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The article presents the results of a study of modern geodynamic movements in bottom structures of the White Sea (Baltic Shield). Based on expeditionary work in the White Sea, data were obtained on the formation of the seabed relief and thickness of unconsolidated sediments under the influence of modern seismotectonic events and geodynamic movements, as well as long-term neotectonic processes. It is shown that the Kandalaksha Bay depression is a modern graben developing along faults activated in the Quaternary. Graben development continues to the northwest, where a new Quaternary structure is being formed. Signs of modern geodynamic movements have been identified. The authors demonstrate the role of disjunctive tectonics in the formation of slopes and tectonic structures transverse to the strike of the bay, morphologically represented by relief ridges cutting the Sredny Ludy rise in Kandalaksha Bay. The influence of modern geodynamic processes on the distribution of thicknesses of Quaternary sediments of various genesis and the mosaic distribution of modern bottom sediments has been established. The influence of gravitational processes involved in the formation of underwater landslides, leading to the appearance of abnormally thick layers of the unconsolidated sedimentary cover, has been studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, carbon and nitrogen contents in the undisturbed terrestrial ecosystems in the northern taiga zone of Russia's Murmansk region were estimated. The goal of this study was to examine the carbon and nitrogen dynamics in atmospheric precipitation, assimilating organs of coniferous trees (Picea obovata and Pinus sylvestris), needle litter, soils, and soil water. The objects of our research were the most common dwarf shrub-green moss spruce forests and lichen-dwarf shrub pine forests of the boreal zone. The study was carried out on permanent plots between 1999 and 2020. The long-term dynamics of carbon concentrations in snow demonstrated a trend towards increasing carbon concentrations in forested and treeless areas of the Murmansk region. It was shown that in representative spruce and pine forests, the concentrations and atmospheric precipitation of carbon compounds and carbon leaching with soil water were higher below the tree crowns, compared to between the crowns. In soil water, a decrease was found in carbon concentration with the soil profile depth. For soils, the highest carbon concentrations were found in the organic and illuvial soil horizons. The main soil sinks of carbon and nitrogen in northern taiga forests were found to be located in the organic soil horizon below the crowns. In northern taiga forests, the carbon content of living Picea obovata and Pinus sylvestris needles and Pinus sylvestris needle litter had minor variability; no significant interbiogeocoenotic and age differences were found. We found that the nitrogen content in brown needles and needle litter was significantly lower compared to photosynthetically active needles, probably due to retranslocation processes (withdrawal before needle abscission), corroborating the literature in the results session. The largest stocks of carbon and nitrogen in northern taiga forests are concentrated in the soil organic horizon, and the removal of these elements with soil water is insignificant. Carbon and nitrogen stocks in living and fallen needles are lower than in soil. The least amount of carbon and nitrogen is contained in atmospheric precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing climate changes have the greatest impact on the natural ecosystems in high-latitude areas because climate warming and ever increasing anthropogenic load associated with the development of Arctic regions contribute to degradation of frozen peatlands and an increase in the seasonal thaw depth. The research into oligotrophic peat soils (Cryic Histosols) of the northern territories in Western Siberia is relevant because their degradation enriches natural waters with organomineral substances containing a large set of chemical elements, including heavy metals, thereby enhancing the changes in the hydrogeochemical properties of natural waters of the North. The paper describes the main properties of peat sampled from different horizons of soil profiles in the key areas covering the territory of the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous okrug from north to south and from west to east. The chemical composition of soils has been analyzed at the Institute of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry (Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences) using standard methods. The concentrations of gross and mobile forms of metals (Fe, Ca, K, Na, Mg, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) have been determined using optical atomic emission spectrometry and flame atomic absorption spectrometry, respectively. A characteristic feature in the distribution of concentrations of the target chemical elements in oligotrophic peat soils in the northern part of Western Siberia is two maxima in soil profiles. The first maximum is confined to the upper horizons showing signs of degradation, while the second one is observed in the upper part of permafrost. Statistical analysis using principal component method shows that the low ash content, pH, and C/N ratio are associated with a high mobility of K, Cu, Zn, and Mg. The mobility of Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd, and Cr increases in the upper part of permafrost organogenic rock with an increase in the ash content, pH, and Ntot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many small remote cities in the circumpolar North lose population. Our starting point is that such settlements have a viable future when