MMBI RAS's coastal expeditions in 2024

This year, MMBI RAS continues complex environmental studies in the Barents Sea coastal zone. The main goal is to assess the state of biota and collect material for studying physiology and ecology of aquatic organisms. The summer monitoring stage of the Murmansk coast has been completed, during this time the littoral and coastal communities of the Kola Bay, Pechenga Bay, Ura Bay, Teriberskaya Bay, as well as, of course, the area of the MMBI biostation in Dalniye Zelentsy have been surveyed. The material has been collected to assess the species diversity of birds, fish and algae, biomass and abundance of a number of key species. Data on the hydrochemistry of coastal waters and their pollution with petroleum products have been obtained. Interim results have been summarized so far, full sample processing and final conclusions are ahead. A total of 18 researchers took part in coastal expeditions: ornithologist, benthologists, ichthyologists, radioecologist, oceanologist, hydrochemist and theriologist. Candidate of Biological Sciences Svetlana Malavenda, Senior researcher at the Algology Laboratory, acted as the head of the expeditions.