Explore the vast range of titles available.

In 1912 a thin line of Russian soldiers, confronted by a large crowd of gold miners on strike for several weeks, reacted with fear and anger. At their officers’ orders, they opened fire, shooting five hundred unarmed protestors. The event reverberated across Russia. The Lena goldfields massacre can be viewed from several distinct viewpoints, each presenting a contrasting story. Author Michael Melancon avoids prematurely picking a “right” way of looking at the massacre. Instead, he explores all aspects of the incident, from the despair of the miners at the poor conditions they faced, to the calculations and priorities of the mining entrepreneurs and state officials, and even the rationale of the soldiers who pulled the triggers. The Lena Goldfields Massacre and the Crisis of the Late Tsarist State will appeal to anyone interested in labor relations, in revolutionary movements, and in transitions associated with modernization. Its comparative framework will be helpful for generalists and Europeanists. It will also provide food for thought for those who seek a carefully researched examination of Russian society during the early twentieth century.

In permafrost areas, seasonal freeze-thaw cycles result in upward and downward movements of the ground. For some permafrost areas, long-term downward movements were reported during the last decade. We measured seasonal and multi-year ground movements in a yedoma region of the Lena River Delta, Siberia, in 2013–2017, using reference rods installed deep in the permafrost. The seasonal subsidence was 1.7 ± 1.5 cm in the cold summer of 2013 and 4.8 ± 2 cm in the warm summer of 2014. Furthermore, we measured a pronounced multi-year net subsidence of 9.3 ± 5.7 cm from spring 2013 to the end of summer 2017. Importantly, we observed a high spatial variability of subsidence of up to 6 cm across a sub-meter horizontal scale. In summer 2013, we accompanied our field measurements with Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR) on repeat-pass TerraSAR-X (TSX) data from the summer of 2013 to detect summer thaw subsidence over the same study area. Interferometry was strongly affected by a fast phase coherence loss, atmospheric artifacts, and possibly the choice of reference point. A cumulative ground movement map, built from a continuous interferogram stack, did not reveal a subsidence on the upland but showed a distinct subsidence of up to 2 cm in most of the thermokarst basins. There, the spatial pattern of DInSAR-measured subsidence corresponded well with relative surface wetness identified with the near infra-red band of a high-resolution optical image. Our study suggests that (i) although X-band SAR has serious limitations for ground movement monitoring in permafrost landscapes, it can provide valuable information for specific environments like thermokarst basins, and (ii) due to the high sub-pixel spatial variability of ground movements, a validation scheme needs to be developed and implemented for future DInSAR studies in permafrost environments.

Based on simulations with an ensemble of CMIP6 (Coupled Models Intercomparison Project, phase 6) climate models using Bayesian averaging, an analysis of changes in the runoff of a number of Russian rivers—the Volga, Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur, and Selenga—has been carried out this century. Bayesian weights take into account the skill of runoff reproduction by models (long-term average runoff, linear runoff trend over a time interval with available runoff observations, and interannual and interdecadal variability). The skill of reproduction of runoff characteristics by individual CMIP6 ensemble models varies most widely for long-term average runoff; runoff trend; and, to a lesser extent, interannual variability. In the 21st century, the ensemble average runoff increases for most of the analyzed rivers, with the exception of the Volga. This increase is more pronounced in scenarios with large anthropogenic impacts. It is especially significant for the SSP5-8.5 scenario (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, 14 5-8.5), in which the trend of increase in runoff in 2015–2100 relative to its modern long-term average value is (10 ± 4)% for the Ob, (16 ± 3)% for the Yenisei, (39 ± 7)% for the Lena, (36 ± 7)% for the Amur, and (18 ± 6)% for the Selenga. The main reason for changes in ensemble average runoff in the 21st century in models under all SSP scenarios is the changes in precipitation. Accounting for differences in model skill when reproducing river runoff on average for 2015–2100 reduces intermodel deviations relative to the corresponding values when uniformly weighting the model calculation results by 6–26%, depending on the SSP scenario and river catchment.

The Lena River plume significantly affects the thermohaline, optical and chemical properties of the eastern Arctic seas. We use sea surface salinity (SSS), temperature (SST), and altimetry measurements to study features of the Lena plume propagation during 1993–2020. A comparison of Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) SSS measurements with in situ data obtained using the flow-through system in oceanographic surveys in 2018–2019 demonstrates good coincidence with correlation ~ 0.96 and RMSD ~ 1 psu. The SMAP data were used to reconstruct the plume evolution in 2015–2020 and to identify three main types of Lena plume propagation, which are mainly related to the variability of dominant zonal wind direction: «northern»—the plume moves to the north from the delta up to 78° N; «eastern»—the plume moves eastward along the Siberian coast up to 180° E; «mixed» between two main types. Brackish plume waters were characterized by increased temperature and sea level, which provides the opportunity for studying the Lena plume dynamics using satellite altimetry and infrared measurements. These data were analyzed to study the interannual variability of plume propagation during the ice-free period of 1993–2020. The obtained results show that the «northern» type is observed twice more often than the «eastern» one, but the «eastern» type has intensified since 2010.

