Murmansk Region Research Articles

Evolution of the factors that led to the liquidation of settlements in the Murmansk region in 1939–2023

Using the example of the Murmansk, the paper considers the character of the processes of settlement liquidation from 1939 to the present is considered. Various reasons for the abolition of settlements in the region in different historical periods have been identified. The first years after the formation of the Murmansk region were characterized by the process of merging of the settlements being liquidated with another one that was higher in status, and the preservation of the residential territory. Later this resulted in the exclusion of the settlements from the accounting data. The main reasons for the abolition of settlements in the Murmansk region are given, which include the withdrawal of residential territories for the construction of hydroelectric power station infrastructure, the loss of economic importance of settlement-forming enterprises due to the exhaustion or the economic inexpediency of extracting and processing of resources (forest or mineral), and the reorganization of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The process of depopulation and abolition of settlements depends on socio-economic factors and reflects the trends in the economic development of the country. Systematized information is presented reflecting the factors of liquidation of settlements with details about the reasons each of the character of this process in different periods. Synthesized data reflecting the current state of the abolished settlements are presented. For the most part, these are non-residential areas with ruined residential and non-residential buildings. Liquidated ancient Pomor’ settlements are widely used for the purpose of summer holidays in the country. A trend is detected for regular cultural events being held on their territory and for their inclusion in tourist and sightseeing routes.

Effectiveness of biogeosorbents based on mineral carriers for treatment oil-contaminated soil

Methods for cleaning oil-contaminated areas include the use of sorbents, the effectiveness of which is enhanced by the immobilization of hydrocarbon-oxidizing microorganisms on their surface. Biogeosorbents are obtained on the basis of mineral raw materials (analcime- and glauconite-containing rocks and thermally activated vermiculite) and hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas and Microbacterium extracted from contaminated soils of the Murmansk region. The number of immobilized bacteria on the studied carriers remains high throughout 9 months of storage, and the bacterial film on the surface of mineral carriers persists for 12 months of storage in an air-dry state. When storing biogeosorbents, no special conditions or additional preparation are required before use. Mineral carriers have a stimulating effect on the height of seedlings and the length of roots of test plants. When biogeosorbents are added, the number of bacteria capable of microbiological transformation of petroleum products increases, and the degree of soil purification from petroleum hydrocarbons at the initial stage (during the first 30 days) increases. The most effective is the introduction of thermally activated vermiculite and glauconite-containing rock with immobilized hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria. The use of a biogeosorbent based on thermally activated vermiculite can reduce the cleaning time to 20–22 months, and based on glauconite-containing rock – up to 17 months, while without treatment this period will be at least 29 months.

Общественная палата Мурманской области и Уполномоченный по правам человека в Мурманской области: особенности и направления взаимодействия

The successful development of civil society in the Murmansk region is a deep, multilateral process, which also largely depends on the effective interaction of society and the state. It is the Public Chamber of the Murmansk Region that is becoming a consolidating center today, coordinating the interaction of public authorities and civil society institutions, ensuring the participation of citizens and public associations in solving topical issues of social and economic development of the region. 
 Interaction with civil society institutions plays an important role in the work of the Public Chamber of the Murmansk Region, where the institution of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Murmansk Region plays a key role.

Patriotic education as a necessary factor for Russian statehood

The article examines the term “patriotism” and the significance of its meaning, drawing attention to the changes taking place in society and patriotic activities being conducted in Voronezh and Murmansk Regions in order to promote patriotism among young people.The presented material proves the need for constant work on promoting patriotism in society as a factor in the development of civic engagement among the citizens of the country, readiness to selflessly serve their country, and respect for law and order, which is a mobilizing resource for the development of modern Russian society.

Kamennye krugi v Evropejskom Arkticheskom regione: voprosy hronologii i atribucii

A rare type of megaliths on the Kola Peninsula, or the so-called stone circles, was investigated near the settlement of Kilp’iavr (Murmansk region). The overall chronology of the objects of the kind in Central and Northern Europe is from the Early Roman Period to the Middle Ages. The connection of stone circles of the Circum-Baltic Area with similar complexes in the Subarctic and Arctic areas of Norway and the north-west of the Kola Peninsula has been suggested. The article supposes that the site in question was a funeral cenotaph. The appearance of the stone circles so far in the North possibly was a result of the emergence of fur trade, with its routes controlled by troops of militarised barbarians of predominantly Germanic and Finnish origin.