young people see perspectives for their own well-being there. This article studies such perspectives using cases from northern Russia and northern Finland, based on empirically grounded fieldwork. Emphasising contextuality, we analyse how authorities, civil society and industrial companies provide conditions for youth well-being in northern industrial settlements. The results show, how a viable urban community could look like for young inhabitants: crucial determinants are education, social networks and family ties, nature, housing, comfortable infrastructure, meaningful work, mobility and good health. While many of the results resembled between the case study regions, among the differences in the two countries, we found that in Finland notions of a good life in the North base more on individual preferences than in Russia, where collective notions are more important. In conclusion, we suggest that youth well-being becomes a principal component of concepts of viable urban communities, including but not limited to such cases as Arctic peripheral single-industry towns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews and analyzes domestic and foreign literature on the use of modern multi- and hyperspectral space images from Earth remote sensing satellites for mapping hydrothermal alteration and lithological units in the Arctic territory of Russia and other countries. It is shown that in foreign countries (mainly the United States and Canada) and in Russia today there are many publications on mapping of hydrothermal alterations using spectral bands of remote sensing satellites. At the same time, there are almost no such articles for northern territories. Possibly, this is due to the labor-intensive process of data collection and analysis, the short summer period, dense vegetation, bogginess, etc. The maps obtained using remote sensing technologies have advantages over geological maps. They can be used to identify promising areas in order to optimize further prospecting and exploration works, to build geological and genetic models of deposits, and to supplement traditional methods of mineral exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most urgent problems on which current studies of Arctic and subarctic territories are focused is how permafrost thawing can affect organic carbon fluxes and how these fluxes can influence the geochemistry of the surface and ground water. In addition to disturbing the carbon balance, permafrost thawing provokes the release of a significant amount of other chemical elements entering natural waters. The paper presents original data obtained by studying surface water in 2020 in the Yamalo–Nenets Autonomous District, which is situated in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. Permafrost is widespread in the study area, as also are facilities of the oil and gas industry. This predetermines the importance of research on the chemical composition of natural water, its formation, and ecological–geochemical status, which are critical aspects for assessing the anthropogenic load and predicting the influence of climate changes on the biogeochemical cycles of chemical elements. In the course of our fieldwork, 47 surface water samples were taken in the basins of the Taz, Pur, Ob, and Nadym rivers: 23 samples from rivers and streams and 24 samples from lakes and thaw depressions. The sampling sites were chosen to as comprehensively as possible cover the lake–stream–river system in the catchment areas of major rivers of the Yamalo–Nenets Autonomous District. The chemical composition of the water samples was analyzed at a certified laboratory using methods conventionally applied in solving such problems. The data were processed using statistical methods, including the principal component analysis (PCA). Data analysis demonstrates that surface water in the study area is ultrafresh, with neutral or weakly alkaline pH values. Hydrocarbonate, calcium, and magnesium ions dominate in the ionic composition of the water, and ammonium contents are high in the waters of the lakes and thaw depressions. In addition, the ammonium concentration strongly positively correlates with the content of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the values of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and permanganate index (PI). It was found out that the streams (springs and rivers) differ from the lakes and the water of the thaw depressions in higher concentrations of main ions that are brought to the water mainly by natural factors (these are , Ca2+, Mg2+, and Na+) and higher total dissolved solids (TDS) and pH values. In contrast, the water of the thaw depressions is characterized by the highest concentrations of DOC and the values of other parameters related to organic matter (N– , COD, and PI). It was shown that the main factors that control the chemical composition of the water are its interaction with organic matter from organic (peat) soil horizons and the mineral components of the underlying rocks and soils. The former factor most significantly impacts the water of the thaw depressions, and the latter one affects mainly the chemical composition of the rivers and streams. The relatively high contents of the chloride and sodium ions in the water of the largest lakes are probably caused by the anthropogenic load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The content and composition of 19 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in peat oligotrophic soils (Cryic Histosols) in the northern territories of Western Siberia were analyzed by gas chromatography in chloroform extracts. The content of PAHs in the examined soils varies from 33 to 148 ng/g. Low molecular weight (three-ring) PAHs account for 70–75% of the PAHs composition, while the total share of high molecular weight compounds does