Lake Onega Research Articles

Density flow and wave currents in a bay

Considered are the regularities of development of a current system including a density flow and the currents caused by internal seiches in a bay. Given is the analysis of the revealed impact of this current system, found in Petrozavodsk Bay of Lake Onega, on the suspended solid material transport and turbidity cloud formation. Verified are proposed calculation techniques of the current velocity distribution and suspended solid material concentration.

Application of desirability functions for water quality analysis

A method was developed for the search of anomalies in water chemistry with the use of desirability functions. The method allows one to assess, in automatic mode, the degree of deviation of water chemistry from regional averages derived from field observation data in unpolluted water bodies in the region. The method was used to identify anomalous deviations of water ionic composition and N forms from regional averages for some water bodies in the Republic of Karelia (the Kenti River system, water bodies of Zaonezhskii Peninsula, Onega Lake), caused by both anthropogenic effect and specific natural conditions of water chemistry formation.

EARLY COPPER USE IN NEOLITHIC NORTH-EASTERN EUROPE: AN OVERVIEW

Introduction Copper was known and used in different parts of Eurasia several millennia before the beginning of the Bronze Age. The earliest evidence derives from the Near East and Anatolia, where copper was first used between the 11th and 7th millennia BC, whereas copper use in Europe, specifically in the Balkans and the South-East, began by the mid-6th millennium BC (Roberts et al. 2009, 1013). Copper use spread from south-eastern Europe to the steppes of southern Russia (Chernykh 1992, 41 f.) and was introduced farther to the forested regions of East European (or Russian) Plain along the rivers Volga and Kama in the 4th millennium BC (Krajnov 1987, 14 f.; Nagovitsyn 1987, 32). The use of copper was introduced in central, western and northern Europe through different processes at different times (Roberts et al. 2009, 1015 f.); copper smelting was known in the eastern Alps in the 5th millennium BC (Hoppner et al. 2005), at a time when large-scale metal production in the Balkans had begun (Bailey 2000, 209), whereas signs of metal use are few in north-western Europe before 2500 BC (Roberts 2009, 467). In north-eastern Europe the use of native copper began soon after 4000 BC in what is today the Republic of Karelia (Russian Federation), when copper artefacts appear in find assemblages. While a number of early copper finds are also known from central and northern parts of Finland, they are very rare on the Scandinavian Peninsula and in the Baltic countries. The early appearance of copper in eastern Fennoscandia is common knowledge among Russian and Finnish archaeologists, but the general picture of this early copper use is patchy and its wider context elusive, which has to do with the limited research material, different academic traditions as well as linguistic and national boundaries. As the relevant publications are mainly in Russian and Finnish, the early copper finds from northeastern Europe have often been omitted from the surveys and studies on the beginning of metal use in Europe. Even the early metal finds have been subject to some research and scientific analyses in Russia and Finland, very little has been said about why copper was adopted and how early copper use relates to broader cultural developments. This paper provides an overview and discussion of the early copper finds and metal use in north-eastern Europe. More specifically, the geographical research area stretches from the shores of Lake Onega in the east to the Baltic Sea in the west and from the Baltic countries in the south to the Arctic Ocean in the north (Fig. 1). Early metal use in this region is put in a broader context, with a special reference to the northern European Russia. The period of interest here is 4000-2000 BC (all dates are given in calibrated radiocarbon years, i.e. calBC). A large part of this time frame is commonly referred to as the Eneolithic in Russia but is called the (Sub-)Neolithic in Finland (Fig. 2). In this paper the term Neolithic is preferred, although we acknowledge that it contradicts especially the Russian periodisation. Without going deeper into the reasoning behind the definitions it suffices to say that recent research (e.g. Vaneeckhout 2009; Mokkonen 2011; Herva et al. n.d.) has increasingly indicated that the cultures in the research area between 4000-2000 BC can be described as Neolithic in a more real sense that has been traditionally thought. It is against this 'Neolithic proper' background the early copper use in the north must be considered. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] [FIGURE 2 OMITTED] Cultural context and dating of early copper use in Karelia and Finland Before turning to a closer examination of the copper finds, it is necessary to provide a general outline of the cultural phases and development in the research area in 4000-2000 BC. Ceramic chronology is of special interest here, although the absolute dating of pottery types is far from complete. Nevertheless, the relative chronology based on pottery provides the only available framework for dating copper finds from particular sites--a detailed discussion on this topic will be provided in another article (Nordqvist et al. …

