Kamchatka

Polar research in Kamchatka may seem remote. Petropavlovsk is at the same latitude as Amsterdam and the landscape is somewhat reminiscent of the Swedish landscape, with forests and flowery meadows. In other respects, Kamchatka differs drastically from Sweden. Evolution has partially followed other paths due to the special and sometimes extreme climatic conditions, and especially through volcanic activity. There are 29 active volcanoes in Kamchatka today, leading to an incessant battle for terrain between life and volcanic ash.

With its similarities and differences, Kamchatka is a thrilling subject of comparison to the ecological systems so familiar to us from the Scandinavian Peninsula. From a circumpolar perspective, Kamchatka is thus an important piece of the puzzle. The south-north orientation of Kamchatka gives studies in the area a key indication of how the ecosystems successively change as we move from the temperate zone in the south to the subarctic environment in the north, on the border to Chukotka and the actual Arctic tundra.

The preceding description provides something of a background to the interest in Kamchatka evinced by our Swedish polar researchers in preparation for the Beringia expedition planned for summer 2005. For that reason, three of us from the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat went to Kamchatka last August to reconnoitre and establish contacts. We had excellent help from an experienced Russian Kamchatka expert, geologist, and skilled expedition organizer, Vladimir Kirianov. In general, we enjoyed outstanding logistical support from local personnel, which should also be useful for the 2005 expedition.

Local transports are problematic in a region as large and (nearly) devoid of roads as Kamchatka. Helicopters are one alternative, but the weather makes them a risky solution to the transport problem. We gained tremendous respect for how fast and furiously the weather can change. Storm winds sweep in from the Bering Sea, carrying rain and fog. The Commodore Islands west of the Kamchatka Peninsula are one of the research sites under consideration, but also one of the areas most exposed to the weather and most difficult to access. All-terrain vehicles seem to be an appealing alternative for some of the other sites we visited during our trip. Within a convenient distance from Petropavlovsk, approximately 100 km south, one can reach the Mutnovsky-Gorely area with tundra at 800 to 1 200 meters above sea level. There is coastal tundra 200 km to the west next to Ust-Bolsheretsk and the Sea of Okhotsk.

Another relatively accessible area of interest for the expedition lies in the area surrounding Ossora, a village about three hours by air north of Petropavlovsk. There as well, the terrain can be reached by all-terrain vehicles, boat, or horseback. By boat or helicopter, one can also reach nearby Karaginsky Island, an uninhabited island featuring tundra and wetlands.

One of our key tasks during the two-week reconnaissance trip was to establish contacts with research institutions working in the region. The people we spoke to at the university in Petropavlovsk are looking forward to a partnership in which students could assist in the field and learn about the research work. The Institute of Vulcanology, Institute of Vulcanic Geology and Geochemistry, and the Pacific Institute of Geography also demonstrated keen interest in the expedition, as did the local museum, which is a centre of considerable knowledge about the vegetation and climate conditions in various parts of Kamchatka. On a more practical level, we also established contact with the Commodore Islands nature reserve. Cooperation with researchers on site is vital.

In summary, the 2005 Beringia expedition will be welcome in Kamchatka. The reconnaissance trip provided valuable information and proved that the local knowledge and practical resources needed to make a successful research contribution exist, 85 years after Sten Bergman and Erik Hultén’s exploratory expeditions!

Anadyr

Anadyr is the main town of the autonomous province of Chukotka. It is the only province in Russia that is still permanently closed, i.e., even Russian citizens must have a permit to travel there. Chukotka is the easternmost outpost of Russia and, at the closest point, Alaska is only about 90 km away. The landscape is heavily dominated by tundra, although there are forests in some sheltered inland valleys. Chokotka also encompasses Wrangel Island and Herald Island in the Arctic Ocean. Chukotka and northern Alaska make up the northern part of the Beringia region.

The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat has contracted INTAARI to make logistical and operational preparations for the expedition, based on almost ten years of successful cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic, but even to them Chukotka is a “white area” on the map. An early reconnaissance trip to Chukotka therefore seemed necessary. The purposes of the trip were to establish local scientific, logistical, and political contacts, to investigate local logistical and operational conditions for the expedition, and to get suggestions for study locations and to visit the sites if the opportunity was provided. Russian researchers with experience in the region were, however, able to suggest suitable sites and Vladimir Razzhivin, who participated in the 1994 Swedish-Russian tundra ecology expedition, provided valuable background material.

Local research activities are constrained due to a funding and a recurring question posed by researchers was how the Beringia expedition could benefit their research projects. There was considerable interest in several of the proposed Swedish projects, e.g., the one on birds as vectors for infectious disease and environmental pollution studies. On the second day, the team met with about 15 researchers at the North-East Interdisciplinary Research Institute (NEISRI), under the Russian Academy of Sciences, to present the expedition plans, which were enthusiastically received. Later in the week, the team also met representatives of the federal national park on Wrangel Island, who were also very favourable towards the expedition. The city of Pevek is the usual jumping-off point for trips to Wrangel, and also the place where the Swedish Polar Research secretariat has planned the first rotation of the expedition, i.e. the site at which participants will be replaced between stage 1 and stage 2 of the ice-breaker Oden’s journey.

Other than 20 km or so of dirt roads around Anadyr, all of Chukotka is essentially roadless. Boats, tracked vehicles, and helicopters can be used for transports to the more southerly study locations, with Anadyr as the point of departure, but helicopters are essentially the only option in the north. Regarding other logistics, all equipment and most provisions should be brought in from the outside; there is usually no “market” to meet needs beyond the local.

Research and logistic activities will be based on an agreement with central authorities in Moscow, which hopefully will be ready in the near future during 2004. This will provide the local organisations with possibilities to close cooperation and further knowledge exchange with the Swedish scientists. Visa and permit applications must also be processed well in advance. The local authorities were highly favourable towards the Secretariat’s plan and the expedition was regarded as a potential and valuable way to increase interest in the province.

Anadyr an Chukotka are currently living a transition period with substantial investments in the infrastructure, e.g. the airport is rebuilt into a modern, international airport. When the expedition reaches the region in the summer of 2005, it will meet a province in development with new and interesting research opportunities and cooperations.