not exceed 25%. The latter are mainly represented by four-ring species, their concentrations decreasing in the sequence: fluoranthene > pyrene > chrysene. Cluster analysis (Euclidean index and pair group method) demonstrates the correlation of PAH composition with residual eutrophication and manifestation of soil degradation signs. Principal component analysis shows that phenanthrene, pyrene, and, to a lesser degree, fluoranthene and anthracene display the strongest positive correlation with the first component. The second component correlates with the contents of fluoranthene, fluorene, and naphthalene. The degradation of soil oligotrophic peat horizons accompanied by the appearance of mucky material appears as a decrease in the share of fluoranthene and an increase in the concentration of naphthalene. In oligotrophic peat horizons with the signs of residual eutrophication, the share of fluorene and naphthalene increases along with a decrease in the content of phenanthrene and fluoranthene. The diagnostic ratios identified by principal component analysis—Ant/(Ant + Phe) and Flt/Pyr—suggest a natural (petrogenic) origin of the PAHs in all examined peat soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 205 COI sequences and 310 cyt b sequences of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from basins of all seas throughout the vast range of this species were analyzed. Median networks of haplotypes constructed in this study, combined with the results of reconstruction of paleogeographic conditions, led to the conclusion that the threespine stickleback emerged as a species in the Pacific Ocean basin and spread to Europe from the south, populating the system of water bodies that existed in the Oligocene. The main water body was the Paratethys Ocean (Sea), which existed 5–34 Mya. In the area of the modern North Sea, stickleback populations, part of which later migrated to the eastern and western coasts of North America, gave rise to the group of haplotypes that has the widest distribution in northern Europe. The stickleback populations belonging to the lineage that dispersed along the Arctic and western coasts of North America displaced the carriers of the haplotypes of the ancient phylogenetic lineage that inhabited the Pacific coast. The ancestors of G. wheatlandi dispersed from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean via the Arctic to meet G. aculeatus, which circled the globe from east to west. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to map and provide an overview of international, regional, and national law applicable to marine waste in the Barents Sea, and to analyze fishing industry actors' practices and perceptions of marine waste. We identify gaps between the law and its implementation, enforcement, and practice. The legal framework for marine plastic pollution in the Barents Sea and the Arctic is fragmented and not harmonized. Insufficient waste management facilities and regulations are likely to hinder compliance with existing regulations. There is an urgent need to upgrade the waste management infrastructure for the fishing industry in Norway and in northwest Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic freshwaters are facing multiple environmental pressures, including rapid climate change and increasing land___use activities. Freshwater plankton assemblages are expected to reflect the effects of these stressors through shifts in species distributions and changes to biodiversity. These changes may occur rapidly due to the short generation times and high dispersal capabilities of both phyto___ and zooplankton.Spatial patterns and contemporary trends in plankton diversity throughout the circumpolar region were assessed using data from more than 300 lakes in the U.S.A. (Alaska), Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The main objectives of this study were: (1) to assess spatial patterns of plankton diversity focusing on pelagic communities; (2) to assess dominant component of __ diversity (turnover or nestedness); (3) to identify which environmental factors best explain diversity; and (4) to provide recommendations for future monitoring and assessment of freshwater plankton communities across the Arctic region.Phytoplankton and crustacean zooplankton diversity varied substantially across the Arctic and was positively related to summer air temperature. However, for zooplankton, the positive correlation between summer temperature and species numbers decreased with increasing latitude. Taxonomic richness was lower in the high Arctic compared to the sub___ and low Arctic for zooplankton but this pattern was less clear for phytoplankton. Fennoscandia and inland regions of Russia represented hotspots for, respectively, phytoplankton and zooplankton diversity, whereas isolated regions had lower taxonomic richness. Ecoregions with high __ diversity generally also had high __ diversity, and turnover was the most important component of __ diversity in all ecoregions.For both phytoplankton and zooplankton, climatic variables were the most important environmental factors influencing diversity patterns, consistent with previous studies that examined shorter temperature gradients. However, barriers to dispersal may have also played a role in limiting diversity on islands. A better understanding of how diversity patterns are determined by colonisation history, environmental variables, and biotic interactions requires more monitoring data with locations dispersed evenly across the circumpolar Arctic. Furthermore, the importance of turnover in regional diversity patterns indicates that more extensive sampling is required to fully characterise the species pool of Arctic lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic have for millennia relied on freshwaters for drinking water and freshwater