Northwest Russia Research Articles

“I used to be a traitor”

This article discusses adult conversion in the Russian Baptist community as the unlearning of old sinful ways of living. Russian Baptists see conversion as an act of repentance, surrendering to Christ, and becoming born again, and as a life-long process of growing in faith. Based on an ethnographic study of the Baptist community in north-western and central Russia, the article discusses the glocal nature of the Russian Baptist community that attracts the kind of people that convert to this faith and the circumstances of their conversion. Russian Baptist conversion is viewed as an act and a process, and conversion is seen as an ethical choice and an unlearning of the old ways of living.

Научно-методическое сопровождение санитарно-эпидемиологического надзора при реабилитации объектов и территорий ядерного наследия и задачи на будущее

The article deals with and characterizes the main achievements in one of the leading areas in the activities of the SRC-FMBC – medical and health physics support of radiation safety when managing the nuclear legacy of the Russian Federation. An advanced methodology for radiation and health physics monitoring is presented, which has become a reliable guarantee of an adequate response to current challenges associated with the operation of sites for spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste temporary storage in the Northwest Russia. Special attention is paid to topical issues of radiation and health physics survey of the coastal part of the areas inhabited by the population of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and the development of regulatory documents. Prospects for further development of research in order to improve radiation safety have been identified.

Дополнительные сведения о лихенобиоте Новгородской области (Россия)

The list of lichens and allied fungi of the Novgorod Region is supplemented with 24 species. Fuscidea lightfootii and Taeniolella phaeophysciae are new to the North-Western European Russia. Altogether 395 species of lichens and allied fungi are currently known for the Novgorod Region. Arthonia vinosa, Chaenotheca gracilenta, Parmeliella triptophylla, and Sclerophora coniophaea are recommended for inclusion in the Red Data Book of the Novgorod Region.

Long-term changes in water quality and structure of benthic animal communities in the Neva estuary under anthropogenic stress

In the Neva River estuary, 188 species and taxa of a higher rank of benthic animals were found, of which 129 were found in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. At present, the zoobenthos of the estuary is dominated by eurybiont species inhabiting polluted waters. We used integrated index IP' specially devised for water-bodies and rivers of the north-western Russia to assess the water quality and a state of ecosystems of the Neva estuary. It is based on structural parameters of zoobenthic communities and makes it possible to take into consideration the pollution by toxic and organic substances. On average the water quality of the Neva Bay assessed from IP′ values was relatively stable during 1994–2021. It was assessed as “polluted” with the exception of 2006 and 2015 caused by large-scale dredging works. In the period 1982–2021, the average number of zoobenthos species at one station in the Neva Bay almost doubled, from 12 ± 1 species in 1982 to 23±2 species in 2020. In the resort area of the eastern Gulf of Finland, the values of species richness and the Shannon index were much lower than in the Neva Bay, and on average for one station varied from 5±0.6 to 14±4 species and from 1.1±0.2 to 2.3±0.2 bit/ind. This is caused by the influence of salinity, eutrophication and pollution, and invasion of alien species. In addition to intense anthropogenic impact, the dynamics of the state of zoobenthos in this part of the estuary was determined by climate fluctuations.

Первое исследование видового разнообразия лишайников острова Сескар (Финский залив, Ленинградская область)

The revealed lichen diversity of Seskar Island has a total of 292 species, including 263 lichenized, 20 lichenicolous, and nine non-lichenized saprobic fungi. Stigmidium microcarpum is new to European Russia, Caloplaca alcarum, Cryptodiscus muriformis, C. pini, and C. tabularum are new to North-Western European Russia; Lecidella subviridis and Pyrenidium actinellum are new to the Leningrad Region. The most interesting result of the investigation is the discovery of the single modern population of the red-listed Flavocetraria nivalis in the Leningrad Region. The lichen biota of Seskar Island is moderately rich compared to other islands of the Gulf of Finland.

Influence of Weather Conditions in the Northwestern Russian Federation on Flax Fiber Characters According to the Results of a 30-Year Study.

