Наземные и морские экосистемы - стр. 9

The most frequent objects of biogeographic research within projects of international and national IPY programs were representatives of the marine biota, which is impacted by climate fluctuations and increasing economic activity in polar regions.

We should emphasize that the study of the Arctic marine biota, its diversity and response to external stimuli requires a significant field and analytical work. In this regard it’s necessary to note a major contribution to the IPY polar research of experts from the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute KSC RAS, who widely cover the western part of the Arctic which is the most exposed to current global changes.

It’s known that in the international IPY scientific program a number of properly Russian initiative projects is small. The so-called «clusters» of researchers from different countries and organizations related to marine and terrestrial ecosystems and biota, where Russia could be the leader are practically absent. Projects on research of glaciers, sea ice, atmosphere and oceans by Roshydromet, primarily AARI, the Institute of Geography RAS dominate here. Among the IPY international «clusters» the following projects are close to issues of the study of arctic ecosystems and biodiversity: 2 – Zoological Institute RAS, 1 – Institute of Oceanology RAS, 2 – Institute of Geography RAS (T.K. Vlasova – the Circumpolar monitoring of indigenous peoples, and S.V. Goryachkina – the study of soils from polar latitudes, or cryosoils). The relatively complete data on IPY biological projects is available on the web site of the Zoological Institute RAS:

http://www.zin.ru/projects/RCBD_ZIN/bio_proj.html

Nevertheless, Russia is widely represented exactly in the IPY International Programme. First of all, about 400 Russian scientists were invited to the IPY cluster projects, including about half of RAS and Hydromet institutions. Russian specialists are involved in all projects relating to investigations of the reaction of the circumpolar terrestrial biota and ecosystems to climate fluctuations in the Arctic, population dynamics and population composition of sea birds, semi-aquatic birds, waterfowls, wild reindeer, polar bears, pinnipeds and cetaceans, the pan-Arctic flora and vegetation and functioning of ecosystems in conditions of global warming, etc. As an example, we can name some large international IPY «clusters» devoted to the study of terrestrial and marine biota, were Russian specialists are involved (Table 2).

Table 2. Some large international projects of the IPY program 2007–2008