Preface
The Arctic comprises some of the most sensitive elements of the global environment, which are
considered to respond rapidly to climate change. However, our knowledge of the processes
driving the Arctic system today and in the past is still very limited, thus making it difficult to
predict future climate scenarios. In this context the Laptev Sea and its Siberian hinterland are of
particular interest. River discharge into the Laptev Sea contitutes a key source for the Arctic
halocline's freshwater budget, and the shallow Laptev Sea Shelf is a major ice production area,
linking the Siberian shelves to the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic seas. Based on a
multidisciplinary approach, Russian and German scientists are describing in this book the
natural processes behind short- and long-term changes in the Laptev Sea and its Siberian
hinterland, using paleo-records and modem data which were collected during the past six years.
These marine and terrestrial datasets provide important new insights into the causes, impacts,
and feedback mechanisms which determine the Arctic climate system today.
The papers included in the volume provide a comprehensive overview of the environmental
system of the Laptev Sea and its Siberian hinterland. Although the content of many of the
papers cut across disciplines, each was assignedto a specific theme:
A: Modern Ocean and Sea-Ice Processes
B: The Marine Ecosystem
C: Land-Ocean Interactions and Pathways
D: Terrestrial Environment - Past and Present
E: Marine Depositional Environment - Past and Present
The book contains scientific results of the Russian and German projects "LAPEX", "Laptev
Sea System", "Late Quaternary Environmental Evolution of Central Taymyr" and "Ecology of
the Marginal Seas of the Eurasian Arctic", which were coordinated on the German side by the
GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences (Kiel), the Alfred-Wegener-Institute for
Polar and Marine Research (Potsdam and Bremerhaven) and the Institute for Polar Biology
(Kiel), as well as on the Russian side by the State Research Center - Arctic and Antarctic
Research Institute (St. Petersburg). Many other research institutions in Russia and Germany
were involved, and it would not have been possible to carry out the projects without their
benevolent assistance. Financial and logistic support has been mainly acquired from the
German and Russian Ministries of Science and Technology. Both ministries provided
invaluable assistance particularly during the expeditions and workshops.
The remote location and harsh weather conditions made logistics and work in northern
Central Siberia and in the Laptev Sea extremely difficult. Hence, the success of the projects
would not have been possible without the support of many institutions and authorities in Russia
and Germany. In particular, we would like to express our appreciations to the crews of the
research vessels "Ivan Kireev", "Kapitan Dranitsyn", "Lotsman", "Polarstern", "Professor
Makkaveev", "Professor Multanovsky", and "Sarya 9" as well as to the team of the LenaNordenskiold Station and the helicopter pilots for their tireless efforts above and beyond their
duties. Furthermore we would like to thank various authorities in St. Petersburg, Moscow,
Murmansk, Yakutsk, Archangel'sk, Tiksi, Khatanga, Norilsk, and Dickson as well as in
Berlin, Bonn, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Kiel, and Potsdam for their good collaboration.
The Arctic comprises some of the most sensitive elements of the global environment, which are
considered to respond rapidly to climate change. However, our knowledge of the processes
driving the Arctic system today and in the past is still very limited, thus making it difficult to
predict future climate scenarios. In this context the Laptev Sea and its Siberian hinterland are of
particular interest. River discharge into the Laptev Sea contitutes a key source for the Arctic
halocline's freshwater budget, and the shallow Laptev Sea Shelf is a major ice production area,
linking the Siberian shelves to the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic seas. Based on a
multidisciplinary approach, Russian and German scientists are describing in this book the
natural processes behind short- and long-term changes in the Laptev Sea and its Siberian
hinterland, using paleo-records and modem data which were collected during the past six years.
These marine and terrestrial datasets provide important new insights into the causes, impacts,
and feedback mechanisms which determine the Arctic climate system today.
The papers included in the volume provide a comprehensive overview of the environmental
system of the Laptev Sea and its Siberian hinterland. Although the content of many of the
papers cut across disciplines, each was assignedto a specific theme:
A: Modern Ocean and Sea-Ice Processes
B: The Marine Ecosystem
C: Land-Ocean Interactions and Pathways
D: Terrestrial Environment - Past and Present
E: Marine Depositional Environment - Past and Present
The book contains scientific results of the Russian and German projects "LAPEX", "Laptev
Sea System", "Late Quaternary Environmental Evolution of Central Taymyr" and "Ecology of
the Marginal Seas of the Eurasian Arctic", which were coordinated on the German side by the
GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences (Kiel), the Alfred-Wegener-Institute for
Polar and Marine Research (Potsdam and Bremerhaven) and the Institute for Polar Biology
(Kiel), as well as on the Russian side by the State Research Center - Arctic and Antarctic
Research Institute (St. Petersburg). Many other research institutions in Russia and Germany
were involved, and it would not have been possible to carry out the projects without their
benevolent assistance. Financial and logistic support has been mainly acquired from the
German and Russian Ministries of Science and Technology. Both ministries provided
invaluable assistance particularly during the expeditions and workshops.
The remote location and harsh weather conditions made logistics and work in northern
Central Siberia and in the Laptev Sea extremely difficult. Hence, the success of the projects
would not have been possible without the support of many institutions and authorities in Russia
and Germany. In particular, we would like to express our appreciations to the crews of the
research vessels "Ivan Kireev", "Kapitan Dranitsyn", "Lotsman", "Polarstern", "Professor
Makkaveev", "Professor Multanovsky", and "Sarya 9" as well as to the team of the LenaNordenskiold Station and the helicopter pilots for their tireless efforts above and beyond their
duties. Furthermore we would like to thank various authorities in St. Petersburg, Moscow,
Murmansk, Yakutsk, Archangel'sk, Tiksi, Khatanga, Norilsk, and Dickson as well as in
Berlin, Bonn, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Kiel, and Potsdam for their good collaboration.