Weather has significant impact on plant growth and development. It is important to analyze the influence of changing climate conditions on the expression of plant agronomic characters. Two flax varieties were grown from 1987 to 2018 in the Northwest of Russia. Weather conditions and their influence on flax agronomic characters were analyzed using the variance and correlations analyses. Significant influence of conditions of a particular year on the manifestation of all evaluated characters was revealed. Starting from June, high temperatures accelerate plant development at all stages. Prolongation of the germination-flowering period is most important for improving fiber productivity, while fast ripening in hot weather after flowering is preferable for the formation of high-quality fiber. Such data give a possibility to predict the yield amount and quality. The use of weather conditions data also makes possible a comparison of the results obtained in different years. The suggested method of classifying meteorological conditions of a year can be used in other genebanks for systematizing and analyzing the results of crop evaluation in the field. The correlation analysis revealed 3 correlated pleiades, namely (1) of productivity, (2) of fiber quality and yield, and (3) of the growing season phase durations, the sums of active temperatures and precipitation during each period. The great influence of growing conditions on the economically valuable traits indicates the necessity of searching for genotypes with stable character manifestations for breeding new varieties with stable yields and good fiber quality.

Younger Dryas and Early Holocene ice‐margin dynamics in northwest Russia

Younger Dryas and Early Holocene ice‐margin dynamics in northwest Russia

Diatom metacommunity structuring in a large lake: geomorphic, water chemistry and dispersal effects on diatom guilds in Lake Ladoga (north-western Russia)

The relative importance of environmental filtering and dispersal in structuring metacommunities of littoral periphytic diatoms was assessed within a large lake (Lake Ladoga, north-western Russia). We hypothesized that different diatom functional guilds (high-profile, low-profile, motile and planktic) would respond differently to environmental and spatial variables, depending on their mode of attachment and dispersal ability. Guilds showed distinct distributional patterns along a gradient of wave-induced disturbance: low-profile diatoms dominated in exposed shorelines (high disturbance), whereas high-profile and motile diatoms were more abundant in coastal wetlands (low disturbance). Redundancy analysis with variation partitioning of the entire diatom community revealed that environmental variables (littoral geomorphology and water chemistry) outperformed spatial variables, indicating a predominant role of species sorting. When the diatom community was deconstructed into functional groups, benthic guilds (i.e., low-profile, high-profile and motile) showed higher dependence on environmental factors, whereas the planktic guild was primarily predicted by spatial factors. Thus, benthic taxa with lower dispersal abilities were less impacted by mass effects than planktic taxa. Among benthic guilds, motile diatoms were less sensitive to water chemistry compared to low-profile and high-profile diatoms, suggesting that a group-specific habitat preference may interfere with diatom responses to water quality changes. Hence, the response of diatom guilds to water quality parameters was related to their resistance to wave action. Overall, we concluded that the higher importance of environmental filtering than dispersal-related processes in shaping the diatom metacommunity resulted from a combination of a strong environmental gradient in geomorphology/water chemistry and the intermediate spatial scale of our study.

The state of Russian national fisheries in the Northern Fishery Basin at the beginning of the 21st century

The purpose of the work is to review of Russian fisheries evolution and modern condition in the Northern Fishery Basin in the first decades of the 21st century to improve the Russian fishery management.The work is based on the data collected by the Polar Branch of the «VNIRO» (N. M. Knipovich «PINRO»), the data of the ICES Working Group on Arctic Fisheries, the decisions of the Joint Norwegian-R ussian Fisheries Commission sessions, the results of the Russian- Norwegian research surveys for the assessment of pelagic and demersal fish stocks and information about the Russian fishing fleet structure and fishing activities.Relevants and findings. The summarized materials on the evolution and modern status of the Russian fisheries in the Barents Sea as the main fisheries are in the north-w estern Russia at the beginning of the 21st century are presented for the first time. The dynamics of stocks and catches of demersal and pelagic fish in 2000–2020 was analyzed. In the observed period in the Barents Sea, the highest biomass of stocks and catches were characteristic of bottom fish species, while stocks and catches of pelagic fish were at an average or even low level. In general, the first decades of the 21st century were favorable for the Russian fishery in the Barents Sea. Additionally, the current state of fisheries in the White and the Kara seas, which are significantly different from the Barents Sea by environmental conditions, legal status and marine biological resources, are considered. Commercial stocks there are significantly underutilized by the Russian fishery. In the Barents Sea, while maintaining fish stocks biomasses at the current levels following by the continuing the hydrologically warm period in the Arctic, the stabilization of the Russian catch at the levels close to existing values is expected.Practical importance. The results obtained will improve the efficiency of the Russian fishing fleet operated in the Northern Fishery Basin.

