Karelian Isthmus Research Articles

Early asbestos ware in North-Western Russia

Early Asbestos Ware was spreading in the second half of the 5th – early 4th mil. BC in southeastern Finland. Complexes with similar pottery are also known in Russia: on the Karelian Isthmus, in Karelia, and on the Kola Peninsula. In this study, 23 sites were identified that contain the Early Asbestos Ware (at least 49 vessels). The considered materials generally correspond to the typological division of Kaunissaari and Ka I:2asb Ware, but they have originality in decoration. There are traits in ornamentation similar with the Sperrings 2 Ware, common in Finland, but not with the Karelian version of Sperrings as well as with Pit-Comb Ware. XRD analysis showed the presence of anthophyllite in six fragments of Early Asbestos Ware analyzed during the study, so it could be interpreted as the evidence of an impulse from the Lake Saimaa area.

Phytogeographical specificity of bogs of the northwestern Karelian Isthmus (Leningrad Region)

The vegetation of the bogs of the northwestern part of the Karelian Isthmus is characterized. Main attention is paid to oligotrophic, ridge-hollow massifs which are reference for the southern half of the taiga zone, and have reached the ridge-pool stage of development. It was found that the bog vegetation of this part of the Karelian Isthmus differs from that of the rest of the Leningrad Region, having features that bring it closer to the vegetation of the bogs of the Baltic Sea coast. Trichophorum cespitosum occurs constantly, in places abundantly, on the ridge-pool sites of these bogs. Chamaedaphne calyculata is missing. In the herb-dwarf-shrub layer of the ridges, Calluna vulgaris holds undivided dominance, while Rhynchospora alba dominates in the hollows. In the moss layer, Sphagnum cuspidatum dominates in most hollows, S. tenellum in some massifs, and S. rubellum is often found and sometimes dominates on ridges. In the bogs of this part of the Isthmus, both Sphagnum divinum and S. medium grow, their ratio in terms of occupied area and frequency of occurrence varies in both different and sometimes neighboring massifs, and a trend to a gradual decrease of the share of Sphagnum medium along the west–east gradient is observed. Also, they ocupy different habitats. There are few lichens on the ridges, and they do not play any phytocenotic role in the studied bogs. The bogs of the studied area differ sharply in vegetation from the bogs of the South Karelian and East Baltic mire provinces, having many similarities with the bogs of the Baltic Coastal province.

About mathematical modeling in limnology, oceanology, ecology and economics in the works of V.V. Menchutkin

The article gives a brief review of the works of Doctor of Biological Sciences, Prof. V.V. Menshutkin for the 65-year period of scientific activity, which began in the 60s of the XX century with experimental works on the hydrophisics of Lake Baikal and the first mathematical models of the perch population of the small lake Kherya-Yarvi (Karelian Isthmus) and fish community in Lake Dalneye (Kamchatka). The latter was of great practical importance when concluding an agreement with Japan on catch quotas for sockeye salmon.V.V. Menshutkin’s range of interests was very wide and included mathematical modeling in biology, physiology, limnology, oceanology, demography, economics, ecology and rational nature management. The works on research of water objects and processes in them include modeling of dynamics of fish and aquatic invertebrate populations, Antarctic krill. He created mathematical models of ecosystems of Ladoga and Onega lakes, and during oceanic expeditions of the Academy of Sciences — of the Sea of Japan and the Peruvian upwelling area.His research in the field of physiology of blood circulation and water-salt metabolism, works related to space subjects, modeling of diagnostics and treatment of mental diseases are interesting. V.V. Menshutkin paid special attention to the issues of biological evolution. V.V. Menshutkin paid special attention to the issues of biological evolution and modeling of evolutionary process. The mathematical apparatus used by V.V. Menshutkin is very broad. The mathematical apparatus used by V.V. Menshutkin is very wide: from systems of differential equations to finite automata, neural networks, fuzzy logic and cognitive modeling (a new direction in artificial intelligence), with which the studies of ecological-socio-economic systems of water bodies catchments were connected.O.P. Savchuk and V.V. Menshutkin united research methods — mathematical modeling and objects under study: oceans, seas and lakes. However, their only joint work was the collective monograph on the results of “Nevskaya Guba” project, which conclusions became the basis for the important decision to complete the construction of the dam in St. Petersburg.