Nonlinear internal waves in a large lake

Comprehensive experiments on the large stratified Lake Onega have been implemented for the first time. Generation and destruction of nonlinear internal waves under different meteorological conditions have been studied.

Hydroacoustic study of Salmo Salar migration in the Shuya River (Onega Lake Basin)

“Netcor” computer-aided hydroacoustic system has been used to study the pattern of spawning migration in the Shuya River of the Atlantic salmon Salmo Salar inhabiting Onega Lake. The migrants’ length frequency and abundance have been evaluated, and the pattern of their spawning run, as referring to observation days and the time of day, has been determined. The data obtained with the use of the hydroacoustic system have been compared with those from a fish-counting trap at a fish-counting barrier (FCB). Hydroacoustic systems have been shown to perform better in studies of anadromous fish migration and in the determination of migrants’ abundance and the cycling and direction of their movements.

Late Holocene land uplift/neotectonics on the island of Valamo (Valaam), Lake Ladoga, NW Russia

The emergence of eight small lake basins from the Lake Ladoga basin waters in the Island of Valamo (Valaam), NW Russia was studied to work out the Late Holocene uplift history of the area. All eight small lake basins in the Island of Valamo (Valaam) emerged from Lake Ladoga when the water level fell 12 m in connection of the formation of River Neva, the current outlet of the lake. The consistent Valamo data is in harmony with the results from Kilpolansaari, north-western Lake Ladoga and show that River Neva originated 3100 14C BP, in corrected radiocarbon years at 3350 cal BP.Since the origin of River Neva, the island of Valamo has been uplifted 3–3.5 m more than the Neva threshold area at Porogi, as shown by the tilted transgression shoreline of Ladoga before the Neva was formed. One millimetre difference in annual uplift during the past 3000 years, which is the difference in the current uplift rate, explains this height difference, suggesting passive neotectonics in the area during the Late Holocene. This result conflicts with Russian geodetic measurements showing anomalously high uplift rates, up to 6.4 mm/y, in the north-east Ladoga area, where uplift values are 1–2 mm/y according to Fennoscandian isobase maps.The above land uplift anomaly within Precambrian shield terrain far from the uplift centre around the Gulf of Bothnia would be difficult to explain. The isobase maps of present-day Fennoscandian uplift indicate a highly regular dome-shaped uplift pattern with no anomalies at a regional scale. The suggested anomalous Holocene uplift discoveries in the Gulf of Finland and southern Gulf of Bothnia areas are challenged, whereas strong palaeoseismicity resulting from rapid land uplift, immediately following deglaciation of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet, resulted in earthquakes, bedrock dislocations and massive rock falls, e.g. in the northern Lake Onega area and Lapland.

Special Issue: Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems

The 5th Dubrovnik Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (held in 2009) was attended by 307 scientists from 55 countries and 6 continents. The majority of the participants focused on methods, policies and technologies for increasing the sustainability of development, while always considering the economic, environmental and social aspects involved. With special reference to water science, the presented articles considered the link of both pillars of the conference (i.e. water and energy) all under the prism of environmental sustainability. The selected papers mainly discuss state-of-the-art water resources management issues which refer to applied international approaches and policies. Among others, they discuss water resources management issues in the framework of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC, advanced technologies in the field of wastewater treatment (WWT) as well as engineering water works for water storage techniques and methodologies. Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC is considered as one of the most important legislative enactments -within the context of European environmental law and policywith respect to the management and protection of water resources within the European region. Bilaletdin et al., use steady state and dynamic modeling approach in order to assess the impacts of different loading scenarios of water quality of Lake Onega, the second largest lake in Europe, as demanded by the WFD. Martinez et al., assuming that the physical laws are called to be the objective and universal tools to assess water costs, developed Physical Hydronomics (PH) as the accounting tool for the WFD application, regarding its physicochemical objectives. Water Resour Manage (2011) 25:2917–2918 DOI 10.1007/s11269-011-9888-9