Weed infestation of narrow-leaved lupine crops in grain-grass-rowed crop rotation in the North-West of Russia

The results of the long term (2012–2018) study of weed infestation of green fallow fields with narrow-leaved lupin in the crop rotation including cereals, grasses and row crops in the North-West region of Russia (Leningrad region) are presented. The assessment of weediness in the narrow-leaved lupine variety Oligarch crops was carried out annually at 24 permanent survey sites (0.1 square meter). Based on the results of the surveys, the formation of a diverse and constant species composition of weeds (from 15 to 25 species), mainly of medium and severe degree of weediness (141–593 specimens per square meter), with the proportion of young plants ranging from 90.4 to 99.7 %. The mass species of weeds were lamb’s quarters, field pansy, corn spurry, hemp-nettles, fumitory, shepherd’s purse, prevalent perennial weeds were field sowthistle, coltsfoot, red sorrel, couch grass, marsh woundwort. The prevailing influence of weather conditions and individual characteristics on the weed infestation of narrow-leaved lupine crop has been determined. The combined effect of two factors was expressed by 47.7, 57.8 and 47.1 % in terms of species abundance, initial abundance and final phytomass of weeds, respectively. Long term application of mineral fertilizers led to an increase in the number of annuals (by 1.5–1.6 times) and a decrease in the density of growth of perennial weed species (by 1.6–1.9 times). The influence of the integrated plant protection system used in the crop rotation was manifested in a significant decrease in the density of perennial weed species (by 4.6 times) in narrow-leaved lupine crop.

Caledonian reactivation and reworking of Timanian thrust systems and implications for latest Mesoproterozoic to mid-Paleozoic tectonics and magmatism in northern Baltica

Background The Trollfjorden–Komagelva Fault Zone is the southernmost thrust fault of the Timanian Orogen and extends for thousands of kilometers from northwestern Russia to northern Norway. Though there is little about its location onshore northeastern Norway, where it is mapped as a major fault system dominantly comprised of NNE-dipping thrust faults, its continuation to the west below Caledonian nappes and offshore post-Caledonian sedimentary basins remains a matter of debate. Methods The present study provides a more definitive answer about the continuation of Trollfjorden–Komagelva Fault Zone west of the Varanger Peninsula by using seismic reflection, bathymetric, topographic, and magnetic data onshore Finnmark and offshore on the Finnmark Platform. Results The NNE-dipping Trollfjorden–Komagelva Fault Zone merges with a recently identified northwest-dipping brittle–ductile thrust, the Sørøya–Ingøya shear zone, which was previously thought to have formed during the Caledonian Orogeny. The present study demonstrates that the Sørøya–Ingøya shear zone represents a portion of the Trollfjorden–Komagelva Fault Zone that was folded into a NE–SW orientation and reactivated as a top-southeast thrust during the Caledonian Orogeny, while other portions of the Trollfjorden–Komagelva Fault Zone (e.g., on the Varanger Peninsula) were reactivated as strike-slip faults. The study also documents the presence of another major, NNE-dipping Timanian shear zone with a similar geometry to the Trollfjorden–Komagelva Fault Zone north of the Varanger Peninsula. Conclusions The present study suggests that (1) the Seiland Igneous Province formed in a backarc setting, (2) metasedimentary rocks of the Kalak Nappe Complex deposited along the Baltican margin of the Iapetus Ocean, possibly in a late–post-Grenvillian collapse basin, (3) the Iapetus Ocean was much narrower than the several thousands of kilometers width commonly proposed, and (4) early Neoproterozoic magmatism in northern Norway is related to the initial breakup of Rodinia.