Перспективные на свинец и цинк рудные районы Арктической зоны России

Based on the research carried out on the territory of the Arctic zone of Russia the authors have identified ore districts that are promising for the discovery and development of Pb-Zn deposits, among which only one large Pavlovskoe deposit (Novaya Zemlya Archipelago) is at the development stage. More than 20 facilities are dispersed in the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area, Taimyr, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Chukotka Autonomous Area. They outline that most of the ore districts are located in the 100-km zone of economic accessibility (high priority of mineral resources development) to the Northern Sea Route. Within the three-ore districts, it is possible to form new mining clusters, including several nearby deposits. The authors indicate prospects for the discovery of new deposits as well as challenges in the development of the mineral resource base of the considered ore regions: lack of infrastructure, arctic climate, remoteness, and the need for a large volume of geological exploration.

Representativeness of herbarium collections in relation to protected species of vascular plants of the Lovozero Mountains (Murmansk Region)

Representativeness of herbarium collections in relation to protected species of vascular plants of the Lovozero Mountains (Murmansk Region)

Noteworthy records of plants, lichens and fungi in Murmansk Region. VII.

Noteworthy records of plants, lichens and fungi in Murmansk Region. VII.

«С потрясающим видом на озеро, горы и город». К вопросу о нейминге и территориальном брендировании

The article investigates the specifics of naming of collective and private accommodation facilities located in the towns Apatity and Kirovsk, Murmansk region. The paper gives a working classification of the accommodation facilities and analyzes their names based on some semantic characteristics. The author draws conclusions about the dominance of the natural-geographical component in the structure of the tourist image of the region. However, this does not always conform to official positioning of Murmansk oblast as a region with rich history and culture and to the idea that the latter are just as important for development of the tourism industry in this territory as recreational resources.

Этническая деревня как региональный туристический бренд

The article is devoted to the consideration of the phenomenon of ethnic village as a special type of tourist destination. The characteristic features and features of the functioning of the ethnocomplex «Sami village “Sam Syyt” Ivelviga» («Saami village») on the territory of the Murmansk region are indicated. The role and place of the Saami ethno-village as a regional tourism brand in the development of ethno-tourism and the popularization of the ethno-cultural heritage of the region is shown.

Comparative Analysis of Sleep Hygiene and Patterns among Adolescents in Two Russian Arctic Regions: A Pilot Study.

The circumpolar habitat stands as one of the most vulnerable environments for human activity and health. The primary study objective was to compare sleep-related factors, light exposure, social cues, and potential confounding variables among schoolchildren residing in the European Arctic region from two settlements situated below and above the Polar Circle using validated self-reported questionnaires. We recruited 94 children aged 13-15 years (40.4% males), matched by sex and age, from public educational institutions in two circumpolar settlements located below (Kem', Republic of Karelia; 64.6 NL) and above the Polar Circle (Apatity, Murmansk Region; 67.3 NL). Participants completed several surveys, including the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale, and the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire, to evaluate sleep parameters and chronotype. The χ2 test was used to test for differences between proportions. Linear regression and multiple regression models with co-factors were applied to assess the relationship between studied indicators. A noteworthy increase in physical activity was observed in children residing in Kem' compared to those in Apatity. Children from Apatity showed higher alcohol consumption than their counterparts from Kem'. The overall rate of excessive daytime sleepiness in the sample was 17.1%. Moderate insomnia symptoms were reported in 18.4% of adolescents living in Kem' and in 25% of respondents living in Apatity, respectively. Notably, participants from Kem' attained higher academic scores and had longer exposure to sunlight on schooldays. On the other hand, children from Apatity tended to have later bedtimes and sleep-onset times on schooldays. According to the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire data, a reliance on alarm clocks on schooldays, and a higher Sleep Stability Factor based on the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale. Our study indicating that higher physical activity and longer sunlight exposure among Kem' children on schooldays are associated with earlier wake-up times during schooldays, earlier bedtime whole week, reduced dependence on alarm clocks, and higher academic achievements. The results of older schoolchildren differ from many works published previously in the USA, Argentina, and Japan, which could be explained by the season when the study was performed. Here, we observed a negative impact on school performance and sleep parameters in children living in high latitudes, namely in circumpolar regions. Our study points out that adolescents living above the Polar Circle tend to have sleep problems, e.g., late sleep-onset times, higher excessive daytime sleepiness, and insomnia-related symptoms, because of experiencing reduced exposure to natural light. Future research encompassing assessments across all four seasons will provide a more comprehensive understanding.

