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Karelia is called the land of rivers and lakes. Almost half of the republic's territory is located in the Arctic zone, which means that nature is especially vulnerable here. Alexey Vladimirovich Tolstikov, Head of the Laboratory of Geography and Hydrology at the Institute of Water Problems of the North of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the correspondent of Scientific Russia about the study of the White Sea and the unique features of this water area. Reference: Alexey Vladimirovich Tolstikov ― oceanologist, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Senior researcher and head of the Laboratory of Geography and Hydrology of the Institute of Water Problems of the North of the Karelian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, leading engineer-hydrologist of the 56th Russian Antarctic Expedition, member of the Russian Geographical Society, participant and member of the program committee of the annual conference of Oceanologists "Integrated Studies of the World Ocean". ― What is interesting about the White Sea from a scientific point of view and can it be attributed to the Arctic seas? ― We have been exploring the White Sea for more than 20 years. For us, it is interesting for its proximity and accessibility (most of the coast of Karelia is directly in contact with its waters), as well as unique features, including those peculiar to Arctic nature. If we consider the White Sea from a geographical point of view, then it is located in a temperate climate zone and it cannot be called Arctic, but if we are talking about biological species, then everything is different. The upper water mass of the White Sea is inhabited by so-called boreal animal species. But if we go down to a great depth ― several tens of meters, where it is constantly cold (-1.5 ℃) ― we will find many Arctic species, for example, representatives of zooplankton and benthos. Based on this, we can say that the White Sea is cold and Arctic, and this seems very interesting to me. In addition, a significant part of the Republic of Karelia (38%) belongs to the Arctic zones of Russia, and from this economic point of view, the White Sea can also be attributed to the Arctic. ― How vulnerable is it? ― Arctic ecosystems as a whole are very vulnerable: having been exposed to some harmful effects, they recover for a very long time (or do not recover at all), much longer than, for example, southern ecosystems. You've probably heard that if an all-terrain vehicle passed somewhere in the tundra, the negative consequences will persist for decades to come. I think the same can be said about the seas. The White Sea ― This is a small inland sea of Russia; it is surrounded by land on all sides, and its ecological characteristics are greatly influenced by the catchment area, that is, all the rivers flowing into it. It is noteworthy that the catchment area of the White Sea is eight times larger than the sea itself. Thus, pollutants from many local rivers enter the small and vulnerable White Sea. ― Are there many similar seas in the world, whose catchment area far exceeds the area of the sea itself? ― For inland seas, this is a common phenomenon, for example, for the Azov Sea, whose catchment area is 15 times larger than the sea itself, but in the Russian Arctic there is only one such sea ― White. If we compare it with other Arctic seas, we will see that their catchments are very small: the ratio of the area of the sea itself to its catchment area is on average 1:2 or 1:3. ― What else makes Arctic nature especially vulnerable? ― As I have already mentioned, due to the cold in the Arctic, everything is happening very slowly, and this applies not only to the restoration of ecosystems, but also to the processes of their development: We see that both living organisms and plants, such as tundra, have low growth rates. By the way, it is noteworthy that in Karelia there are places where tundra and taiga coexist with each other. The White Sea, located in the taiga zone, consists of islands where tundra vegetation occurs: the archipelago of the Body. ― What kind of research are you doing in the waters of the White Sea? ― We are exploring the catchment area, that is, rivers carrying their waters, including biogenic elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon), into the waters of the White Sea, and the marine basin itself. Once in the sea, biogenic elements are transformed, and pollutants often settle in the estuarine areas of the marine basin. Therefore, it is important for us to trace this entire chain from the coastline and the estuary area to the reservoir itself. Our research, therefore, affects not only the depths of the sea, but also the coastal zone. In our laboratory, we strive to combine physical and biogeochemical studies, studying physical processes and environmental parameters: temperature, salinity, their distribution at different depths, changes in ice cover and the relationship of this process with warming. We invite specialists in biochemical processes from other institutes to work together. They help to track what is happening with the phyto- and zooplankton of the White Sea. Chemists of our institute also take part in these comprehensive studies. ― This summer in Karelia turned out to be abnormally hot. How does this affect the White Sea? ― It is still unclear how episodes such as the current hot weather may affect the state of the White Sea in the future. If we talk not about the weather, but about long-term climate research, then such work is really underway at KarSC RAS. Our ice cover studies conducted over the past 30 years have shown that the ice cover of the White Sea has decreased in area. In addition, it