A General Water Protection Plan of Lake Onega in Russia

Lake Onega is the second largest lake in Europe after Lake Ladoga. This paper is a part of the project concerning a general plan of water protection, as expressed in the Water Framework Directive. The aim of this paper was to present an investigation of the status of Lake Onega and to present steady state and dynamic modelling approach in order to assess the impacts of different loading scenarios of water quality of Lake Onega. In the project more catchment and water quality models were used but in this paper these models were chosen. The presented steady state model was the mass balance model of Vollenweider and the dynamic model is the box-type model AQUATOX. While Lake Onega preserves a good status of water as a whole, the problems with pollution and eutrophication exist in Petrozavodsk and Kondopoga Bays where anthropogenic loading is more pronounced.

Distribution patterns of heterotrophic flagellates and bacteria in acidic and neutral Karelian lakes

The abundance and taxonomic and trophic structures of the community of planktonic heterotrophic nanoflagellates, as well as the quantitative distribution of bacteria as their main object of food, have been studied in six lakes of Karelia with differing pH values, concentrations and compositions of organic substances, and degrees of anthropogenic load. Thirty-eight species and forms of colorless flagellates from seven orders and groups of uncertain taxonomic statuses have been recorded. Most of them belong to the trophic group of bacteriodetritophages. The minimal abundance and the lowest diversity of flagellates have been documented in clear- and brown-water lakes with low pH values, and maximal values have been observed in the polluted Kondopoga Bay in Lake Onega.

The state of the aquatic environment and biota during operation of trout-breeding pond farms

The paper presents the results of studying chemical and biological quality characteristics of the aquatic environment in the area of operation of trout farms in Kondopoga Bay, Onega Lake. The concentrations of biochemically labile substances and phosphorus were found to increase near the ponds. The development dynamics of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthic organisms in the zone of pond farms. When the procedure of fish production is strictly followed, the effect of ponds on the aquatic environment and biota is minimal.

Distribution of the Siberian flying squirrel (Pteromys volans L.) in taiga isthmuses between Baltic and White Sea regions

We focused our attention on three narrow isthmuses between the White and the Baltic Seas, which form important connections for the elements of northern taiga ecosystems, such as the Siberian flying squirrel. The method that we employed is based on the search of flying squirrel’s excrements on randomly selected 9 ha plots (more than 11700 plots studied in Russia and in Finland). Relative abundances of the flying squirrel in Russian Karelia and the Karelian Isthmus seem to be slightly higher than in Finland. The border of the flying squirrel’s range in the North-West could be delineated from the national park Kalevalski, across the Segezha region to the southern part of the White Sea, and further to the east. We suppose that the connection between flying squirrel populations of Scandinavia and Russia is mainly implemented through a narrow ‘middle-taiga corridor’, i.e. the isthmus between Ladoga and Onega Lakes, and only partly by the isthmus between Lake Onega and the White Sea.