Inacoccus terrestris sp. nov. (Chroococcaceae), a new cyanobacterium from soil of the European Russian Subarctic

ABSTRACT A strain of an Inacoccus species (Cyanobacteria, Chroococcaceae) was isolated from a terrestrial habitat in the Murmansk Region, Russia, and characterized using a ‘polyphasic approach’ that included molecular, morphological and ecological evidence. The 16S rRNA gene phylogeny supported the strong monophyly of the genus Inacoccus, with the separation of four lineages. One of them corresponded to the recently described species Inacoccus carmineus from Brazil, while two others belonged to previously published but still taxonomically undescribed Inacoccus strains from Romania and Portugal. The fourth lineage represented a new species, Inacoccus terrestris sp. nov., from the Murmansk Region (European Russian Subarctic). Inacoccus terrestris occurred in soil and, in culture, formed microscopic, amorphous colonies. The slime contained up to four blue-green or olive-green cells, and the mucilage was more or less clearly delimited and colourless. The species is characterized by the absence of nanocytes. Its 16S rRNA gene similarity with other Inacoccus strains (with the exception of BACA0595) is lower than 98.7%, and 16S–23S ITS ITS similarity is lower than 97%, which supports its delimitation as a separate new species. Inacoccus terrestris is further characterized by unique hypothetical secondary structures of D1-D1' and Box-B helices.

Strategic priorities of industrial support of energy projects in the Arctic

The article deals with economic issues of support of energy projects in the Arctic based on the use of the industrial potential of the region on the example of the Murmansk region, a subject of the Russian Federation. The article contains justification of the administrative and economic mechanism of formation of the oil and gas cluster with small and medium-sized businesses as its core. The mechanism includes consistent implementation of several stages: analysis of industrial opportunities of regional suppliers, implementation of development programs, establishment of industry clusters, participation in tender procedures. The suggested mechanism will ensure increasing the share of participation of regional companies in realization of industrial projects and localization of production facilities.Special attention is paid to the challenges faced by the supplier companies of oil and gas industry and the ways to overcome them effectively. The article studies the mechanism of horizontal integration of regional supplier companies in order to perform a consolidated representation of their industrial potential when participating in tender procedures. The authors give considerable attention to the role of the state in realization of energy projects in the Arctic and to interaction with regional business communities when establishing oil and gas clusters on the territory of new mining regions.Involvement of small and medium-sized businesses in realization of major energy projects is an essential condition for the long-term development of economy. Many regional industrial enterprises possess unique competencies that may be in special demand in the conditions of the sanctions pressure and withdrawal of foreign companies from the Russian market. The authors especially focus on the formation of institutional conditions aimed at creating favourable environment for mutual integration of the interests of state, operators of energy projects and regional suppliers.

European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus of the Nizhnetulomskoye Reservoir (Tuloma River basin, Murmansk region) and its habitat conditions

The modern biological characteristics of the most common polymorphic species of European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus (L.) in Northern Europe were studied in the conditions of its habitat in the oldest riverbed reservoir in the Murmansk region. A number of features of the functioning of the ecosystem of the Nizhnetulomskoye Reservoir (hereinafter NTR) have been identified, including eutrophication of the reservoir, accompanied by the development of cyanoprokaryotes in phytoplankton communities, including potentially toxic species. The introduction of the Onega smelt Osmerus eperlanus (L.) into the Tuloma River system half a century ago led to the transformation of the structure of the NTR fish community from whitefish-salmon to whitefish-smelt. Whitefish (hereinafter, this species name is only used in regard to the European whitefish) in the NTR are represented by a polymorphic population and, according to length-weight characteristics, belong to the group of medium-sized whitefish of the Murmansk region watercourses with early maturation. Based on the type of feeding, it can be classified as a benthophage with a wide range of consumption of food organisms. The stomach contents of whitefish in the summer-autumn period correlate well with the seasonality of the development of aquatic invertebrates. Artificial feeds used by the farms of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) in the reservoir are currently of great importance in the feeding of the NTR whitefish. Understanding the mechanisms of structural and functional differentiation of whitefish populations is both of fundamental importance in revealing the mechanisms and direction of microevolution and adaptation of fish in changing environmental conditions and of fundamental practical importance in the implementation of protection and rational fishing, their artificial reproduction.