Exploring local and regional vegetation compositional changes during the Neolithic (5th–3rd millennium BC): A case study on the forager impact on vegetation in north-east Europe

This research explores the vegetation compositional changes between the fifth and third millennium BC on the Karelian Isthmus (north-west Russia). Special emphasis is placed on studying the timing and magnitude of the impact of hunter-fisher-gatherers on the vegetation. First, we reconstruct the local vegetation around Lake Bolshoye Zavetnoye by using the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm modelling. The application of different scenarios to the relevant source area of pollen is used to assess the local vegetation around Lake Bolshoye Zavetnoye (BZL) at specific distances from 500 to 3000 m. The regional vegetation reconstruction is assessed by using the REVEALS model. Second, we present new pollen and charcoal data from adjacent Lake Ikmenlampi (LI). Third, we calculate indices of vegetation change for BZL, LI and the region. We further explore the potential causes for these differences between the spatial scales and compare all these outcomes with local and regional archaeological data. The results show that foragers actively manipulated their environment. A shift towards more heliophilous conditions is shown by ca 4800 BC. Between 4000 and 3000 BC, an increase in archaeological material suggests intensive resource procurement and landscape management activities, particularly near settlements. Around the BZL site a local decrease in birch is observed from 4100 BC, coinciding with an increase in the rate of vegetation changes. Additionally, a decline in tree species (spruce, hazel, Alder) from 3500 to 3300 BC suggests human activities. The high fire frequency recorded between 4090 and 3150 BC further supports the presence of local human disturbances by the deliberate use of fire to create favourable living conditions. The results from the LI site go in the same direction with fluctuating abundances of spruce and the presence of pollen from Cannabis, Hordeum, Urtica and Plantago lanceolata from ca 4000 to 3600 BC, indicating the use of spruce-dominated forests and an early, incipient cultivation.

The Characterization of Biodiversity and Soil Emission Activity of the “Ladoga” Carbon-Monitoring Site

The global climate crisis forces mankind to develop carbon storage technologies. “Ladoga” carbon monitoring site is part of the Russian climate project “Carbon Supersites”, which aims to develop methods and technologies to control the balance of greenhouse gases in various ecosystems. This article shows the condition of soil and vegetation cover of the carbon polygon “Ladoga” using the example of a typical southern taiga ecosystem in the Leningrad region (Russia). It is revealed that soils here are significantly disturbed as a result of agrogenic impact, and the vegetation cover changes under the influence of anthropogenic activity. It has been found that a considerable amount of carbon is deposited in the soils of the carbon polygon; its significant part is accumulated in peat soils (60.0 ± 19.8 kg × m−2 for 0–100 cm layer). In agrogenically disturbed and pristine soils, carbon stocks are equal to 12.8 ± 2.9 kg × m−2 and 8.3 ± 1.3 kg × m−2 in the 0–100 cm layer, respectively. Stocks of potentially mineralizable organic matter (0–10 cm) in peat soils are 0.48 ± 0.01 kg × m−2; in pristine soils, it is 0.58 ± 0.06 kg × m−2. Peat soils are characterized by a higher intensity of carbon mineralization 9.2 ± 0.1 mg × 100 g−1 × day−1 with greater stability. Carbon in pristine soils is mineralized with a lower rate—2.5 ± 0.2 mg × 100 g−1 × day−1. The study of microbial diversity of soils revealed that the dominant phyla of microorganisms are Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria; however, methane-producing Archaea—Euryarchaeota—were found in peat soils, indicating their potentially greater emission activity. The results of this work will be useful for decision makers and can be used as a reference for estimating the carbon balance of the Leningrad region and southern taiga boreal ecosystems of the Karelian Isthmus.

Prioritization of Soviet-Finnish negotiations of 1938-1939.

This article examines the complex of Soviet-Finnish negotiations through the lens of the issue of priority of Soviet demands in the period of the autumn negotiations of 1939. The negotiation process between the USSR and Finland, concerning the relations between the two states against the background of Germany's aggressive policy, began not in the fall of 1939, but a year and a half earlier - in the spring of 1938. The points of the Soviet demands voiced by the Soviet side during the negotiation process were changed and adjusted. Moreover, in comparison with the Soviet proposals of 1938, there were new points that had not appeared before. The study of the reasons for the changing rhetoric in the negotiation process between the USSR and Finland will help to understand the nature of the breakdown of the negotiations in the fall of 1939. The problem of the article is the question of the correctness or incorrectness of the thesis about the priority of the goal of moving the land border on the Karelian Isthmus away from Leningrad during the negotiations between the Soviet Union and Finland in 1938-1939. This thesis has not been questioned in domestic historiography, apparently because only the Soviet demands of 1939 were taken as a basis and less importance was attached to the proposals put forward by the Soviet side during the negotiations of 1938 and the spring of 1939. The confirmation or refutation of the thesis about the priority of the clause in the text of the memorandum on the movement of the land frontier on the Karelian Isthmus should be the outcome of this study.

