White Sea Research Articles

Усилия по восстановлению беломорского промыслового флота в начальный период нэпа

The recovery period of the early 1920s in Soviet Russia coincided with the search for new forms of production management and was complicated not only by economic devastation, but also by the difficult international situation, political and economic blockade of the country. Under such conditions, the long overdue task of modernization of fishing and fur-trading was solved in the Arkhangelsk province, which first of all required providing the fishermen with the newest vessels. Lack of coal did not allow using steam vessels in full measure in the fishery; purchase and construction of vessels at foreign shipyards were also difficult. Therefore, it was decided to restore peasant shipyards as a temporary measure, centrally organizing the construction of small fishing vessels under the supervision of qualified technicians. The models used were Norwegian-built sailing, rowing and motor vessels, which were considered to be the most suitable for fishing in the White Sea and Arctic Ocean. The difficulties that the economic institutions had to face during the transition period (from war communism to the new economic policy) are considered in this article with the help of a large set of archival and published sources. The transition to the use of trawlers and icebreakers is explained not only by the tasks of modernization of the fishing economy, but also by the revolutionary ideology: to prevent conditions for the emergence of a prosperous layer of the Pomor population, which included shipbuilders and shipowners.

Chemical composition of the White Sea sponge Halichondriа panicea

The extract of the White Sea sponge Halichondria panicea (Pallas, 1766) exhibits cytotoxic and cytostatic effects. The main part of the extract consists of hydrophilic low molecular weight compounds: free amino acids (13.9%), glucose (19.9%), polyatomic alcohols (glycerin and others) (6.1%), carboxylic acids (0.7%) and nitrogenous heterocycles (1.2%). Of the substances specific to the metabolome, bicyclic diketopiperazines (four derivatives), pyroglutamic acid, phenylacetic acid, and two steroids (3β,5α)cholest-7-en-3-ol and dihydrocholesterol were identified. Toxicants characteristic of the genus Halichondria were not found in the White Sea sponge.

PANABIO: a point-referenced PAN-Arctic data collection of benthic BIOtas

Abstract. Profound environmental changes, such as drastic sea-ice decline, leave large-scale ecological footprints on the distribution and composition of marine biota in the Arctic. Currently, the impact of such stressors is not sufficiently understood due to the lack of pan-Arctic data that allow for estimating ecological baselines as well as modelling current and forecast potential changes in benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Here, we introduce the PAN-Arctic data collection of benthic BIOtas (PANABIO) and discuss its timeliness, potential, and details of its further development. The data collection contains individual datasets with records (presence, counts, abundance, or biomass) of benthic fauna, usually at genus level or species level, which were identified in field samples obtained at point-referenced locations (stations) by means of grabs, towed gear, or seabed imaging. The data cover the entire pan-Arctic realm, i.e. the central Arctic Ocean, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Laptev Sea, Kara Sea, Barents Sea (including the White Sea), Svalbard waters, Greenland Sea, Norwegian Sea, Canadian Archipelago, Beaufort Sea, and Bering Sea as well as some adjacent sub-Arctic regions (Sea of Japan, Gulf of Okhotsk). Currently (as of 14 December 2023), PANABIO includes 27 datasets with a total of 126 388 records of 2978 taxa collected from 11 555 samples taken at 10 596 stations during 1095 cruises between 1800 and 2014. These numbers will increase with more data becoming available over time through contributions from PANABIO users. The data collection is available in a PostgreSQL-based data warehouse that can be accessed and queried through an open-access front-end web service at https://critterbase.awi.de/panabio (last access: 27 February 2024). A snapshot of the current data collection and its 27 individual datasets is also available from the data publisher PANGAEA (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.963640, Piepenburg et al., 2023).

Remarkable occurrence of a two-mouthed Beroe in the White Sea

Remarkable occurrence of a two-mouthed Beroe in the White Sea

New insight into the global record of the Ediacaran tubular morphotype: a common solution to early multicellularity.