“Atypical child” in an educational environment in the Murmansk region

This article aims to identify the current state of the educational environment in the context of realizing its inclusive potential and ensuring the inclusion of children with disabilities. The inclusion of this category in the educational environment is guaranteed by Russian legislation and is an important element of the socialization and social rehabilitation of the child. However, today there are many difficulties in building an inclusive environment in educational institutions, taking into account the needs and requirements of an “atypical” child, which indicates the need to assess the features of the development of inclusive education at the present stage and identify difficulties among subjects of educational relations. To achieve this goal, the article presents the results of a survey of the authors conducted in the Murmansk region (Russia) in 2022. During the questionnaire survey, teachers of general education and special schools, as well as kindergartens in the region (n=417) were interviewed. The results of the study showed that today teachers attach greater importance to the formation of social skills than to the development of the abilities and cognitive activity of children with disabilities. The state of readiness of the infrastructure of educational organizations in the region for children with disabilities is assessed as average, as is the quality of the education they receive. Among the main difficulties in teaching children with disabilities, respondents noted problems with the pace of completing tasks and memorizing material. Teachers most often experience difficulties in organizing the independent activities of children with disabilities, ensuring the pace of work in the classroom, and in directly organizing the child’s work in the classroom.

Памяти полярного геоботаника Натальи Евгеньевны Королёвой (1963–2024)

The Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute named after N. A. Avrorin (PABGI) Kola Research Centre RAS, Russian Botanical Society, and the Russian geobotany have suffered an irreparable loss. On April 6, 2024 after a serious illness the outstanding geobotanist, a well-known specialist in the field of studying flora and vegetation of the Far North, a leading research scientist of the PABGI, PhD Natalia Evgenievna Koroleva has left us. Natalia Evgenievna was born in 1963 in Chernovskoe village, Kirov Region, in the family of agronomist and school teacher. After school graduation, in 1981 she entered the Moscow State University, where she specialized in the Department of Geobotany under the supervision by Prof. T. A. Rabotnov and Prof. A. P. Tyrtikov. After the University, in 1986 she was firstly enrolled in the Laboratory of Biocenology and afterwards in the Laboratory of Flora and Plant Resources of the PABGI. From 1986 to 1990, she passed the postgraduate probation in the Komarov Botanical Institute RAS (St. Petersburg) under the supervision by Prof. B. N. Norin. In 1991, she defended her PhD thesis «Vegetation classification of the mountain tundra belt of Khibiny» and received the degree of candidate of biology (PhD). Throughout her scientific life, Natalia Evgenievna was associated with PABGI having gone from probationer to the senior researcher in the Laboratory of Flora and Plant Resources. For many years, she was a Head of Murmansk Branch of the Russian Botanical Society (RBO). She organized and led a lot of geobotanical expeditions to the Murmansk Region and Spitsbergen Archipelago. The geography of her field researches was highly diverse. She brilliantly knew not only the vegetation of the Kola Peninsula, but as well other regions of Russian Arctic, Norway, Finland and Spitsbergen. The study and conservation of species and community diversity of Arctic and Subarctic vegetation, namely the plant cover of the Kola Peninsula and Spitsbergen Archipelago and revealing its transformation under the man impact, was in the focus by Natalia Koroleva scientific interests. She made a great contribution to the study of the Murmansk Region flora and vegetation, the regional Red Book conducting, plant cover monitoring and Nature conservation. In the Natalia Koroleva person, Russian vegetation science has lost an outstanding scientist, the specialist in phytocoenology, vegetation classification, the study of biodiversity and Nature conservation. She elaborated the vegetation classification method based upon the analysis of the uniformity of plant species distribution with similar ecology in particular plant community groups. Using this method, Natalia Evgenievna and her colleagues developed a detailed classification of plant communities and habitat types of zonal and mountain tundra and highland heaths of the Kola Peninsula and Spitsbergen that has resulted in numerous publications. She had published about 150 scientific papers and 10 monographs, books and guides to the Nature reserved territories of Khibiny Mountains, Lovozero Tundra, Spitsbergen and many others that put a huge impact in the development of vegetation science and Nature conservation in the Murmansk Region. She was an editor of many scientific proceedings and collective monographs. Natalia Evgenievna greatly contributed to the training of young scientists: For ten years (2001–2011), she gave lectures at the Apatity Branch of Moscow State Technical University in the ecology, biodiversity, and vegetation classification. Some Master’s and PhD theses were prepared under her supervision. Natalia Evgenievna devoted a lot of time and efforts to the work in RBO. For about 25 years she was a Head of Murmansk Branch of RBO and a member of its Council, took part in the Organizing Committees of numerous conferences, symposiums and workshops held by RBO. The memory of Natalia Evgenievna Koroleva — an outstanding geobotanist, teacher, environmental activist and popularizer of science — will always remain in her numerous scientific works, and in the hearts of students and colleagues.

