– Climate change is a field of research that is unimaginable without international collaboration. That is why this workshop for young scientists, focused on the impact of climate change on aquatic ecosystems, is so important. This issue is of global concern, – emphasized Alexander Slabunov, KarRC RAS Deputy Director General, in his welcoming speech.
KarRC RAS Deputy Director General, Alexander Slabunov, at the school’s opening
Speaking at the opening session, Director of the Northern Water Problems Institute KarRC RAS, Yulia Lukina, reminded that Karelia has nearly 27K rivers and over 61K lakes.
– One-fifth of the region’s area is water. Karelia encompasses lakes Ladoga and Onego, and a large part of the White Sea. With such natural wealth, we are certainly responsible for preserving it. However, that would be impossible without understanding the laws of nature. Scientists at the Northern Water Problems Institute KarRC RAS care for, know, and defend our water resources. All of you, who have come here, have also chosen water research as the path to pursue. Our specialists are willing to share their theoretical knowledge and practical experience with you. I am sure this is something absolutely essential early in one’s career, – said Yulia Lukina, addressing the participants.
The participants will be offered a series of lectures and hands-on sessions in laboratories and out on the lake. Karelian scientists have extensive experience of ice cover studies and observation of water bodies during the winter season. The school will include a roundtable session, where young scientists will present their research and receive feedback from experts.
Director of the NWPI KarRC RAS greets the participants
The roster of lecturers at the youth school is also international: experts in hydrology, hydrophysics, hydrochemistry, and paleolimnology from Karelia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Armenia will deliver in-person, while speakers from China and India will join online. The international project "Under the Pressure of Global Climate Change: A Youth Network for Aquatic Ecosystem Research" is implemented by the Karelian Research Center RAS jointly with the North-Center Association, and with contribution from the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund.
Daniel Martsenyuk, First Secretary of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Office in Petrozavodsk, thanked the North-Center Association and the Karelian Research Center RAS for organizing the event.
– I’d like to extend special thanks to the Gorchakov Fund, whose support demonstrates that scientific issues are mainstreamed. It is wonderful that this event brings together not only Russian researchers but also guests from other countries. This underscores the importance of the issues to be discussed. Your work can help develop solutions that will help address pressing challenges in the future, – noted Daniel Martsenyuk.
The youth school is meant to offer early-career scientists from the CIS a platform for exchanging experiences, ideas, and research findings. In addition to its academic dimension, the event is intended for direct networking among young researchers from CIS and for building up contacts between the scientific communities of the participating countries. At the selection phase, over ten applications were submitted per spot.
Participants of the Youth School and Workshop
The school’s opening was attended by Elizaveta Magazinnikova, project supervisor from the Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund.
– It is always a great honor for the Fund to support and be a partner in initiatives like this. We firmly believe that global problems, such as climate change and water conservation, neglect borders. The only way to handle them is by acting together, through shared knowledge and, of course, through youth’s energy. Our Fund sees its mission in building bridges for dialogue. What I see here, i.e. many gifted and committed researchers – proves we are on the right path, – said the Fund’s spokesperson.
The opening ceremony was followed by an induction session titled “Environmental Policy of the Commonwealth of Independent States: Forging a Common Vector in the Global Climate Agenda”. Alexandra Smirnova, Director of the North-Center Association, spoke about the CIS environmental policy, while Varvara Markova, Leading Specialist at the KarRC RAS Department for International Cooperation, presented leverages for collaboration among young researchers from different countries.
Presentation by Varvara Markova, Leading Specialist at the Department for International Cooperation KarRC RAS
The first day of the school continued with a tour of laboratories of KarRC RAS institutes. First, the participants visited the Hydrochemistry and Hydrogeology Laboratory at the Northern Water Problems Institute, where the Laboratory Head Natalia Galakhina and Chief Chemist Natalya Efremenko presented the laboratory’s research and equipment. Among other things, the young scientists’ attention was drawn by the Nova purification system, which yields high-quality deionized water for general laboratory applications. The tour continued at the Biochemistry Laboratory of the Institute of Biology, guided by Researchers Irina Sukhovskaya, Natalya Shulgina, and Viktor Voronin. The equipment they demonstrated to their colleagues included a plate reader, which enables running biochemical analyses with near 100% accuracy, and a gas chromatograph.
On a laboratory tour
On the very first day, the learners got acquainted not only with the laboratories in which Karelian scientists work but also with the region’s natural sites. A field class was held on ice on Lake Munozero in the Kondopoga District – a lake over 40 meters deep and featuring high dissolved salts content. The project participants were introduced to hydrophysical survey methods under the guidance of specialists from the Northern Water Problems Institute KarRC RAS: Alexey Tolstikov, Galina Zdorovennova, Roman Zdorovennov, Daniil Konovalov, and Yulia Novikova. Considering the weather conditions, special attention was given to safety precautions.
– Approval for the trip was obtained the day before from the State Inspectorate for Small Craft, which confirmed that going on ice in the Kondopoga District is still allowed, – informed the project supervisor Aleksey Tolstikov.
Before letting the group step onto the lake, Alexey Tolstikov and Roman Zdorovennov visually examined the ice. Then, following safety protocols, they moved off the shore and drilled through the ice to measure its thickness, which turned out to be over 40 centimeters. However, the strength of the ice depends not only on its thickness but also on its structure. Scientists cut out a sample to evaluate it and found that the crystalline ice was still quite hard overall, measuring over 20 centimeters in thickness. This was evidence that staying on the lake was safe.
An auger drill was used to prepare the surface, and holes were cut through with an ice saw. The scientists cut three holes in ice, through which various measurements were taken: physical, chemical, and biological. Specifically, researchers lowered a CTD (conductivity, turbidity, temperature) probe and a chlorophyll A sensor into the water. Samples were collected for phytoplankton and zooplankton analysis, for chlorophyll A content. Benthos was sampled from the bottom, and chemical parameters were measured: oxygen, carbon dioxide, and methane.
The school will continue tomorrow, March 25. The young scientists are in for lectures from experts from Russia, India, and China, as well as a roundtable session, where the participants will have the opportunity to present their own research.
Photos: Igor Georgievsky / KarRC RAS