The tubular morphogroup is a common component of Earth's first complex, multicellular communities-the Ediacaran biota-and offers valuable insight into biological traits that are fundamental to animal life because they have intriguing links to metazoan phyla and are highly abundant in Ediacaran ecosystems. Biomineral tubes (e.g. Cloudina) are well described from the Nama assemblage (~550-538 Myr), yielding a relatively detailed understanding of this subset of the morphogroup. Conversely, the non-biomineral tubular taxa of the Nama assemblage, as well as of the older White Sea assemblage (~560-550 Myr), are poorly understood. As a result, the variability of characters that define non-biomineral tubular organisms is unknown and their diversity dynamics throughout the terminal Ediacaran are unconstrained. To test hypotheses related to the diversity, morphological variability and temporal distribution of non-biomineral tubes, a comprehensive database of non-biomineral Ediacaran tubular taxa was compiled. Results demonstrate previously unrecognized morphological disparity in the non-biomineral tubular morphogroup and reveal that it comprises a higher number of genera than all other non-tubular morphogroups in the White Sea and the Nama. Thus, it illustrates that a tubular form dominated Ediacaran ecosystems for considerably longer than previously appreciated and, importantly, was the most common solution to early multicellularity.

WHITE SEA SURGE LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS ACCORDING TO OBSERVATION DATA 2004-2020

Fluctuations of the residual level of the White Sea in the synoptic range of time scales, including surge fluctuations, are considered on the basis of observation data covering 2004-2020 period. Hourly data on the level at coastal points of Sosnovets, Severodvinsk, Solovki and Kandalaksha were analyzed. The surge run-ups and run-offs are studied based on the analysis of residual sea level (RSL) fluctuations, which is calculated by removing the tidal component from the observation data. The Dvina Bay RSL fluctuations are characterized by the greatest variance. The RSL fluctuations at Sosnovets and Solovki have approximately the same variance, which is significantly lower than in Dvina Bay. The lowest variance is observed in Kandalaksha. According to the data obtained at the Severodvinsk and Solovki stations, a noticeable increase in the variance of RSL fluctuations is observed over the considered period of time, which indicates an increase in their intensity. If five-year periods are compared, the average dispersion in Severodvinsk is 327,3 cm2 in 2004-2008, 341,4 cm2 in 2009-2013, and 386,8 cm2 in 2016-2020. This conclusion is confirmed by the calculations of the probability of positive RSL deviations, as well as by the fact that the number of surge run-ups with a height no less than 100 cm was only two during 12 years from 2004 to 2015, and there were already five such surges in the five-year period 2016-2020. Seven types of synoptic situations are described in which surge run-ups occurred in the White Sea, two of which were not previously considered. Western cyclones of various trajectories account for 73 (74,5%) out of 98 cases of surge run-ups considered in the paper. The largest surge run-ups in Severodvinsk during the period under review reached a height of 130 cm (August 22, 2018) and 153 cm (November 15, 2011). Significant surge run-offs are less frequent than surge run-ups, being, as a rule, lower in their absolute value. The surge run-off on January 31, 2005 was the most pronounced for the entire period 2004-2020. The RSL in Severodvinsk dropped by 123 cm below the monthly average, and by 112 cm in Solovki.

State of resources and fishery of commercial Seaweeds and Seagrasses in the Seas of Russia in 2000–2020

The aim: Stock assessment of commercial algae and seagrasses in the sea waters of Russian Federation and their fishery in 2000–2020.Method: The present article is based on original and statistical data obtained in 2000–2020 in accordance with standard methods of fisheries research.Novelty: The analysis has revealed the present status of commercial algae and seagrasses resources in the seawaters of Russian Federation as well as the reasons for low exploitation rates of these resources.Result: Algae and seagrasses resources in the seawaters of Russian Federation have hardly changed during last 20 years and remain stable. Algae harvesting is relatively well developed only in White Sea and Japan Sea. Total biomass of commercial algae and seagrasses resources in the sea waters of Russian Federation estimates at 1.6 million tons, and annual recommended catch — at 250 thousand tons.Practical significance: The results of present analysis have reveal modern trends of algae fishery development and allow to elaborate science-based approaches for conservation and sustainable management of these resources.