RODS WITH ELK HEADS: SYMBOL IN RITUAL CONTEXT

Introduction Rods with sculptural elk/reindeer heads and their analogues in rock art are important elements for reconstructing the North Eurasian prehistoric inhabitants' social structure and mythology in the period from the Mesolithic to Early Metal Age. The extremely long period of their existence - from the VII millennium to the second half of the II millennium cal BC for rods and from the VI millennium to the III millennium cal BC for rock art images - and the huge territory of their spread (northern Europe and beyond the Urals) obviously provide some evidence of the common world outlook of many archaeological cultures in the Eurasian forest zone (Stolyar 1983; Studzitskaya 1997). Both categories were studied earlier, but require a more careful examination. Carved items are markedly different in shape and size, and this is why a more detailed morphological analysis should be carried out. Also all fragmented items, not mentioned in the earlier studies should be examined. The morphology and finding context having been studied, some conclusions can be made about the functional and symbolic role of these rods. As for the rock art images, the most informative are those scenes with the rods, where they are used in certain actions. Their multiple symbolic meaning is confirmed by rod images with not only elk heads but also those of reindeer. Such scenes should be carefully examined in order to reveal the functions of the carved rods, which existed in reality. Carved rods with elk/reindeer heads Most items are made of antler, though some are of elk bone. Most rods from the Oleniy Ostrov burial ground (the Barents seashore) and the one from the Mayak II site are made of reindeer antler and portray reindeers (Gurina 1997; Murashkin & Shumkin 2008). Several wooden and stone items with elk heads are known, but they are not rods. Stone elk heads (4 items) have holes for putting them on rods and their only spread in south Finland and Karelia seems to be a local tradition (Nordman 1937, 40 ff.; Studzitskaya 1966, 30; Carpelan 1977; Huure 2003, 241) (Fig. 1). Three of them are made in a very stylized manner and only one item has highly detailed features of an elk. Judging by the hole-making technology, they are dated back to the Late Mesolithic or Neolithic. All of them are stray finds and will not be discussed here. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Carved items have the angle between the head and the rod from 90 to 120 (rarely to 150) degrees. All items are made extremely carefully--all of them are burnished and polished. Their lengths range from 10 to 47 cm. A total of 48 pieces can be divided into two groups according to their size (Fig. 1). Group I--small rods: from 10 to 25.3 cm--consists of 12 pieces from Mayak II, Oleniy Ostrov burial ground (7 pieces), Southern Oleniy Ostrov burial ground on Onega Lake, Zvejnieki burial ground, Sventoji IV, Modlona (Gurina 1953; 1956; 1997; Oshibkina 1978; Zagorskis 1987; Rimantiene 1996; Murashkin & Shumkin 2008). Group II--big rods: from 40 to 49 cm - includes 16 pieces from the Southern Oleniy Ostrov burial ground (2 pieces), Riigikula III, Villa (Fig. 2: 1-2), the Malmuta river estuary, Sventoji III (2 pieces), Kretuonas I, Sakhtysh I, Zamostye II, Chornaya Gora, the Tok river burial, Shigir peat bog (2 pieces), Kalmatskiy Brod, Annin Ostrov (Eding 1940; Gurina 1956; Tsvetkova 1969; Loze 1970; Bogdanov 1992; Oshibkina et al. 1992; Rimantiene 2005; Lozovskij 2009). [FIGURE 2 OMITTED] The minimum and maximum lengths of the items were measured using unbroken rods, but there were also numerous fragments. All the fragments were compared with the whole rods, and their lengths were estimated approximately. According to these lengths, they are included in group II--big rods. The piece from the Volodary site could not be thus classified, because it had no handle, with a deep hole located at the bottom of the elk head probably for fastening it to a handle (Tsvetkova 1973) (Fig. …

Elimination of Limnic Zooplankton in the Rapid River (on the Example of Lake Kedrozero and the Lizhma River of the Lake Onega Basin)

Elimination of Limnic Zooplankton in the Rapid River (on the Example of Lake Kedrozero and the Lizhma River of the Lake Onega Basin)

Influence of wave processes on stratified currents in a bay

We present the results from studying the system of currents with wind-driven circulation and density flow observed in Petrozavodsk Bay of Lake Onega. The origin of the currents is shown to be related to surface and internal waves. It is found that the evolution of the current velocity field is determined by variations in the levels of the water’s surface and the thermocline, the profile of exchange factor, and the disturbances in velocity in the area of its sign change with depth. A mathematical model of the system of currents is developed.

