynamics of pressures on nature is their relative shift to coastal regions, to vulnerable to impacts and scarce in the country recreationally attractive coasts of the Atlantic seas, as well as the Caspian Sea-lake. It has been established that the increase in all types of loads in the leading regions is much more significant than their reduction in the regions of maximum decline. Therefore, the deterioration of the environmental situation in the regions of strong growth in loads is more likely than its improvement in the regions leading their decline. The increase in the load occurred primarily within the steppe and forest-steppe zones, most transformed by anthropogenic activity. In general, the “pressure” on nature increases in a well-developed area (about 1/10 of the country, where about a third of the population lives), and decreases in a vast underdeveloped area (about half of the territory and 1/6 of the population of Russia). A new environmentally unfavorable trend in the dynamics of loads on nature is their relative shift to the coastal regions, to the recreationally attractive coasts of the Atlantic seas, as well as the Caspian Sea–lakes, vulnerable to impacts and scarce in the country. It has been established that the increase in all types of loads in the leading regions is much more significant than their reduction in the regions of maximum recession. Therefore, the deterioration of the environmental situation in the regions of a strong increase in loads is more likely than its improvement in the regions-leaders of their decline.

Structure and formation conditions of the Yarakta productive horizon of the Late Vendian in the southern part of the Nepsko-Botuobinskaya Anticlise

The relevance. Eastern Siberia is a region with large raw material resources that plays a crucial role in development of Russian oil and gas complex. Since the 1970s, active exploration for hydrocarbons has been underway in the Nepsko-Botuobinskaya Anteclise. One of the main targets for development are terrigenous Vendian deposits, in which up to half of the region hydrocarbon reserves are concentrated. Therefore, for optimal development of the fields confined to them, a detailed study of lithological factors of formation of terrigenous reservoirs is required. The main aim. Lithological and facies analysis is used to reconstruct and trace the evolution of sedimentation conditions of the Yarakta productive horizon of the Nepa Formation. Objects. Terrigenous deposits of the Yarakta productive horizon of the Upper Nepa subformation of the Upper Vendian Formation, uncovered by deep drilling in the area of the Yarakta field. Methods. Mineralogical-petrographic study of core material, facial analysis of lithological rock types, correlation. Results. The Yarakta productive horizon was formed during Late Nepa time. At that time, there was a partly subaerial and to a greater extent subaerial delta plain (lower delta plain) within the tidal plain. It is assumed to be a delta of advancement on a coast dominated by tidal activity and to a lesser extent by wave activity (mixed type of coast). In the subsequent transgression, in the late Nepean time (upper part of the strata), a bar system began to form in place of the delta plain with the bars advancing toward the coastline in the northwestern direction. The bars had an elongated lentil-shaped shape along the conditional coastline. During the formation of the bars, due to the active wave and tidal activity, the sediments carried out by the delta were redeposited and re-sorted. At the Late Nepa and Early Tertiary boundary, the entire area was a shallow intertidal and terrigenous sebha (lagoon) with clay-siltstone sediments and sulfate-carbonate inclusions in them; sometimes, sandy sediments of small intertidal channels or sandbanks are noted in them. Improved filtration-capacitative properties are associated with the facies of distributary subaquatic channels and large (active) tidal channels.