In 2001, paleoceanographic activities were concentrated mainly in the Arctic and Far-East seas. Several short cruises partly dealing with paleoceanographic problems were organized in the seas surrounding Russia by institutions of Russian Academy of Sciences, first of all by Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (SIO). New sediment cores for paleoceanographic study were obtained by RV Professor Stokman (SIO) from the White Sea, by RV Boris Petrov (Vernadsky Institute, RAS-AWI, Germany) from the Kara Sea, by RV Aquanavt (SIO) from the Black Sea.
Two Russian scientists first participated in MD 122/IMAGES VII WEPAMA cruise. Dr. M.Levitan (SIO) and Dr.S.Gorbarenko (Pacific Oceanological Institute (POI), Far East Branch, RAS) were incorporated into the proposal by GEOMAR (Germany) to obtain and to study two long sediments cores from the Sea of Okhotsk. According to the agreement between German and Russian participants of the proposal a part of paleoceanographic and sedimentological study of the cores will be carried out in Russian institutions under the guidance by drs. Levitan and Gorbarenko.
New results of Russian (SIO) and joint Russian (SIO) - French (LSCE) researches in the Barents Sea were presented at QUEEN session in Strasbourg, and will be presented at ICP7 in Sapporo. Several students and PhD students are involved in paleoceanographic and sedimentological studies in the Arctic seas, based on materials and sediment cores obtained during Russian cruises in 1997-2000. The oral presentation on the high-resolution stratigraphy of postglacial sediments from the Franz Victoria Trough by N.Chromova, a 3-year student of Moscow State University guided by Dr. E.Ivanova (SIO) was honoured with first diploma at the conference of young Russian scientists in Saratov.
Preliminary results on foraminifera distribution in Recent and Holocene sediments of the Kara Sea are obtained by Dr. E.Ivanova in the framework of Russian-German SIRRO Project, which is aimed at the evaluation of Postglacial variations in river run-off in relation to climatic changes.
The sedimentological history of Yermak Plateau during the last 160 kyr was studied by Dr. M.Levitan. Variations of the surface circulation in the Central Arctic were elucidated using heavy mineral associations. Scientists of the Laboratory of paleoceanography and biostratigraphy (SIO) investigated composition, biogeography and origin of the Arctic radiolaria (Dr. S.Kruglikova), biogeography of benthic foraminifera in the Canadian Arctic (Dr. Kh.Saidova), seasonal dynamics of benthic foraminifera in a fjord of Svalbard (Dr. S.Korsun). Late Pleistocene-Holocene paleoceanographic changes in the Aleutian Basin (Bering Sea) and Laptev Sea were inferred by planktic foraminiferal and palynological studies by drs. M.Chehovskaya and S.Safarova respectively.
Detailed palynological study of Holocene shelf deposits from the Laptev Sea shelf was carried out by Dr. O. Naidina (Institute of the Lithosphere of Marginal Seas, RAS) in order to investigate the temporal linkage between high-Arctic vegetation and sedimentation on the shelf. For the first time, a high-resolution palynological record of marine sediment sequence was obtained in this region. The data are available through the PANGAEA data managing system. New paleotemperature and paleosalinity reconstructions at the standard hydrological levels from 0 down to 200 m were carried out by drs. M.Barash and I.Yushina (SIO) on a sediment core from Reykjanes Ridge (North Atlantic ) recovering the last 140 kyr. The results are based on the original method of spline interpolation, and are corroborated by oxygen isotope measurements and 14C dates.
The Atlantic Branch of SIO (Dr.E.Emelyanov and others) continued researches on Holocene to Recent sedimentation in the Baltic Sea in order to reconstruct the latest history of North Sea water inflow events and their environmental and ecological effects.
Investigation of Middle to Late Pleistocene paleoceanography of the Sea of Okhotsk was performed by teams of SIO and POI. As a result of micropaleontological and geochemical stidues, the sediment sequences were subdivided into stratigraphic units, and paleoceanographic evolution of the sea was reconstructed for the last 350 kyr.
Major paleoceanographic events which reflect changes in paleotemperature, upwelling intensity, carbonate compensation depth in the North Pacific were inferred by Dr. N.Bubenshchikova from Plio-Pleistocene planktic foraminiferal assemblages distribution in DSDP core 677A.
About 20 short cores (up to 230 cm) were retrieved this year during RV Aquanavt cruise from the Caucasian Shelf of the Black Sea, near Gelendjik (SIO). A joint preliminary study of mollusk assemblages and lithology by drs. A.Chepalyga (Institute of Geography, RAS) and I.Murdmaa (SIO) demonstrate that a majority of cores represent Upper Holocene sediments, however few of them penetrate to the Lower Holocene or Upper Pleistocene. The sediments are very rich in microfossils (mollusks, foraminifera, ostracoda); some cores likely contain diatoms and nannofossils. Variations in lithology and microfossil assemblages strongly indicate the alternation of transgressions and regressions, previously established in the region. We are searching for partners from IMAGES members to study the cores in order to reconstruct the relation of sea-level variations to changes in thermohaline circulation and climate during the Late Holocene with high resolution. Longer cores (up to 5-6 m) will be obtained next year by SIO during a cruise of RV Rift.
To continue the fruitful co-operation with other countries we prepared our suggestions concerning a participation of two Russian scientists, drs. E.Ivanova and I.Murdmaa (SIO), in IMAGES VIII MONA cruise along the eastern Pacific margin in 2002 with further study of the long cores together with French and other teams.
In the nearest future we plan to continue high-resolution paleoceanographic studies in the marginal seas surrounding Russia by joint efforts of several institutes pointed above and in co-operation with the international community. We are also interested to establish closer relationship with IMAGES members and working groups, and to participate in international cruises in different parts of the World Ocean aimed at investigation of linkages between thermohaline circulation and climatic changes.