Water chemistry in Onega Lake and its tributaries

The results of studies of water chemistry carried out in the water body in 1965–2009 are presented. This period features a considerable industrial and agricultural rise in the lake drainage basin, followed by a decline since the 1990s, manifesting themselves in the dynamics of some hydrochemical characteristics of water bodies. The multipurpose use of Onega Lake is shown to cause its pollution and eutrophication. The results of studies are used to evaluate the major components of the external load onto the lake and trends in variations of chemical characteristics under the effect of natural and anthropogenic factors.

Genetic structure of freshwater Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) populations from the lakes Onega and Ladoga of northwest Russia and implications for conservation

Freshwater Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) populations are a living example of adaptation to the changing conditions caused by glacial cycles. The uniqueness of these populations is emphasized by almost complete resistance to the dangerous parasite Gyrodactylus salaris. In Europe, freshwater salmon populations occur primarily in north-western Russia in the republic of Karelia. These systems include Lakes Ladoga and Onega, the two largest lakes in Europe, each of which harbours a number of freshwater salmon spawning rivers. We used microsatellite markers to study the genetic structure and temporal stability of 11 freshwater salmon populations in Russian Karelia. Populations clustered according their region of origin. Although temporal variation in allele frequencies was observed in the majority of temporal comparisons, various lines of evidence demonstrated that this influence was relatively minor compared to spatial variation that explained eight times more of the variability than temporal variation. Temporal stability tended to occur in populations from rivers with a higher linear lake coefficient. The high level of genetic structuring observed in both lake systems and the apparent low level of migration between populations suggests that treating each river as a separate management unit is recommended. In addition, as the number of populations is large, the best strategy for such fine scale management would be to ensure that the level of natural reproduction in each river is sufficient to sustain the population. A prioritization strategy for population conservation based on estimating the relative roles of different evolutionary forces shaping the gene pools highlighted a number of populations where further monitoring is warranted and also identified populations which could be prioritized for conservation as living gene banks in the event that conservation resources are limited. This prioritization agreed well with the occurrence of temporal (in)stability.

THE ORIGIN OF THE LATE MEDIEVAL POPULATION OF THE NOVGOROD REPUBLIC (13TH–16TH CENTURIES), BASED ON CRANIOMETRIC DATA

The results of a multivariate analysis of craniometric data suggest that the late medieval population of the Novgorod Republic (13th–16th centuries) was biologically heterogeneous. Certain populations evidently originated from the earlier (11th–13th centuries) people of the same territory, whereas another, more numerous component was akin to late groups of Baltic Finns. The first component is paralleled by Mesolithic and Early Neolithic series from Zveinieki, Latvia, by the crania of the Battle Axe people of Estonia, and by others from the Ladoga Channel. The second component, exhibiting Sami-like features, resembles the Neolithic populations of the forest zone of the Russian Plain and a Mesolithic group from Yuzhny Oleniy (Southern Reindeer) Island on Lake Onega. The coexistence of groups with markedly Caucasoid features with those showing an “eastern” tendency during the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and the Middle Ages evidences multiple migrations from the east and the southwest.