Holocene and postglacial lake sedimentation in the central part of the Karelian Isthmus as an example of Lake Krasnoye in the Leningrad region

This paper deals with the issue of changing the conditions of the geographical environment in the postglacial and Holocene in the central part of the Karelian Isthmus. Toward paleogeographic reconstruction, a survey of the sediments of the bottom of Lake Krasnoye (Leningrad Oblast, Russian Federation) was conducted, since the lake deposits represent a reliable source of information about natural events from the past. A large amount of data obtained by X-ray fluorescence analysis of the core sample was analyzed, a lithostratigraphic description of the sediments was carried out and geophysical characteristics of the bottom sediments were interpreted. They were divided into several units that differed in the number of properties and reflected different sedimentation conditions. In the reconstruction of the past natural environment, special attention is paid to paleoclimatic and paleosedimentological issues.

Joint Three-Dimensional Interpretation of AMTS and RMT-C Tensor Data in a Region Prospective for Discovery of Primary Diamond Sources (Karelian Isthmus)

Joint Three-Dimensional Interpretation of AMTS and RMT-C Tensor Data in a Region Prospective for Discovery of Primary Diamond Sources (Karelian Isthmus)

Joint Three-Dimensional Interpretation of AMTS and RMT-C Tensor Data in a Region Promising the Discovery of Primary Diamond Sources (Karelian Isthmus)

Abstract—The paper presents the techniques and results of the joint interpretation of AMTS and RMT-C tensor data in the area of the Karelian Isthmus near the village of Yablonovka, promising the discovery of primary diamond sources. Earlier, according to drilling data, fluid-cataclastic breccias, fluidolites, were identified here, which, according to modern geological concepts, can be primary diamond sources. The site is located in the marginal part of the Pash-Ladoga rift zone and is characterized by a complex three-dimensional structure. Under these conditions, in the presence of a system of multidirectional faults, the joint interpretation of the AMTS and RMT-C tensor data was performed within a 3D model of the medium. To reduce the inversion execution time, an approach and a procedure for transforming the RMT-C data obtained in the intermediate zone of a controlled source to sounding curves corresponding to the plane wave model are proposed. The transformed RMT-C apparent resistivity curves were also used to correct the static shifts of the AMTS curves. A joint 3D inversion was performed taking into account the relief. The resulting model is in good agreement with the geological data obtained from the wells previously drilled near the work site. The geoelectric sections show zones of relatively increased resistivity, which may be associated with fluidolites. The developed approaches to the joint 3D interpretation of AMTS and RMT-C tensor data and the obtained information about the structure and properties of the basement rocks, rocks hosting fluidolites, and overlying sedimentary deposits, can be used in prospecting works for diamonds on the Karelian Isthmus and adjacent territories.

New data on the palynostratigraphy of the Mikulinian (Eemian) deposits in the lower reaches of the Pyoza River (northeastern White Sea region)

The palynological method was used to study a 455 cm thick marine sediment sequence, which overlies the Moscovian moraine in the Bychye-2 section on the Pyoza River (Arkhangel’sk region). The pollen records obtained allowed us to make a palynozonal subdivision of the section and to trace the plant cover transformations that occurred in the northeastern White Sea region during the Boreal transgression. When comparing the established local palynozones with the regional subdivisions of the reference sections Bychye-1, located 5 km upstream on the Pyoza River from the Bychye-2 site, and Peski on the Karelian Isthmus, we also employed the methods of correlation and event palynostratigraphy. It has been found that the marine sediments in the Bychye-2 section accumulated from the end of the Moscovian glaciation (~ 131 ka BP) until ~ 119,5 ka BP. The seven local palynozones established in the Bychye-2 section indicate a consistent change in climatic conditions and vegetational feedbacks. The main trend is the rapid displacement of Arctic-type shrub-herbaceous communities by pine-birch forests at the very beginning of the Mikulinian (Eemian) interglacial and the subsequent rise in the proportion of dark coniferous elements in the forests due to the growing humidity of the climate in the course of the transgression. A significant warming of the climate led to the emergence of thermophilic deciduous plants (oak, elm, hazel, and possibly even hornbeam) in the forests of the region. The predominance of pine-birch forests and the disappearance of all thermo- and hygrophilic elements of the vegetation followed the deterioration of climatic conditions during the final stage of the Mikulinian interglacial.