Cognitive Duality of the Artistic Concept of Sea-Ocean in B. V. Shergin’s Short Stories

Artistic concepts are linguistic and cultural cognitive concepts processed by a particular author. As a result, they acquire the individuality in the text they belong to. In cultural linguistics, artistic concepts help to describe the individual style of an author as a linguistic personality. This article introduces the cognitive features of the binuclear concept of sea-ocean in B. V. Shergin’s short stories. Mythological universals and Russian mythology made it possible to distinguish additional shades of the concept under study, different from its traditional mythological content. The binuclear concept of sea-ocean proved to be a dual artistic concept. Its cores form an equipolar opposition, i.e., they all share the meaning of water space but differ in antonymic values, e.g., life / death, light / darkness, constancy / variability, creation / destruction, etc. These opposite meanings are not mutually exclusive: in fact, they are quite close. The duality is part of the etymology of lexemes ocean and sea: the former has the meaning of living water while the second contains the seme of death, i.e., dead water. In the mythological worldview of the Pomors, who inhabit the White Sea and Russian Arctic coasts, the sea-ocean is the primary matter in which the never-ending struggle of opposites gives birth to the new Universe, which then perishes and is reborn again. This matter is thought of as a living being. The biomorphic features of the concept are expressed through anthropomorphic and zoomorphic codes. The lexical and semantic field man is represented by such lexemes as old father, gray-haired old man, water king, fair judge, soul builder, musician, singer, etc. The lexical and semantic field animal is limited such lexemes as horse and polar bear.

COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT METABOLOME OF MACROPHYTES IN DIFFERENT WATER BODIES IN THE WATER AREA OF THE KANDALAKSHA BAY OF THE WHITE SEA

The Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea underwent a first-of-its-kind comparative examination of the composition of essential oils of structure-forming macrophytes growing in freshwater and saltwater habitats. The essential oils of the aquatic macrophytes Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm., Ruppia maritima L., Zostera marina L., Fucus vesiculosus L., and Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis were obtained by steam hydrodistillation using the Clevenger apparatus from dried plants. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS complex SHIMADZU GCMS-QP2010 Ultra) was used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative composition of LMWOCs (low molecular weight organic compounds). The component composition of the low molecular weight metabolome (LM) of macrophytes was shown to depend on both plant species specificity and plant habitat conditions (hydrological features, trophic state). More LMWOCs are found in plants from freshwater habitats than from marine ones. The investigated plants had only a few major compounds, ranging in number from 4 to 14. They accounted for between 70 and 83% of the overall concentration of all compounds in freshwater N. lutea and between 82 and 95% of the total concentration of LMWOCs in marine macrophytes. The most significant (% of the total essential oil) main components in macrophytes were carboxylic acids, specifically hexadecanoic, tetradecanoic, linoleic, and linolenic. The outcomes gained proved that the presence of carboxylic acids is a sign of a healthy macrophyte environment. The composition of LM of plants from northern habitats (marine and freshwater) contains high total concentrations of LMWOCs (including valuable ones from the perspective of economic use), making it possible to consider them as a valuable natural renewable resource for obtaining raw materials for various economic uses.

Chitin Degradation by Microbial Communities of the Kandalaksha Bay, White Sea

Chitin Degradation by Microbial Communities of the Kandalaksha Bay, White Sea

Effect of Hydrocarbon Pollution on the Fungal Communities of the Littoral Sediments of the White and Barents Seas

Effect of Hydrocarbon Pollution on the Fungal Communities of the Littoral Sediments of the White and Barents Seas

Adaptation of Litoral Halophytes to the Conditions of the Coastal Territories of the White Sea: Involvement of Fatty Acid Composition of Lipids

Adaptation of Litoral Halophytes to the Conditions of the Coastal Territories of the White Sea: Involvement of Fatty Acid Composition of Lipids

Influence of Modern Geodynamic Processes on the Formation of the Coastal Relief and Seabed of the White Sea