Time-Varying Parameter Analysis of the Baltic Sea Freshwater Runoffs

The Baltic Sea runoff events during 1970–2000 were analysed with non-linear estimation in order to find potential stability and time-varying (non-constancy) properties of time series parameters. In the Baltic Sea area, the wintertime rainfall is expected to increase, especially in the northern parts of the watershed; furthermore, seasonality is expected to decrease, i.e. the runoffs will become more evenly distributed over seasons, mainly by decreasing springtime peaks. We found a general increase in runoffs over the time period studied that consisted of a level shift upwards during the early 1980s. The runoffs considerably resulted from inputs in the months of April to June (which points to the significance of winter precipitation) and are biased to northern parts of the catchment. Our results suggest that this is connected with snow and ice melting in the northern areas of the watershed, especially in the subarctic catchment area of the Neva River (the area includes, for example, three of the four biggest lakes in Europe, Lake Ladoga, Lake Onega and Lake Saimaa, which are annually covered by ice). The yearly variation in runoff is significantly stabilised by large N–S extension of the watersheds of these lakes. The results are generally in accordance with the presented climatic expectations; however, decreasing seasonality was not obvious in the series yet. However, we found potential implications of system change towards decreased seasonality. By better understanding of ongoing processes in the sea, the results can give us an opportunity to better evaluate the system control, predicted areal consequences and ecosystem effects of the climate change. The analysis proved to be a sensitive tool for studying climatic variation in a relatively small area and over a short time span.

A Context Analysis of Neolithic Cygnus Petroglyphs at Lake Onega

Swan images (Cygnus sp.) are the most common symbols at petroglyph sites on the eastern shore of Lake Onega, northwest Russia, where rock engraving most likely occurred around the mid-Neolithic period. At some sites they constitute over 60 per cent of all glyphs and they are the only glyph type common to all sites. The abundance of swan symbols at a given Onega site correlates most strongly with the abundance of cervids (mostly elk). There are even partially superimposed elk–swan engravings where part of one animal contributes to the other's body. There is evidence that, during the mid-Neolithic, early sites at Lake Onega were submerged by rising water levels, most probably coinciding with a period of climatic cooling. By that point, new petroglyph sites had been created further north by the Vodla river. Here swan images are larger and more abundant and other glyphs (such as solar/lunar) are absent. It is suggested that the swan was a supernatural symbol. Its prominence at the more recent Vodla sites may be indicative of greater importance being given to this species in the context of environmental change and an associated greater struggle for survival. Thus, the swan symbol may have been perceived by the local Neolithic Finno-Ugric people as an agent for the intended reversal or control of such external challenges, and selected from a pre-existing mythological framework based on its associated traits and perceived powers.

Sr isotopic composition of Paleoproterozoic 13C-rich carbonate rocks: The Tulomozero Formation, SE Fennoscandian Shield

Rb–Sr systematics has been studied in 13C-rich carbonate rocks of the Paleoproterozoic (2.09 ± 0.07 Ga) Tulomozero Formation in the northern Onega Lake area, the SE Fennoscandian Shield. The formation is divided into eight members (A–F) consisting of greenschist-facies-grade, variegated sandstones, siltstones, mudstones, stromatolitic dolostones and subordinate crystalline limestones. Samples of carbonate rocks were obtained from two overlapping drillholes intersecting the entire thickness of the Tulomozero Formation. Prior to isotope analysis, the rocks powders were treated with 1N ammonium acetate for partial removal of the late epigenetic carbonate phases. Major resetting of the Rb–Sr systems in the Tulomozero carbonate rocks appears to take place during the Svecofennian regional metamorphic event, and it was screened by using Mn/Sr, Fe/Sr, Mg/Ca, and 18O/ 16O ratios. High Sr content (up to 2080 μg/g in limestones, and 530 μg/g in dolostones) coupled with low Fe/Mn (<0.40) ratios in the Tulomozero carbonate rocks of Members A, B (the lower part), D, F, and E are consistent with accumulation of original carbonate sediments in evaporitic lacustrine, playa, and sabkha environments. A decrease in the Sr content with concurrent increase in the Fe/Mn ratio (>0.40) in dolostones of the upper part of Member B, and of Members G and H is indicative of seawater influxes (sea transgression) into the Tulomozero basin. The 87Sr/ 86Sr values in the least altered (Mn/Sr < 2.0) marine dolostones are 0.70418–0.70442 and 0.70343–0.70409 for the earlier and late phases of the marine transgression, respectively. The decrease in the 87Sr/ 86Sr ratio in ca. 2.1 Ga seawater is attributable to an increase in hydrothermal flux Sr into the Palaeoproterozoic ocean.