The discharge of rivers and the subsequent dispersion of their plumes play a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of the Arctic Ocean. Based on the data collected during annual transects conducted in the autumn period (September-October) from 2015-2020, this study explores the effect of River Lena plume dispersion on the seasonal and interannual changes in the hydrophysical and biogeochemical structure of the southeastern Laptev Sea. The temperature-salinity relationship (T-S), Redfield ratio and multiparameter cluster analysis were used to investigate variations in the water mass structure along the transect. The results revealed that the plume’s interannual and seasonal spreading patterns play a crucial role in regulating the local physical, biogeochemical, and biological processes in the southern Laptev Sea. During September-October, the hydrochemical water mass structure along the transects shifted from highly stratified to unstratified as the plume’s mixing intensity increased. Anomalous hydrochemical distributions were observed due to coastal upwelling, which was primarily characterized by high total alkalinity and nitrate levels, and low organic phosphorus, nitrite, and ammonia levels in the seawater. Wind and cold weather conditions drive deep vertical mixing of seawater, causing the resuspension of bottom sediment and the subsequent enrichment of bottom water by nutrients. Multi-parameter cluster analysis is used to describe the details of water mass structures in the highly dynamic southern Laptev Sea, with water mass structures typically undergoing significant changes within two weeks between September and October. The migration and transformation of water masses throughout the seasons are influenced by the volume of river discharge, fall-winter cooling, and atmospheric circulation patterns. Furthermore, the general atmospheric circulation is confirmed to be the primary cause of the interannual variation in the spread of the Lena River plume over the southeast Laptev Sea.

Warming air temperatures, shifting hydrological regimes and accelerating permafrost thaw in the catchments of the Arctic rivers is affecting their biogeochemistry. Arctic rivers monitoring is necessary to observe changes in the mobilization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from permafrost. The Lena River is the second largest Arctic river and 71 % of its catchment is continuous permafrost. Biogeochemical parameters, including temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), stable water isotopes, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and absorption by coloured dissolved organic matter (aCDOM) have been measured as part of a new high-frequency sampling program in the central Lena River Delta. The results show strong seasonal variations of all biogeochemical parameters that generally follow seasonal patterns of the hydrograph. Optical indices of DOM indicate a trend of decreasing aromaticity and molecular weight from spring to winter. High-frequency sampling improved our estimated fluvial flux of annual dissolved organic carbon flux (6.79 Tg C). EC and stable isotope data were used to distinguish three different source water types which explain most of the seasonal variation in the biogeochemistry of the Lena River. These water types match signatures of (1) melt water, (2) rain water and (3) subsurface water. Melt water and rain water accounted for 84 % of the discharge flux and 86 % of the DOC flux. The optical properties of melt water DOM were characteristic of fresh organic matter. In contrast, the optical properties of DOM in subsurface water revealed lower aromaticity and lower molecular weights, which indicate a shift towards older organic matter source mobilized from deeper soil horizons or permafrost deposits. The first year of this new sampling program sets a new baseline for flux calculations of dissolved matter and has enabled the identification and characterization of water types that drive the seasonality of the Lena River water properties.

Riverine Fe input is the primary Fe source to the ocean. This study is focused on the distribution of Fe along the Lena River freshwater plume in the Laptev Sea using samples from a 600 km long transect in front of the Lena River mouth. Separation of the particulate (>0.22µm), colloidal (0.22µm – 1kDa), and truly dissolved (<1kDa) fractions of Fe was carried out. The total Fe concentrations ranged from 0.15 to 57 µM with Fe dominantly as particulate Fe. The loss of > 99% of particulate Fe and about 90% of the colloidal Fe was observed across the shelf, while the truly dissolved phase was almost constant across the Laptev Sea. Thus, the truly dissolved Fe could be an important source of bioavailable Fe for plankton in the central Arctic Ocean, together with the colloidal Fe. Fe-isotope analysis showed that the particulate phase and the sediment below the Lena River freshwater plume had negative δ 56 Fe values (relative to IRMM-14). The colloidal Fe phase showed negative δ 56 Fe values close to the river mouth (about -0.20‰) and positive δ 56 Fe values in the outermost stations (about +0.10‰). We suggest that the shelf zone acts as a sink for Fe particles and colloids with negative δ 56 Fe values, representing chemically reactive ferrihydrites. While the positive δ 56 Fe values of the colloidal phase within the outer Lena River freshwater plume, might represent Fe-oxyhydroxides, which remain in the water column, and will be the predominant δ 56 Fe composition in the Arctic Ocean.