Influence of Modern Geodynamic Processes on the Formation of the Coastal Relief and Seabed of the White Sea

Seasonal Diet Changes and Trophic Links of Cold-Water Fish (Coregonus albula) within a Northern Lake Ecosystem

The seasonal feeding patterns of the cold-adapted fish, Coregonus albula, are poorly studied in high-latitude lakes but could provide insight for predicting the effects of global warming. We examined vendace’s diet composition, traced the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from producers to consumers in the food web, and estimated vendace’s trophic position in a subarctic lake (the White Sea basin). Results showed the vendace to be a typical euryphagous fish, but clear seasonal differences were found in the relative importance of plankton and benthos in the diet. The vendace consumed primarily benthic amphipods in the summer, planktonic cladocerans in the autumn, and copepods in the winter–spring (under ice); larvae of aquatic insects were the second-most important food items throughout the year. Because of the substantial proportion of fish embryos in its diet, the vendace had a trophic position similar to that of a predatory fish (perch). The Bayesian food source-mixing model revealed that the majority of vendace energy derives from planktonic copepods. The dominant Cyclops had the lowest carbon isotope values, suggesting a carbon-depleted diet typical for methanotrophic bacteria, as its probable food source was in a lake under ice. Understanding the feeding patterns of vendace provides information to better predict the potential biotic effects of environmental change on lake ecosystems.

Physiological and biochemical parameters of Erythrocytes in White Sea bearded seals Erignathus barbatus barbatus Erxleben, 1777 (Phocidae) across different age groups

A comparative study of some parameters of erythrocytes of bearded seals of different ages (3 years, 5 years, 10 years) was carried out. It has been established that with age, the resistance of erythrocyte membranes to hemolysis increases. During puberty, the intensity of glycolysis in the bearded seals erythrocytes increases and then decreases in adult animals. Differences in the content of potassium, calcium, magnesium in the erythrocytes of animals of the studied age groups are shown.

Boreal (Eemian) Transgression in the Northeastern White Sea Region: Multiproxy Evidence from Bychye-2 Section

Reconstructing interglacial marine environments helps us understand the climate change mechanisms of the past. To contribute to this body of knowledge, we studied a high-resolution 455 cm-thick sediment sequence of the Boreal (Eemian) marine beds directly overlying Moscovian (Saalian) moraine in the Bychye-2 section on the Pyoza River. We analyzed lithological and microfossil (foraminifers, ostracods, pollen, aquatic palynomorphs) variations at the studied site. Stratigraphical zonation is based on the local and well-established regional pollen zones, correlated with the western European pollen zones. The studied marine beds accumulated from the end of the Moscovian glacial (>131 ka) until ca. 119.5 ka. We distinguished three successive phases: a seasonally sea-ice-covered, relatively deep, freshened basin in the initial rapid flooding stage (>131–130.5 ka); a deep basin in the maximum flooding phase with less extensive sea ice cover (130.5–130.25 ka); and a shallow basin with reduced sea ice cover (130.25–119.5 ka). According to a pollen zone comparison with other sites, the regional glacioisostatic rebound started ca. 130 ka. The diverse warm-water assemblages of benthic foraminifers and ostracods containing typical Baltic Sea species occurred during the regression, mainly 128–124 ka, thus giving evidence for a relatively long-lasting connection between the White and Baltic Seas.

Glaciolacustrine sedimentary pattern of the Eastern White Sea area during the MIS 2

New data on the distribution and age of glaciolacustrine deposits on the Zimny, Abramovsky, Lyamitsky and Tersky shores of the White Sea are presented. It was possible to trace the dynamics of the glaciation development in the studied area during the LGM, as well as to reconstruct the stages of transition of the White Sea basin from the glacier to the sea basin. The glaciolacustrine sediments of the Abramovsky shore characterise the stage of glaciation onset, while those of the Zimny shore - the initial stage of glacier degradation, when a series of small proglacial water bodies adjoined its marginal zone. The glaciolacustrine sediments studied on the Lyamitsky and Tersky shores were formed in large proglacial lakes that immediately preceded the penetration of the Barents Sea waters into the White Sea basin, as a result of which its gradual salinisation occurred and marine sedimentation began.

