Contact info Dr. Julia Boike Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) Research Unit Potsdam Telegrafenberg A43 14473 Potsdam Phone: +49 331 288 2119 Fax: +49 331 288 2137 Email:
Dr. Dirk Wagner Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) Research Unit Potsdam Telegrafenberg A43 14473 Potsdam Phone: +49 331 288 2159 Fax: +49 331 288 2137 Email:
Location The Russian-German Research Station Samoylov is located on Samoylov Island in the Lena River Delta, Northeast Siberia (72º 22’N, 126º28’E), approximately 120 km south of the Arctic Ocean.
Climate Mean temperature in January (Stolb station, near Samoylov Island): -31.0°C Mean temperature in July (Stolb station, near Samoylov Island): +8.9°C Mean annual temperature (Stolb station, near Samoylov Island): -12.7°C Mean annual precipitation (Stolb station, near Samoylov Island): 263 mm (total, incl. snow)
Biodiversity The island is dominated by wet polygonal tundra, characterized by low-centered ice-wedge polygons. Hydrophytic sedges such as Carex aquatilis, Carex chordorrhiza, and Carex rariflora as well as mosses (e.g. Drepanocladus revolvens, Meesia triquetra, and Aulacomnium turgidum) dominate the vegetation in the wet polygon centers and on their edges. Mesophytic dwarf shrubs such as Dryas octopetala and Salix glauca, forbs (Astragalus frigidus), and mosses (Hylocomium splendens, Timmia austriaca) dominate the polygon rims.
Human Dimension There are subsistence fishing camps in the summer and occasional river cruise ships. Other than that, research dominates. The delta is a nature reserve with three rangers living in the reserve throughout most of the year.
Species Performance Long-term records on zooplankton diversity and dynamics in polygonal ponds and tundra lakes exist.
General Research The research emphasis is on understanding ecosystem-atmosphere interactions on various spatial and temporal scales. The main objectives are to study the community structure and dynamics of microbial populations involved in the methane cycle as well as the processes controlling the exchange fluxes of methane, carbon dioxide, and energy on scales ranging from the micro-site to the ecosystem- and meso-scale. The ultimate goal is the assessment and prediction of environmental changes in the Lena River Delta region. Other important long-term studies focus on river hydrology, geomorphology, hydrobiology (e.g. zooplankton dynamics), and paleo-environmental reconstruction.
Existing Data Bases Data and results from Samoylov and related field and laboratory work can be found in PANGAEA, the publishing network for geoscience and environmental data (www.pangaea.de).
History and Facilities The station was originally built as a logistics base for the Lena Delta Reserve and has been the base or starting point for numerous AWI expeditions since 1998. In 2005, AWI and the Lena Delta Reserve completed a four-room extension to the station, which now offers accommodation for at least 7 people in three double rooms and one single room. Additional accommodation is in tents. The main building has two laboratory rooms of 12m² and 15m² and a kitchen. The annex has a large living room and storage space is available between the buildings and in a separate workshop. Cold storage is available in a permafrost cellar. Washing facilities and warm water are available in a separate sauna hut nearby. Sufficient power is supplied by a 6 KVA diesel generator and a wind generator. In 2006, Samoylov became an official Russian-German research station as part of the Agreement of Cooperation in Polar and Marine Research of the German and Russian Ministries of Education and Research.
Transportation The Russian-German Research Station Samoylov can be reached by helicopter from Tiksi (connected by air service to Moscow, Yakutsk, and St. Petersburg) in about 45 minutes and by river boat from Tiksi in about 12 hours. Winter transport is also possible by truck or tank.
SCANNET - A
Circumarctic Network of Terrestrial Field Bases | 2010