species that comprise important subsistence harvests, which promotes a strong connection to the land and unique understanding of organisms and ecosystem processes and changes. Despite the importance of freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem services to Arctic Indigenous communities, there have been limited attempts to summarise available Indigenous Knowledge (IK) regarding Arctic freshwater systems and to understand how conservation can benefit from this knowledge base.This paper presents a systematic review of literature documenting circumpolar Arctic IK with a focus on freshwater biodiversity in Canada, Greenland, Fennoscandia (Norway, Sweden, and Finland), Russia, and the U.S.A. (Alaska). Standardised search terms and methodologies were used to locate relevant documents using Google Scholar and Google Advanced search engines. Thematic coding was used to identify freshwater biodiversity themes within the identified documents.Documented IK of freshwater biodiversity was found from all five geographic regions and included data on both species presence and habitat changes with potential to affect biodiversity. Canada had the highest number of relevant documents (n = 127), followed by the U.S.A. (Alaska; n = 116), Fennoscandia (n = 38), Russia (n = 27), and Greenland (n = 5). The number of relevant documents with IK published per year was highest in most recent years, from 2010 onwards, in all geographic regions.Fish represented the highest number of faunal observations with 59 species observed, approximately half of which were Salmonidae (29 species). Local‐scale assessment of fish diversity found observations of the highest number of species (11–25) in Alaska, and individual observations of 6–10 species were found throughout Alaska, mainland areas of Canada, and the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Documented IK also contributed new information on historical fish diversity and indicated local‐scale loss or gain of species. Such information is of vital importance to provide long‐term records of fish composition and abundance, especially when this information does not exist in other knowledge bases such as western science datasets.Indigenous Knowledge included observations of changes in freshwater and terrestrial habitat associated with a warming climate, such as: decreasing water levels and more draining/drying of lakes and rivers, a shorter period of ice cover (late freeze and early break‐up), decreasing ice thickness, and increasing occurrence of permafrost thaw and eroding banks. Such observations by those who actively rely on Arctic freshwater ecosystem services are important because they signify that change is occurring and that action is needed to mitigate the impacts on freshwater habitats and the biodiversity therein.This study demonstrates that previously documented IK provides valuable information towards determining freshwater biodiversity baselines and patterns of change in the circumpolar Arctic. However, these results do not sufficiently cover the depth and breadth of IK on freshwater biodiversity and ecology held by Indigenous communities. Further work incorporating Indigenous worldviews around freshwater ecology would provide context to the knowledge collected and a deeper understanding of Arctic circumpolar freshwater environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite measurements provided by NASA (USA) at http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov are used to study the variability and interdependence of polar ozone, polar temperature, and mean zonal wind. A model of winter/spring polar ozone in the Arctic and Antarctic is constructed using data on polar temperatures at 30, 70, and 100 hPa levels and mean zonal wind at 10 and 70 hPa levels in the latitude zone of 45°–75°. The results of the statistical analysis of the 1979–2020 polar ozone calculation errors are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a major challenge to Arctic and other Indigenous peoples, but not the only and often not the most pressing one. We propose re-framing the treatment of climate change in policy and research, to make sure health, poverty, education, cultural vitality, equity, justice, and other topics highlighted by the people themselves and not just climate science also get the attention they deserve in research on global and regional environmental change. Climate change can often exacerbate other problems, but a singular focus on climate change—as is often the case in much existing environmental literature on the Arctic and elsewhere—can distract from actions that can be taken now to improve the lives of Arctic peoples. The same logic also applies elsewhere in the world, where diverse residents face a host of challenges, opportunities, and obstacles, with climate change but one among many issues. Our proposed approach to regional and global environmental change research draws on the ideas of decolonization, emphasizing collaborative approaches and Indigenous voices in research and policy instead of top-down measures designed outside the affected communities. Only in this way of contextualizing human-environmental experiences can the full effects of climate change be understood—and appropriate responses developed and carried out to adapt to global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake Mogilnoe is a rare example of an anchialine lake (with subterranean connection to the ocean) in the Arctic, a refuge for landlocked populations of marine organisms. The lake has been the subject of intensive studies since the end of the 19th century. Here we demonstrate that between the 2003–07 and 2015–18 observation periods this permanently stratified lake experienced significant changes. The surface salinity increased and exceeded the tolerance limits of many freshwater