A Deep Learning Approach for the Automated Classification of Geomagnetically Induced Current Scalograms

During geomagnetic storms, which are a result of solar wind’s interaction with the Earth’s magnetosphere, geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) begin to flow in the long, high-voltage electrical networks on the Earth’s surface. It causes a number of negative phenomena that affect the normal operation of the entire electric power system. To investigate the nature of the phenomenon and its effects on transformers, a GIC monitoring system was created in 2011. The system consists of devices that are installed in the neutrals of autotransformers at five substations of the Kola–Karelian power transit in northwestern Russia. Considering the significant amount of data accumulated over 12 years of operating the GIC monitoring system, manual analysis becomes impractical. To analyze the constantly growing volume of recorded data effectively, a method for the automatic classification of GICs in autotransformer neutrals was proposed. The method is based on a continuous wavelet transform of the neutral current data combined with a convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify the obtained scalogram images. The classifier’s performance is evaluated using accuracy and binary cross-entropy loss metrics. As the result of comparing four CNN architectures, a model that showed high GIC classification performance on the validation set was chosen as the final model. The proposed CNN model, in addition to the main layers, includes pre-processing layers and a dropout layer.

Studying self-fertility in new black currant cultivars from the VIR collection in Northwestern Russia

Background. An important task is to search for and select highly self-fertile cultivars for plant breeding programs and for setting single-cultivar plantings in commercial horticulture.Materials and methods. Cultivars were assessed for their self-fertility levels at Pushkin and Pavlovsk Laboratories of VIR in 2019–2022. Thirty black currant cultivars of eight genetic groups served as the research material. Their levels of self-fertility were tested using conventional techniques. Free pollination served as the control. The resulting data were analyzed according to the main indicators crucial for precise characterization of a cultivar’s self-fertility level: fruit setting rate, berry weight, seed yield, and fertilization effectiveness. The data were statistically processed using Microsoft Excel and the guidelines by B. A. Dospekhov. Fruit setting rate, berry weight, seed yield and fertilization effectiveness were considered for each pollination variant.Results and conclusion. Cultivars with high and stable self-fertility levels were identified as potential valuable sources for breeding programs: ‘Partizanka Bryanskaya’ (k-45548), ‘Ben Gairn’(k-45524), ‘Litvinovskaya’ (k-45542), ‘Mushketer’ (k-45544), ‘Raduzhnaya’ (k-45549), ‘Ben Lomond’ (k-32611), and ‘Vertikal’ (k-45528). Cvs. ‘Partizanka Bryanskaya’ (k-45548), ‘Ben Gairn’ (k-45524), ‘Mushketer’ (k-45544), and ‘Vertikal’ (k-45528) may be used in single-cultivar plantings because they are able to set the same number of berries under natural self-pollination and free pollination. Natural self-pollination (autogamy) led to a decrease in the size of berries and the number of seeds in them. An increase in the main self-fertility indicators was observed under artificial self-pollination and free pollination.

Changes in chironomid communities during the Holocene in Lake Polevskoye (Zaonezhsky Peninsula, northwestern Russia)

We reconstructed paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental changes based on the analyses of sediments from the Lake Polevskoye on the Zaonezhsky Peninsula in northwestern Russia. The change in the taxonomic composition of chironomids was analysed in the studied core. The age of the sediments covers ca 7.1 thousand years. Based on the cluster analysis, 3 main stratigraphic zones were identified. From 7.1 to 5.2 ka cal. yrs. BP, phytophilic taxa associated with shallow lakes dominated. Later between 5.2 – 2.0 ka cal. yrs. BP chironomids biodiversity increased. During this period, cold-water taxa appeared, which might indicate some cooling during this period. There was also a simultaneous increased in the number of profundal and semi-terrestrial species, which may indicate the changes of the water level in the lake and paludification. After 2.0 ka cal. yrs. BP the total number of species decreased. The dominant taxa associated with shallow water levels and moderately warm climatic conditions. Changes in the taxonomic composition of chironomids in Lake Polevskoye responded to paleoenvironmental changes. During the studied period, there was an increase in diversity of chironomids and a change in dominant taxa. The reconstructed conditions showed an increase in the water level in the lake from 5.2 to 2.0 ka cal. yrs. BP, as well as a gradual increase in trophicity.

Bog bacterial community: data from north-western Russia.