A reflection of modern vegetation of the Zhizhgin Island (White Sea) in pollen spectra of lake sediments

The first data on the composition of pollen spectra of subrecent lake sediments were obtained from surface samples of Lake Vodonosnoye and Lake Chernyaevskoye sediments on Zhizhgin Island, which is located in the southern part of the White Sea. Currently, woody vegetation on the island grows in small areas and consists mainly of shrubby birch and willow and oppressed pine. The pollen spectra generally reflect the modern vegetation of the island. The pollen spectra include pollen of tree species and grasses, which occupy large areas of open meadows and wetlands. Picea and Pinus pollen found in significant quantities is partly introduced. Abies and Tilia pollen are also likely introduced. The results of pollen analysis of surface samples will be used for pollen analysis of sediment sequences of the investigated lakes, which will allow for correct interpretation of the data obtained and a more correct reconstruction of the island’s vegetation in the past.

Reduced sulfur compounds in the bottom sediments of meromictic lakes

This paper presents data on the content of reduced sulfur compounds in the bottom sediments of two meromictic reservoirs: Mogilnoe Lake (Barents Sea) and Lake Trekhtsvetnoe (White Sea). A distinctive feature of both reservoirs is the high content of hydrogen sulfide in the anaerobic monimolimnion. The total content of reduced sulfur compounds, characterized by the ƩSH2S parameter, averaged 0.500% for Mogilnoe Lake and 0.994% for Lake Trekhtsvetnoe. The main form of sulfur for both lakes was pyrite (more than 60% for Mogilnoe Lake and up to 80% for Lake Trekhtsvetnoe). Significant amounts of sulfur associated with organic matter were noted in the surface layers. The contents of acid-soluble monosulfides and elemental sulfur were not significantly different (no more than 10% of ƩSH2S). This distribution of forms in the composition of ƩSH2S makes the bottom sediments of the studied lakes similar to sea sediments. The high level of accumulation of reduced sulfur compounds in sediments is due to their provision of a sufficient amount of organic matter, which comes mainly from the chemocline zone.

Wooden Church Architecture of Kargopol and the River Onega Areas in 17th–18th Centuries

The article is devoted to the analysis of the typological diversity and artistic and expressive means of wooden church architecture of Kargopol’ area in the 17th–18th centuries — one of the most interesting regions of the Russian North. An examination of the configurations of the roofing of the main volumes demonstrates the widespread existence of various types. The cube-shaped churches of Kargopol’ area represent a significant part of the monuments of this typological subspecies, also localized in the Lower Onega River and southern White Sea region. At the same time, in Kargopol’ area there is a concentration of temples with a wedge roof and a “barrel” top. The research of spatial solutions shows that the octagonal churches of Kargopol’ area stand out noticeably against the background of such universal and extra-regional compositions as “an octagonal structure on a quadrangle with a refectory” or cross-planned churches. Tower-shaped churches, like the six-walled bell towers of Kargopol’ area, can also be seen against the background of the fortification architecture in the Lower Onega River, which received a powerful impetus in the 17th century in connection with the construction of the Kargopol, Ust-Mosh and Turchasovsky forts. Kargopol refectories “with free communication” are also becoming a kind of local phenomenon. The main feature of the ensemble character of Kargopol architecture is the connection between the constituent elements with the help of porches, galleries and passages. Field surveys of monuments and the use of archival sources on the history of temple construction in Kargopol’ area testify to the colossal creative potential that was fully realized during the 17th–18th centuries in the picturesque variety of forms of both individual monuments and general ensemble solutions. No less important is the fact that the Kargopol’ tradition did not remain closed in itself; its spread to adjacent regions and interweaving with the architecture of the Lower Onega River and on the White Sea coasts scales up the architecture of Kargopol’ area and makes it one of the most striking and large phenomena in the wide panorama of wooden architecture monuments throughout the Russian North.