organisms. The bottom anoxia expanded from onefifth to one-third of the lake volume. Such a turn in stratification affected both composition and distribution of biota: freshwater zooplanktonic species virtually disappeared, while benthic communities shifted to shallower depths. Although recent changes in the lake stratification are consistent with the longterm trend, their scale is much larger than has been observed during the past 120 years. It was earlier considered that the lake dynamics were mainly affected by human activity in the vicinity of the lake. However, lack of human activity around Mogilnoe during last decades persuades us to search for the natural causes of the recorded changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea ice reduction in the Arctic is allowing for increased vessel traffic and activity. Vessel noise is a known anthropogenic disturbance, but its effects on Arctic fish are largely unknown. Using acoustic telemetry — Vemco positioning system — we quantified the home ranges and fine-scale movement types (MT) of shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius), a common benthic Arctic fish, in response to vessels and environmental drivers during open water over 3 years (2012–2014). Low overlap of core home ranges (50%) for all years and a change of overall MT proportions (significant in 2012 only) were observed when vessels were present compared with absent. However, changes in MTs associated with vessel presence were not consistent between years. Photoperiod was the only environmental driver that influenced (R2 = 0.32) MTs of sculpin. This is the first study of vessel impacts on Arctic fish using acoustic telemetry and demonstrates that individuals alter their behavior and home ranges when vessels are present. Given increasing vessel traffic in the Arctic, additional study on the impact of vessels on these ecosystems is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The rising costs of climate change merit serious evaluation of potential climate restoration solutions. The highest rate of change in climate is observed in the Arctic where the summer ice is diminishing at an accelerated rate. The loss of Arctic sea ice increases radiative forcing and contributes to global warming. Restoring reflectivity of Arctic ice could be a powerful lever to help in the effort to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Polar ice restoration should be considered in planning of 1.5°C pathways. In this paper, a novel localized surface albedo modification technique is presented that shows promise as a method to increase multiyear ice using reflective floating materials, chosen so as to have low subsidiary environmental impact. Detailed climate modeling studying the climate impact of such a method reveals more than 1.5°C cooler temperatures over a large part of the Arctic when simulating global sea ice albedo modification. In a region north of Barents and Kara Seas temperatures have been reduced by 3°C and in North Canada by almost 1°C. Additionally, there are notable increases in sea ice thickness (20–50 cm Arctic wide) and ice concentration (>15–20% across large parts of central Arctic). These results suggest that the geoengineering technology proposed in this study may be a viable instrument for restoring Arctic ice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016702922190016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bioplato was organized at Kirovogorskiy pond-settling of OLKON Company (the city of Olenegorsk, in Murmansk region) to reduce the content of nitrogen mineral compounds in water which come into the pond with the quarry waters after blasting operations using nitrogen compounds. The assortment of aboriginal plants was selected, a method of fixing and growing them on the water surface was developed, and observations of their vegetation were carried out. The dynamics of nitrogen compounds was determined in the laboratory and with full-scale tests. The coverage area pond by plants for the effective reduction of mineral nitrogen compounds was calculated. The use of floating bioplato helped to reduce content of ammonium and nitrite to maximum permissible levels or even lower in pond water. Also there was a tendency towards reduction of nitrate concentrations in water. The developmental technology can be used in any climatic zone with a specific assortment of plants-ameliorants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Leads within consolidated sea ice control heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere during winter, thus constituting an important climate parameter. These narrow elongated features occur when sea ice is fracturing under the action of wind and currents, reducing the local mechanical strength of the ice cover, which in turn impact the sea ice drift pattern. This creates a high demand for a highquality lead fraction (LF) data set for sea ice model evaluation, initialization, and for the assimilation of such data in regional models. In this context, an available LF data set retrieved from satellite passive microwave observations (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System, AMSR-E) is of great value, which has been providing pan-Arctic light- and cloud-independent daily coverage since 2002. In this study errors in this data set are quantified using accurate LF estimates retrieved from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images employing a threshold technique. A consistent overestimation of LF by a factor of 2-4 is found in the AMSR-E LF product. It is shown that a simple adjustment of the upper tie point used in the method to estimate the LF can reduce the pixel-wise error by a factor of 2 on average. Applying such an adjustment to the full data set may thus significantly increase the quality and value of the original