The main goal of this study was to obtain new results on the physically based future hydrological consequences of climate change in the Amur, Lena, and Selenga River basins by using data from an ensemble of global climate (general circulation) models (GCMs) as boundary conditions in spatially distributed, process-based runoff formation models. This approach provides a basis for a more detailed comparison of the sensitivity of hydrological systems of neighboring large river basins in Eastern Siberia and the Far East. The greatest increases in annual flow are predicted for the Lena River under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 2.6 and RCP 6.0 by the middle and end of the 21st century and for the Selenga River under RCP 6.0 by the end of the 21st century, while the Amur flow anomalies are close to zero. During the 21st century, the greatest relative changes in river flow are predicted for the spring flood, especially for the Lena and Selenga, under both scenarios. The summer–autumn and winter runoff of the Amur River has a negative change of up to 8% for the two RCPs, and, on the contrary, the anomalies are positive for the Lena and Selenga. Evaluating runoff variations between RCPs, we noted high summer–autumn and winter runoff changes for the Amur River under RCP 6.0 for the future period, a significant increase in anomalies of the spring and winter runoff of the Lena under RCP 6.0 by the end of the 21st century, and a greater prevalence of summer–autumn and winter runoff increase for the Selenga River under RCP 2.6 during the 21st century, but it is especially pronounced by its end.

In this study, we report an anomalously large freshened surface layer in the Eastern Arctic during ice-free season in 2019. This freshened surface layer is formed by river discharge and sea ice meltwater and is also referred to as the Lena plume, due to the Lena River discharge is its major freshwater source. Based on in situ and satellite data, we demonstrate that in August-September 2019 the Lena plume extended from the Lena Delta in the west to the Wrangel Island in the east, i.e., its zonal extent was approximately 2000 km. The area of the Lena plume varied between 750 000 and 870 000 km 2 during this period, which is 1.5 times greater than the assessment of its maximal area in previous years, albeit they were often hindered by the presence of sea ice coverage. The main reasons for this anomalous spreading of the Lena plume are the following. First, intense sea ice melting in the Eastern Arctic in 2019 provided a significantly greater volume of meltwater inflow to the freshened surface layer, as compared to other years. Second, sea ice cleared out of the Laptev and East Siberian seas by the beginning of August and September 2019 respectively, and these seas remained free of ice during for 2 to 3 months (longer ice-free period occurred only in 2007 and 2020). Three months of favorable wind forcing on the Lena plume in July-September 2019 caused its anomalously extensive eastward and northward expansion, together with changes in the vertical structure of the Lena plume. This plume expansion affected the composition of phytoplankton communities, with the intrusion of freshwater species in the eastern part of the East Siberian Sea. The reported expansion of the large Lena plume under favorable sea ice and wind conditions provides the baseline for forecasting the future state of large-scale freshwater cycle in the Arctic Ocean, with an expectedly reduced ice cover.

Permafrost has been reported to be degrading at increasing rates over wide areas in northern regions of Eurasia and North America; the evidence has come mainly from in situ observations in the soil profile, which have limited spatial and invariably limited temporal coverage. Herein three methods are proposed to relate low river flows (or base flows) during the open water season with the rate of change of the active groundwater layer thickness resulting from permafrost thawing at the scale of the upstream river basin. As an example, the methods are tested with data from four gaging stations within the Lena River basin in eastern Siberia, one in the Upper Lena basin, and three in two of its tributaries, namely the Olyokma and the Aldan basins. The different results are mutually consistent and suggest that over the 1950–2008 period the active layer thickness has been increasing at average rates roughly of the order of 0.3 to 1 cm a−1 in the areas with discontinuous permafrost and at average rates about half as large in colder more eastern areas with continuous permafrost. These rates have not been steady but have been increasing; thus it appears that in the earlier years over the period 1950–1970, some large regions have not been undergoing active layer thickness increases and perhaps even decreases, whereas from the 1990s onward vast areas have experienced larger average layer thickness increases, especially those with continuous permafrost. Key Points Permafrost thawing is related to low flows in river Method is applied in eastern Siberia