The first record of Boloria frigga (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) on Kolguev Island, Arctic Russia

A new record of Boloria frigga from the Arctic islands of European Russia is given. Image of a captured specimen, as well as brief considerations on the species habitat, are provided.  

Year-round movements of Long-tailed Ducks Clangula hyemalis from Kolguev Island, Barents Sea

Arctic birds migrating southwards face a multitude of challenges such as habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation of food resources and climate change impacts. Long-tailed Duck winter populations in the Baltic Sea have declined in recent decades. However, precise spatial data are lacking, especially from males. Thus, we aimed to identify the wintering grounds, timing of migration and stopover sites of males and females. We studied spatiotemporal distribution patterns of eight male and five female Long-tailed Ducks using implanted ARGOS satellite transmitters. Birds were tagged in the breeding season on Kolguev Island, Russia. After the breeding period, Long-tailed Ducks from Kolguev used three main post-breeding areas: most males undertook long distance eastward post-breeding migration to areas around the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas, while one male and four females moved short to the southeast coast of Kolguev, and one female moved to Mezhdusharsky Island in the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago. Autumn migration included stopover sites in the White Sea, Lake Ladoga, the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Riga, and all birds except one spent the winter in the southern part of the Baltic Sea, from the Pomeranian coast and Hoburgs bank to the Gulf of Finland. Only one female stayed in the White Sea for the winter. All but one bird used the White Sea as a stopover site in May, suggesting that this area is of special importance.

The Long-Term Monitoring of Bird Populations on Kolguev Island in the Barents Sea

Kolguev Island (69˚05′ N 49˚15′ E) is located in the Pechora Sea, the southeastern part of the Barents Sea. The island’s ecosystem is unusual due to the total absence of rodents and specialized predators such as weasels, while non-specialized predators such as Arctic (Vulpes lagopus) and red (V. vulpes) foxes and Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) are common. Currently, 111 bird species have been registered here, of which 58 are nesting. The absence of rodents and the relatively stable predation pressure have resulted in the high abundance of many bird species: Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus), several goose species, some waders, and passerines. Over the 125-year history of ornithological studies on Kolguev, the island avifauna has changed significantly. The trend of an increase in the proportion of widespread and Siberian species together with a decrease in the proportion of Arctic species was observed. Since 2006, a thorough monitoring of Kolguev avifauna has been carried out, during which the dynamics of the bird population densities have been traced. The abundance of Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) and Dunlin (Calidris alpina) decreased, while the numbers of Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) have increased sharply since the 1980s. The breeding density of Rough-legged Hawk has also increased in recent years. The long-term monitoring of Kolguev ecosystems has indicated the high international conservation value of the island due to the high breeding density of many bird species. Our study, covering more than a century of avifaunal studies with almost annual monitoring over the past three decades, provides an unusually long and detailed time-series for an Arctic island.

Specific Features of the Macrozoobenthic Communities of Small Arctic Lakes in Eurasia

The taxonomic structure, typology, species richness, and total abundance of bentic and littoral macroinvertebrate communities from small lakes of the Arctic and Subarctic zones are considered on the basis of original data from three northern Palearctic regions (the foot of the Putorana Plateau, Kolguev Island, and Western Svalbard Island). A comparative analysis of the communities of these regions has been carried out. The features of High Arctic insular, Low Arctic, subarctic, and boreal lake communities are discussed using a large volume of literature data. The complex pattern of changes in the total benthos biomass of small lakes has been revealed: it decreases in the subarctic taiga, increases in the hypoarctic tundra, and decreases again in the High Arctic.

Retrogressive thaw slumps in areas with tabular ground ice on Kolguev (Barents Sea) and Novaya Sibir’ (East-Siberian Sea) Islands

<p>The activation of retrogressive thaw slumps is associated with slope surface stability disturbances, or with an increase in the depth of seasonal thawing, that can reach the top of surface-near ground ice. Most retrogressive thaw slumps are confined to terraced slope surfaces that have been undercut and started to retreat due to lateral river erosion or wave action along lake, river or sea shores. Subsequent long-term retrogressive that slump growth depends on constant removal of material from the slope foot by river water or sea waves.</p><p>We have studied the current dynamics of coastal destruction and retrogressive thaw slumps in the western (Kolguev Island) and one of the eastern-most (Novaya Sibir’ Island) occurrences of tabular ground ice in the Eurasian Arctic. A wide set of multi-temporal optical earth observation data of high and very-high spatial resolution (SPOT 6 & 7, GeoEye, WorldView, Kompsat, Prism, Formosat, and Resurs) was used. We modified the TanDEM-X DEM (12 m) for relief reconstruction of earlier stage relief settings to ensure consistent orthorectification of oblique viewing satellite imagery. All raw images were terrain-corrected and georeferenced using a comprehensive block adjustment.</p><p>In the western part of Kolguev Island retrogressive thaw slump average retreat rates of different thermocirque features varied from 0.7 to 7.9 m/year in 2002-2018. Maximum rates reached 14.5-15.1 m/year. On the Novaya Sibir’ Island thermocirques averaged retreat rates in 2007-2018 varied from 3.3 to 8.5 m/year, maximum rates were up to 15.5 m/year.</p><p>Besides dependence of thermocirque occurrence on local ground ice conditions, external forcing on coastal dynamics and thermocirque retreat has been analysed for air temperature and sea ice fluctuations through sums of positive daily mean air temperature and the duration of the open-water period variability for specific periods bracketed by image acquisition dates. Ice conditions in the coastal zone (app. near 50 km of coastal line) of the studied areas were analyzed according to microwave satellite OSI-450 and OSI-430 datasets. We assumed the open-water season as the period when sea ice concentration was less than 15%. Around Kolguev Island, over the 2006-2018 there has been not statistically significant linear trend for open-water period - median value of linear trend is 2.5 days/year with different sea ice conditions off the south and north coasts of the island. At the same time, an increase in the annual sum of positive daily mean  air temperature is noted. For the period 2006-2018, the linear trend was 23.2 degree/year. That is why, for Kolguev Island, we expect at least a sustained level of substantially stronger retreat rates when compared with the past, if not a further increase in thermal denudation intensity and thermocirque growth, and strong and steady rates of coastal destruction due to wave action. Further research will focus on identifying commonalities and differences between the two study regions with respect to hydrometeorological and permafrost conditions.</p><p>Supported by RFBR grants № 18-05-60080 and 18-05-60221, and by DFG grant № WE4390/7-1.</p>

Typology of territorial units of vegetation for the purposes of large-scale mapping (the Kolguev Island as an example)

A typological scheme of territorial units of vegetation (TUV) developed on the basis of the large-scale map of theKolguev Island is presented. Four basic rank typological units (division, class, group and type) define TUV positions in the hierarchical system of vegetation cover. The concepts of diagnostic syntaxon and combination of diagnostic syntaxa that occur exclusively or primarily within these typological units are introduced. Prodromus of the Kolguev Island vegetation consists of 42 syntaxa (association / subassociation / type of community). 38 types of TUV from 22 groups (8 homogeneous and 14 heterogeneous – serial and ecological ranks, complexes and combinations), assigned to 15 classes and 3 divisions are allocated on the vegetation map in 1 : 50 000 scale. The categories of different rank can be used as dynamic elements of the map legend. This approach gives us a possibility to combine the syntaxonomic diversity of plant communities and typology of TUV.