data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work deals with two intertwined questions: (1) what are the factors underlying equally high respiration rates of arctic plants at low temperature and of temperate zone plants at 20–25°C and (2) whether this respiration feature would explain small size of the northern plants. In an attempt to answer these questions, we collected various hypotheses scattered in the current literature and experimentally examined the respiration- growth relationships by analyzing plant productivity characteristics in three representative species inhabiting Wrangel Island (lat. 71°N). The results show that the components of the production process stay in accord in the arctic plants so that their productivity characteristics at low temperatures are nearly the same as in the temperate zone plants at higher temperatures. Hence, respiration cannot account for small size of the northern plants. Upon the experimental results and general concepts for regulation of respiration, we conclude that the intense respiration of plants inhabiting cold climate regions is caused by higher metabolic demands for energy and intermediates under the northern conditions. The enhanced metabolic demands of plants at low temperature represent the main factor of intense respiration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of time and space variations in the composition of the aquatic medium is estimated and correlated with the governing factors of anthropogenic impact. The role of anthropogenic component is shown to be determining in the formation of the hydrochemical regime in Russian Arctic rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative analysis of dark respiration was carried out for 18 plant species inhabiting arctic zone (Wrangel Island, lat. 71° N) and temperate zone (Leningrad oblast, lat. 59° N). For 15 pairs of species examined, the Stocker’s rule was proved valid; i.e., respiration rates of identical species were equal at average temperatures of their natural habitats. The concept of respiratory features in boreal and mountain plants is described in its historic development. The possible causes for controversial data are explained. It is concluded that gas exchange measurements in natural plant habitats are the only valid means for characterizing plant respiration. Only such measurements should provide the basis for the discussion of global climate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract For the first time, lithospheric temperatures, strength, and effective elastic thickness (Te) distributions are estimated for the Arctic region north of 68°. To this aim, we use ArcCRUST, a recent model of the Arctic crust, which includes the thickness and density of the crust and sediments, the boundaries between the continental and oceanic crust, and the age of the oceanic lithosphere. We estimate the temperature variations in the continental lithosphere assuming steady-state conditions, for a constant surface heat flow of 50 mWm−2 and 62 mWm−2 for the onshore and offshore regions, respectively. In the oceanic domain, the temperature variations are estimated adopting a global depth and heat flow model. We discuss the robustness of the results by comparing the new thermal field with temperatures obtained from inversion of a regional seismic velocity model. The results are used as input for estimating integrated strength and Te , assuming a mafic crustal rheology. Our models predict a sharp transition between cratonic areas, characterized by high strength and Te , and tectonically active areas with a weaker lithosphere, corresponding to the continental shelves and the oceanic spreading ridges. The significant lateral change in our modeled strength and Te at the edges of Greenland and Canadian Arctic and along the active mid-ocean ridge in the NE Atlantic corresponds to increased observed seismic activity. Highlights • Lithospheric temperature and strength are estimated for the Arctic region • At shallow depth in the Arctic region, temperature spans in a large range • A sharp strength variation between cratons and tectonically active areas exists • Seismicity is concentrated in correspondence of lateral changes in strength [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A task of the Arctic integrated development affects the development of the new safe and waste-free technologies of waste processing using hydrogen electric power generation. This problem is multifaceted and concerns both large port cities and small towns, mines, islands, platforms, mining and processing plants, etc., despite the fact that many of them have not removed the wastes from their previous activities. The presence of melting permafrost, especially in the Western part of the Russian Arctic, high logistics costs, a small number of indigenous people and mainly rotational method of development make use of new technologies for the production of electricity, heat, water treatment, which provide the use of hydrogen power on the basis of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The use of LNG as a fuel is not effective enough, especially in the Arctic, given the low efficiency of diesel and gas turbine power plants, as well as the environmental degradation from their use. A more effective, environmentally friendly and integrated solution is the use of hydrogen electric power generation together with hydrogen fuel cells (HFC). The structure and method of waste-free technologies of waste processing are analyzed. The structure of wastes is multifaceted and contains: the most common solid waste from industry and life, including natural and man-made landfills; liquid wastes including sewage sludge from household and rainwater, oil-containing and other industrial wastes; leachate from landfills, including landfill gases; wastes resulted from