began to form later than usual and collapse earlier. ― What can this lead to? ― There are forecasts according to which the ice of the White Sea may disappear completely. It is not yet known whether this will happen in reality or not, but there are scenario calculations showing that this event is very likely. Is it bad or good? As in any process, there are both positive and negative sides. Many say that the reduction of ice in the Arctic makes it possible to free up the Northern Sea Route and expand navigation opportunities. On the other hand, the degradation of permafrost containing greenhouse gases, in particular methane, leads to their emissions into the atmosphere. Warming entails many negative consequences, not only for nature, but also for our economy. The world's oceans accumulate a large amount of greenhouse gases, and under certain circumstances they can enter the atmosphere in large quantities. For us, this is comparable to a time bomb. There are many other interesting processes associated with ice, for example, the so-called ice drift, which is still poorly understood. This is when ice captures underwater biogenic elements or even some particles from the land and its own ecosystem develops inside it, which then moves along the sea area. ― I have heard that Karelian scientists have built a numerical model of the White Sea. Please tell us more about this. ― Yes, our Institute of Water Problems of the North provided data obtained in research at sea to build this three-dimensional numerical model. It was developed by specialists of the Institute of Applied Mathematical Research of the KarSC RAS. To verify this model, we need long-term data from real measurements. This project contains various blocks, for example, consideration of atmospheric parameters, dynamics of currents and transport of matter, a model of the ecology of sea ice, etc. Using the numerical model of the White Sea, by setting certain conditions, it is possible to predict various scenarios for the development of events in the water area. ― Which of the scenarios is most likely for the White Sea? ― It is quite difficult to single out any one. There are optimistic and pessimistic scenarios, and there are more likely ones. As for warming in the Arctic, almost all scenarios currently suggest that temperatures will continue to rise and sea ice will melt in the coming decades. ― Can this be stopped at the local level, that is, directly within the framework of the White Sea? ― Probably, yes, and not only at the local level. Generally accepted world forecasts, including those concerning the development of the economy in the Arctic, report that there are mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gases, at least anthropogenic ones. These mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions have been talked about in the world for a long time, they are well known, but we do not yet know whether these plans will be implemented. I still hope that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions will not be increased to a critical limit, because many countries are already taking appropriate measures to reduce this flow. Otherwise, we risk reaching the point of no return, provoked by an exponential increase in temperature. ― That is, while the process is reversible? ― This is a very controversial issue. Many experts even say that we are now simply in the next phase of natural warming, followed by cooling, arguing that in the history of the Earth there have already been successive periods of cooling and warming. But the scary thing is what a contribution man is making to this warming today! Most scientists agree that human participation in this process is very tangible, but I hope that we are still far enough from the point of no return. ― In the 1990s, an extremely loud event occurred in Karelia: a huge number of animals were washed ashore from the depths of the White Sea. How often does this happen in the region and what is the reason for this phenomenon? ― Yes, we are talking about starfish. It happens that cyanotoxins of natural origin enter the water, which can lead to a massive release of aquatic organisms onto land and their death. Something similar happened in Kamchatka a few years ago. Unfortunately, we can expect a repeat of similar situations in the White Sea, although we have not seen anything similar (on such a scale) in the last 30 years. By the way, there are scientists who believe that the massive release of starfish ashore in the 1990s was not due to toxins, but to a strong storm.

― What tasks are you planning to work on in the near future? ― Now we are focusing on the study of estuarine areas, that is, those areas where river water collides with sea water. I have already mentioned above how important it is to study them. I would also add that the estuary area can be considered a kind of indicator of what is happening in the catchment area and directly in the sea. There is such a thing as an impact zone for ecosystems: This is when a certain point area can significantly affect the ecosystems of the White Sea. Therefore, it is very important to study the estuarine areas in detail and comprehensively, and regularly collect physical, chemical and biological samples. This will help prevent the possible development of undesirable events and be fully prepared. In addition, we do not forget about fundamental science. In the same estuarine areas, peculiar ecosystems are formed, influenced by both marine and fresh water. It would be very interesting to study them in more detail.

Photo: Alexey Tolstikov / KarSC RAS: The Body Archipelago, where tundra and taiga meet together. The information is taken from the portal "Scientific Russia" (https://scientificrussia.ru /)