Wetlands occupy up to 35% of the boreal biome in Russia, according to various estimates. Boreal bogs are global carbon sinks, accounting for more than 65% of the soil carbon stored in the wetland ecosystems of the world. The decomposition of plant residues is one of the most important components of the carbon cycle in wetland systems, while the violation of their fragile balance due to climate change increases the rate of mineralisation of organic matter and releases large amounts of carbon to the atmosphere. The biochemical processes occurring in a peat deposit determine the intensity of the destruction of organic matter and gas exchange. However, the microbial communities of the boreal ombrotrophic bogs, regulating those processes, are poorly studied. Hence, a study of the prokaryote communities of the peat deposits of the southern White Sea coastal ombrotrophic bogs (mostly spread in north-western Russia) was carried out. The taxonomic composition of archaea and bacteria sampled from the deposit's depth of 0-310 cm was studied using high-throughput sequencing of V4 sites of 16S rRNA gene by Illumina technology. As a result, 105 species belonging to 19 phylums were identified. The dominant specific phyla were Pseudomonadota, Acidobacteriota and Verrucomicrobiota, the non-specific phylum being Desulfobacterota. Various groups of methanogenic, methylotrophic and nitrogen-fixing microorganisms were identified. Shannon's biodiversity ranged from 3.5 to 4.6 and ChaO1 - from 232 to 351, decreasing within the depth.

Numenius arquata (Charadriiformes, Aves) abundance trends in agrolandscapes in the southern Republic of Karelia (Northwest Russia)

Olonets grasslands (61.041111° N, 32.931389° E) are the most extensive agrolandscapes in the Republic of Karelia (Northwest Russia), one of the largest spring stopovers of migrating birds in Northern Europe and a breeding area of farmland-associated birds. This territory is essential for the life of many bird species and is listed among international-level Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas of Russia. However, the preservation level of Olonets grasslands is rather low, since only spring hunting has been prohibited in a part of the Olonets grasslands (49 km2) since 1993. Thus, the conservation status of this area and the bird protection measures have to be upgraded and a system should be set up for monitoring the abundance of Red Data Book and other threatened species, which use this territory in certain stages of their life cycle. One of such species is Numenius arquata (hereinafter – curlew), many populations of which have both declining abundance and shrinking distribution. This species uses the Olonets grasslands both as a spring migration stopover and as a breeding area. We analysed the curlew registrations obtained in the Olonets grasslands in April and May 1997–2023 during the transect censuses (both transect walks and surveys using a car). We compared these records with both local weather data and grassland use intensity. We also analysed the time dependence of curlew spring abundance on date and year of observations. The research hypothesis was that curlew’s abundance decreased in cold spring seasons, in seasons with intensive grassland use, as well as over time. The latter supposition is based on the observations of a curlew population decline in the past decades in various parts of the species’ range. The monitoring showed that this species is consistently present in the Olonets grasslands in April – May. Curlews, stopping over on migration, used the grasslands quite evenly, with no clear preference for any specific areas. In the case of breeding, however, they tended to choose the sites most inconvenient for agricultural treatments. The even distribution of curlews over the grasslands was probably due mostly to the individuals foraging in stopovers. In the surveyed part of the Olonets grasslands (49 km2), the size of the local population breeding varied from 30 to 150 pairs in 1999–2023. In 2019–2023, it was 30–90 pairs. In the entire Olonets grasslands (180 km2), the breeding curlew population varied from 100 to 1200 pairs at various years in 1999–2023, but it did not exceed 100–300 pairs in 2019–2023. During the stopping over on migration, the annual number of curlew individuals passing through the surveyed part of the Olonets grasslands was 90–750, while it was 150–2500 birds in the entire Olonets grasslands. So far, we have found no correlation between the total abundance of curlews in the study area and the intensity of grassland use, apparently because stopover and breeding sites are still available. On the other hand, the curlew abundance was lower in warmer spring seasons. Apparently, some curlews fly farther north in such seasons, whereas in colder seasons more birds settle on Olonets grasslands or linger on them on their migration route. Over 25-year retrospective, the total curlew abundance registered in the Olonets grasslands has decreased by 34.4%. In the study area, the negative trend in the species abundance was likely due not only to local but also to global processes, which have caused a decline in some other European populations as well. These birds probably face with certain problems on flyways or in wintering grounds, but more data are needed to verify this conjecture. The local-scope factors that may potentially affect curlew abundance include burning of last year’s grass cover, farming intensification, predation, and human disturbance. By assessing possible future changes in the curlew abundance in the Olonets grasslands, we predict that in the coming 30–40 years this species is highly likely to become «endangered» in the study area. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to conserve the sites where curlews can nest, strengthen the protection regime in the Olonets grasslands (preferably through designation of a high-status Protected Area), and raise public awareness of the need to conserve the species and reduce human disturbance.