transportation and transshipment of oil products, etc. In the paper purification methods are described; industrial shipping equipment and its characteristics for the application at facilities of the Arctic are presented. These installations include: incinerators, installations for treatment and filtrate of sewage from municipal solid wastes (MSW), desalination plants of reverse osmosis, snow-and ice-melting installations, cleaning and filtration of flue gases with an emphasis on methods of electric cleaning, cargo arms for loading and unloading the oil products and hazardous wastes. The advantages of hydrogen sources and energy storage using LNG in the Arctic both in terms of energy efficiency and ecology, the possibility of their use in conjunction with the above waste treatment plants are shown. Characteristics of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and solid polymer fuel cells and their scope are presented. For the most dynamically developing solid oxide elements, their characteristics in the traditional and cogeneration cycles are given and the scope of their application in small and distributed energy at power up to 10 kW is shown. Atmospheric hybrid schemes for thermodynamic efficiency are significantly inferior to schemes under pressure, but in large-capacity plants, for example, with coal gasification, they can be quite promising. Modern SOFC work under pressure of 7–9 bar; with the growth of their capacity over 1–5 MW in hybrid power plants (HPPs) it is necessary to increase the pressure up to 11 bar and even more. For HPPs with capacity over 10 MW, cogeneration cycle with gas turbines (CCGT) is the most efficient. The highest electrical efficiency of HPPs with the capacity over 10 MW reaches 75% with the use of CCGT and boilers at three pressure units with intermediate superheating. The paper presents the characteristics of traditional sources of electricity based on ship and aircraft gas turbine units operating on LNG, which can be used in autonomous power supply networks of Arctic facilities. Their advantages in terms of specific power in comparison with diesel power plants and storage devices are shown, but high LNG consumption and environmental indicators limit their use in the Arctic, taking into account the logistics problems. Comparison of the energy efficiency of traditional sources and hydrogen storage shows significant advantages of the latter, and if the efficiency of traditional sources increases with their power, the efficiency of storage devices does not change in the entire range of capacities. This circumstance makes the use of hydrogen sources and accumulators uncontested in the field of small capacities typical for Arctic consumers, especially taking into account the possibilities for safe and waste-free technology for processing industrial and life wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methylobacter tundripaludum SV96T (ATCC BAA-1195) is a psychrotolerant aerobic methane-oxidizing gammaproteobacterium (Methylococcales, Methylococcaceae) living in High Arctic wetland soil. The strain was isolated from soil harvested in July 1996 close to the settlement Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway (78°56'N, 11°53'E), and described as a novel species in 2006. The genome includes pmo and pxm operons encoding copper membrane monooxygenases (Cu-MMOs), genes required for nitrogen fixation, and the nirS gene implicated in dissimilatory nitrite reduction to NO but no identifiable inventory for further processing of nitrogen oxides. These genome data provide the basis to investigate M. tundripaludum SV96, identified as a major player in the biogeochemistry of Arctic environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regions of the Russian Federation differ in climatic-geographic, medical-demographic and social-economic situations. One of the regions with distinct peculiarities is the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Ranking first by the territory (3,103.2 thousand sq x km), Yakutia is on the 81th place by the population density among regions of the Russian Federation (0.3 people per 1 km2).Yakutia is one of the most isolated and inaccessible regions of the world: 90% of the territory lacks all-the-year-round transportation. Regions of the republic, as well, differ significantly in the climatic conditions and the levels of social-economic development, which influences the population health indicators, including mortality. This survey aimed to study the trends of mortality in the working-age population in different groups of regions. To do this, basing on the statistical data, we compared the levels, trends and structure of mortality in 1990-2012. It was established that the different groups of regions show a significant variation in the working-age population mortality, depending on the social-economic conditions. Since 2000, the Arctic group of regions has demonstrated higher mortality in working-age men and women, especially of cardiovascular and digestive system diseases, and external causes. Lying beyond the Arctic Circle, these regions have severe conditions and a relatively low level of social-economic development. As for the rural regions, despite the relatively favourabe situation, they also show a high level of mortality of external causes. The industrial regions are characterized by higher social-economic development, better transport infrastructure, a satisfactory material base of medical institutions. They also have sufficient resources of health institutions, including the staff and modern equipment for treatment and diagnostics, as well as, which is critical, the full range of medical specialists. Thus, these regions demonstrate lower population mortality; however, there is still mortality of infectious diseases, neoplasms, and respiratory diseases.