Title: Integrated research at BioGeoStation in Barentsburg (BioGeoStation)
Objectives
Murmansk Marine Biological Institute has been carried out multidisciplinary investigations in West Spitsbergen Island since 1994 at the premises of the RAS in the Barentsburg settlement. In 2012, MMBI completed equipment of its own BioGeoStation. It was officially opened on April 1, 2012. The opening was attended by representatives of the Kola Science Center, Polar Geophysical Institute RAS, Barentsburg zonal hydrometeorological observatory, University Centre in Svalbard (Longyearbyen, Norway). BioGeostation is located on the outskirts of the Barentsburg settlement in 500 meters from Cape Finnoset. The building has a meeting room and a laboratory. The laboratory is fitted with equipment for primary processing of samples of water, bottom sediments, with optical instruments and equipment for benthos and plankton sampling. In September-December of 2025-2027 we intend sample water for nutrients and plankton to make analysis in lab of BioGeoStation. Also we want to make observations of birds population in the area of Barentsburg.
Scientific Objectives:
- Reconstruction of climatic variability in hydrological and hydrochemical characteristics of the coastal waters of the Spitsbergen archipelago based on the analysis of sediment cores collected from the fjords.
- Assessment of biological productivity dynamics in the marine waters of West Spitsbergen Island fjords under conditions of intensified glacier melting and associated ecosystem changes.
- 3. Observations of birds and their ecology (population, distribution, phenology, behavior in different habitats) in the territory of the Barentsburg settlement, the waters of Gronfjorden and the adjacent shores
Plan for data collection, sharing and management
Annual fieldwork in the spring-summer-autumn period. Hydrochemical Analysis of mineral forms of phosphorus, silicon, nitrogen, carbon, as well as heavy metals and other trace elements in the laboratory of the Russian Scientific Centre in Barentsburg (RNCSB)
Publications of scientific articles in journals indexed in international scientific databases (Wos, Scopus).
Environmental impact
All operations will be conducted in strict compliance with environmental regulations, without exceeding standard impact levels characteristic
There are no plans to impact the environment of the West Spitsbergen Island.
Dissemination and communication results:
The obtained research results will be published in Russian and international scientific journals as well as in mass media
Participants
Denis Moiseev, Project Owner
Grigoriy Voskoboinikov, Project Member
Igor Berchenko, Project Member
Irina Usyagina, Project Member
Natalia V. Lebedeva, Project Member
Nikita Igorevich Meshcheriakov, Project Member
Olga Zimina, Project Member