Modern Trends in the Design of Tourist Complexes in the Murmansk Region

The purpose of the study is to identify the main types of tourism of the tourist and recreational cluster of the Murmansk region, to consider the main factors influencing the formation of the direction of tourism infrastructure and to identify problems in the field of tourism development of the Kola Peninsula. Based on a comparison of functional blocks, the article examines approaches to the design of Arctic tourism complexes using the example of the northern parts of Scandinavian countries with similar climatic conditions of the Murmansk region. Identification of the features of Arctic territories that have characteristic natural, climatic and social features that influence the development of the tourism sector. Sub-clusters of the Murmansk region are characterized in terms of developing types of tourism, the number of accommodation facilities, and statistical data on tourist flows. The development of transport infrastructure, which plays a major role in the development of tourism on the Kola Peninsula, is considered. As part of the study, the largest and most popular tourist complexes in the Murmansk region were identified and analyzed.

Единственные древние наскальные изображения Российской Европейской Арктики (Чальмн-Варрэ, Канозеро, Пяйва, Майка)

Over the past 50 years (1973–2023), as the result of the researches by the Kola archaeological expedition of the Leningrad Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR/IHMC RAS (since 1991), its employees discovered and studied the petroglyphs of Chalmn-Varre, Kanozero and pisanitsy on the Rybachy Peninsula (Pyaiva and Mayka) in the Murmansk region. Since other rock ensembles of the Russian European North (Karelian and Vishera) are located south of the Arctic Circle, only these Kola objects can reasonably be recognized as the only monuments of ancient monumental creativity of the Russian European Arctic that have so far survived. It is likely that if hundreds of small petroglyphic collections and all the writings of Fennoscandia were “chamber” sanctuaries for small groups of the ancient population, then large galleries served the same purposes for large communities, including not one, but perhaps dozens of settlements, distant from such famous places of worship over considerable distances. The sanctuaries themselves were a gathering place during certain agreed periods and served for joint ritualistic actions: celebrations, initiations, etc. Relics of monumental art are fascinating, complex and multifaceted objects of study. Their use as a source in historical and cultural developments, art history, the evolution of intelligence and cognitive psychology, religion and mythology requires careful archaeological analysis. To successfully work through this subject, in the first place it is necessary to carefully and accurately document images, determine the exact age, and give comparative characteristics (style, carving/drawing technique, composition, landscape environment, microrelief) of various places of ancient rock art. In connection with the development of new technical and natural methods, significant progress has recently been achieved in this “field”. This progress is the most obvious when specialists from different countries work together.

Sediment geochemistry of Lake Portlubol (Murmansk region): natural anomalies and reconstruction of anthropogenic events in the catchment

The article presents the first data on the content of a wide range of rare elements in modern sediments of Lake Portlubol, located in the north of the Murmansk region (Arctic zone of the Russian Federation). The authors identified extremely elevated concentrations of U and Mo compared to the clarke and background levels, which is associated with the geological features of the study area. Also, in the upper layers of the sediment core of Lake Portlubol, an increase in the content of Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu and some other elements was noted, which probably entered the reservoir as a result of emissions from industrial enterprises in the region and neighboring territories. Despite the identified geochemical anomalies in the sediments, the lake can be considered background, since the established anthropogenic load is small compared to lakes in urban and industrial areas of the Murmansk region.

Beznadzornost' i besprizornost' v Murmanskoj oblasti: pravovoj opyt i sovremennoe sostoyanie

The article is about the historical issue of child neglect and homelessness of orphaned minors, with an additional focus on prevention of child neglect and homelessness in Murmansk region. The authors identify the causes, scope, and specifics of child neglect and homelessness at the current stage.