DISTRIBUTION OF AN INVASIVE SPECIES OF HERACULUM SOSNOWSKYI MANDEN. (APIACEAE) IN THE LENINGRAD REGION

In the Leningrad Region, Heracleum sosnowskyi hogweed prefers well-developed fertile light and medium loamy sod-podzolic and sod-carbonate soils; it is practically absent in swamps and wetlands, in territories occupied by spruce forests, as well as pine forests with infertile low-power soils on sandy and rocky substrates. The most favorable hydrothermal, orographic, hydrological, soil, and ecological conditions for the development and spread of Sosnovsky hogweed are observed in the western, agriculturally developed areas (Slantsevsky, Kingisepp, Lomonosov, Volosovsky, Gatchina) with dismembered hilly relief, cultivated fields, occupying 7-13% of their territory, fallow lands. To the south, east and north of the area the conditions for development and spreading of hogweed become markedly worse that is stipulated mainly to the south and east by flat-low character of relief, its waterlogging, the spread of spruce and pine forests that are little and unfavorable for hogweed, low-power and poor soils on rocky substrates, especially to the north on the Karelian Isthmus and in the Podporozhsky district in the northeast.

Characteristics of the Low Molecular Weight Metabolome of Potamogeton Natans L. (Potamogetonaceae) from Lakes of Different Trophic State (Karelian Isthmus, Northwest Russia)

The qualitative and quantitative component composition of low molecular weight volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the essential oil of the floating-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton natans L., Potamogetonaceae family) growing in various lakes of the Karelian Isthmus (North-West of the Russian Federation) in the fruiting stage was investigated in detail for the first time by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The low molecular weight metabolome (LMWM) of P. natans contained 138 components, 128 of which were identified. VOCs belonging to esters, alcohols, and various functional groups dominated the LMWM of floating leaf pondweed from mesotrophic and eutrophic lakes. A significant similarity was found between the component composition of VOCs of floating leaf pondweed from mesotrophic and eutrophic lakes. Many of the substances found in the LMWM of P. natans can be attributed to biologically active compounds. This opens up prospects for the use of this plant (particularly manool and ecdysteroids from its LMWM) for various economic applications as a valuable natural raw material. Due to the characteristic of the floating leaf pondweed's substantial resistance of its LMWM to the factor of the trophic status of the lakes, it is feasible to use it as an ecological indicator of significant disruptions in aquatic environments.

Охотничьи ямы Восточной Фенноскандии: археология и этнография

The purpose of the work is to analyze the method of hunting for large animals using trapping pits. These interesting archaeological artifacts are known in the tundra and North taiga zone of Northern Eurasia. The paper deals with the main problems of the initial stage of their study.
 In the European part of Russia, the trapping pits were studied insignificantly. Extensive work was carried out in Sweden, Norway, and Finland. The pits were dug and provided with special long fences. The main huntable animals were reindeer and elk. In Russia, the trapping pits are known from the Karelian Isthmus to the Barents Sea. They were used from the Mesolithic to the XVI century. In the Middle Ages in Fennoscandia, the traps could be made by aborigines, Sami, and neighboring groups as Karelians, Finns, Germans. Against a comprehensive study of ethnography and archeology, the hunting pits are good informative archaeological assets.

Natural radioactivity of groundwater in Vendian deposits in St. Petersburg Region

The study is focused on the hydrogeological conditions and the chemistry of groundwater of the Vendian aquifer in the western part of the Leningrad oblast (Karelian Isthmus and the area near Sosnovy Bor town) and St. Petersburg City, where groundwater features higher radioactivity, but nevertheless it is used for drinking water supply. Data on the radiological characteristics, which have been determined in the estimation of the quality of groundwater used for drinking are generalized and analyzed. These characteristics include the gross alpha and gross beta activity and the specific activity of natural radionuclides 222Rn, 226Ra, 228Ra, 210Pb, 210Po, 238U, and 234U. The data were subjected to statistical and correlation analysis to determine the hygienic criteria for the use of groundwater of this aquifer for drinking water supply and to study the sources and the processes of formation of the natural radiological background. Groundwater quality standards were shown to be exceeded in the majority of the analyzed wells. The brackish water in the southern, deeper, part of the aquifer system was shown to have higher radioactivity and relatively high concentrations of 226Ra, 228Ra, 210Pb, and 210Po, compared with fresh water in the northern part of the territory, of which higher, though nonuniform, 222Rn activity is typical. Relationships between the radiation characteristics of groundwater are considered along with the causes of formation of groundwater radionuclide composition as a result of the higher radioactivity of the host deposits and the chemistry of groundwater; changes in the radiological and hydrochemical background groundwater characteristics from the north to the south are characterized in accordance with the subsidence of the aquifer system and an increase in the stagnation of the hydrochemical regime. The analysis of the well-known relationship between the concentrations of radium isotopes in groundwater, uranium and thorium isotopes in the host rocks, and groundwater residence time in the aquifer, along with the comparison of the available field data with calculation results, suggested the conclusion that the concentration of uranium in the water-bearing rocks in the major portion of the area under consideration is higher than its regional mean values.