АНАЛИЗ ГЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ И ИНЖЕНЕРНО-ГЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ УСЛОВИЙ ОСОБО ОХРАНЯЕМОЙ ПРИРОДНОЙ ТЕРРИТОРИИ - ИЛЬМЕНСКИЙ ГЛИНТ

lmensky Klint” on the territory of the Southern Ilmen region is a complex extended natural monument of regional importance, an ornithological monument of international importance. This valuable geological object is actively being destroyed and requires the close attention of many specialists. The article shows that despite the good accessibility of research objects and the existing scientific research on various topics, no emphasis was placed on studying the geodynamic situation of a specially protected natural area — the Ilmensky Klint. A brief qualitative assessment of the condition of the Ilmensky Klint is given based on the results of reconnaissance observations. A set of available measures is recommended to save this unique geological object in the north-west of Russia

Prospects for detecting alternariose in potato plantings using hyperspectral measurements

The harmfulness of Alternaria leaf blight on potatoes has increased significantly in recent years in the North-West of Russia. For effective protection of potato plantings from the disease it is extremely important to detect it promptly. For that purpose the ground-based portable spectroradiometer PSR-1100 with a measurement range from 320 to 1100 nm was used. The study was conducted at the experimental station of Menkovo branch of Agrophysical research institute located in Gatchina district of Leningrad region. The result of the study revealed that even in case with a slight damage of potato plants with Alternaria leaf blight (less than 10% of the leaf surface) there were significant changes in the values of the reflectivity of potato leaves were recorded by the device in the near infrared part of the spectrum especially with severe damage to the leaf surface (25-50% of the leaf surface). At the same time there were no significant differences in the entire measured wavelength range (320-1100 nm) in plants with Alternaria leaf blight damage to 25% of the leaf surface. Thus, the detection of Alternaria leaf blight in potato plantings is practicable by means of ground-based hyperspectral measurements.

Traditional nature management as a way to prevent the loss of wildlife species in a changing environment

Wildlife species of tundra and sub-arctic boreal regions are facing an immediate threat to its existence owning to environmental changes. This paper highlights how traditional nature management in northwestern Russia and northeastern Canada is able to reduce threats to the environment, focusing on vulnerability of biodiversity to changing climatic conditions. The goal of this study is to identify key areas of wildlife species loss during a changing climate by exploring the ability of traditional nature management to support environmentally sustainable habitats for the existence of the most typical biomes of tundra and sub-arctic boreal landscapes. The differentiating biodiversity method was used to determinate presence of rare species as a criterion of non-disturbed areas. This research is based on statistical data on biodiversity dynamics, meteorological data, reports on environmental conditions, cartographic materials, satellite images collected from open sources, and fieldworks. The author indicates non-disturbed sites in terms of biological resources protection in the studied regions. Obtained results confirm that on territories where traditional nature management is carried out, the reduction of biodiversity is much lower than on areas located in equal environmental conditions.

Vegetation reconstruction based on a modelling approach applied to Holocene pollen records from Lakes Ladoga and Onega

Quantitative reconstruction of vegetation abundance utilising pollen records from Lake Ladoga, Lake Onega, and Lake Lembolovskoye in north-western Russia was conducted using the REVEALS model. Two modelling approaches, integrated with three sets of relative pollen productivities and fall speeds, produced divergent outcomes. The option that most accurately reflected the vegetation composition was selected for further analysis. The comparison of modern vegetation with sub-recent spectra from surface samples in the study region enabled an evaluation of the reliability of the model.