The Urheilupuisto House and Other Corded Ware Houses from Finland

Although numerous settlement sites of Corded Ware culture have been discovered in Finland, only a few houses have been identified. This is in stark contrast to the abundant number of pithouses of local hunter-gatherers. This paper takes a closer look at the houses associated with Corded Ware culture, first, by introducing a recently excavated Corded Ware house from southern Finland and other houses connected to Corded Ware culture from Finland and the Karelian Isthmus, Russia, and second, by outlining the various types of Corded Ware houses around the Baltic Sea. After that, the emerging picture suggesting interaction between the regional variants of Corded Ware culture as well as between Corded Ware cultures and local hunter-gatherers will be discussed. Even if the remains of Corded Ware houses are few and often quite ambiguous, it will be concluded that several types of houses have existed in the area north of the Gulf of Finland, and the contacts between cultural traditions affected settlement types and house structures in each party involved in the process.

The modern history of Stone Age field studies in the Karelian Isthmus: an attempt to analyze the results

The modern history of Stone Age field studies in the Karelian Isthmus: an attempt to analyze the results

The influence of engineering-geological conditions on the possibility of museumification of architectural-archaeological monuments on the Karelian isthmus

The influence of engineering-geological conditions on the possibility of museumification of architectural-archaeological monuments on the Karelian isthmus

Lithobiotic cyanobacteria diversity of the Karelian Isthmus

This work presents data obtained as a result of studying the composition of cyanobacteria in lithobiotic communities on various substrates (Ruskeala marble, rapakivi-granite, granite gneiss) in different light conditions on the territory of the Karelian Isthmus: Leningrad Oblast, Republic of Karelia, and South Finland. The species composition of cyanobacteria was revealed, and the species composition on certain types of substrates was analyzed. A total of 49 species of cyanobacteria were noted for the Republic of Karelia (13 of which were not previously recorded in this territory). The detailed taxonomic and environmental characteristics of species are given. Changes in the species diversity of cyanobacteria in connection with specific habitats are shown. The type of substrate, the degree of moisture, and illumination are noted as the main factors determining the diversity of cyanobacteria in lithobiotic communities.

Scientific and Technical Aspects of the Development of the Pulp and Paper Industry in the USSR in the 1950—1980s (Based on Materials from the Leningrad Region)

The article examines the history of the development of scientific and technical cooperation between enterprises of the pulp and paper industry on the Karelian Isthmus and scientific and technical institutes of the pulp and paper industry. The article examines the problems of reconstruction and modernization of technological processes. The partial nature of the renewal of production equipment and machine tool park is noted, which made it possible to increase volumes, but, at the same time, hindered the expansion of the range of products. On the basis of archival documents of periodicals from the Leningrad Regional State Archives (LOGAV), the Central City Archives of St. the introduction of new technologies in the period under review was the cooperation of industrial enterprises with research organizations.

Картографирование современных процессов в ландшафтах (на примере ООПТ Санкт-Петербурга)

The study of actual processes in landscapes, including their mapping, is based on the idea of an elementary landscape as a unity of a stable component (landscape site) and more dynamic landscape states. Mapping of actual landscape processes is tackled through the example of the territory of the Gladyshevsky Nature Reserve (Karelian Isthmus, St. Petersburg). To study actual processes, materials of the landscapes and vegetation monitoring on the key plots, route studies, dendrochronology data, remote sensing data, forest survey materials, map of landscape sites and actual vegetation map were used. The succession of tree species were indicated by the presence of a young stand and abundant viable undergrowth of the tree species that did not coincide with the predominant stock species, as well as by the tree falls of the predominant species. An increase in the stock of dominant tree species was revealed in areas with a significant stock and relatively young trees (up to 80 years for conifers and up to 50 for deciduous). Reforestation processes are also common on former agricultural lands abandoned in the second half of the XX century. Processes unrelated to the dynamics of stands are represented by paludification and stabilization of mire plant communities, recreational digression and coastal processes. In total, 30 types of actual processes are highlighted on the map, represented by contours, and 2 types of processes indicated by linear signs (accumulation and erosion of the shores of the Gulf of Finland).