Moving on to the celebratory part, KarRC RAS Director General Olga Bakhmet recalled the past week’s anniversaries. On September 24, 1930, the Karelian (Complex) Research Institute was established, which later became the Institute of Linguistics, Literature and History KarRC RAS. The main events for celebrating this occasion are scheduled for October. On Sept. 25, the Republic of Karelia Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, which has many contact points with the work of KarRC RAS, turned 80.
At the meeting, diplomas were handed in to Doctoral School graduates. Olga Bakhmet congratulated the novice researchers on completing their course of studies and wished them success for the future.
Diploma awarded to Maria Makarova, Junior Researcher at the Institute of Applied Mathematical Research KarRC RAS
The core agenda was made up of two scientific lectures. Senior Researcher of the Northern Water Problems Institute KarRC RAS Sergey Bogdanov presented the results of hydrophysical studies of water column mixing mechanisms in small boreal lakes. Fresh water is a crucial strategic resource the availability and quality of which become even more important under climate change and growing human impact.
– Mixing is a key to the distribution of oxygen and impurities and its knowledge is crucial for understanding biota functioning and studying exchange with the atmosphere via water surfaces. This primarily implies the heat and gas exchange, i.e. greenhouse gases, and this problem has the economic, financial, and political dimensions. Such work is also important for building domains to be integrated into large models that describe global processes such as the carbon cycle, climatic and others, – said Dr. of Physics and Math Sergey Bogdanov to highlight the topicality of the subject.
The scientist presented various mixing mechanisms and their role in shaping the thermal and biological status of shallow northern lakes. The laboratory team has developed original experimental techniques related to the planning of field research, the choice of operating parameters of instruments, spatial and temporal discreteness of measurements.
Audience of KarRC RAS Learned Council session
– In modern realities, when temperatures are rising, the ice-covered period becomes shorter and human impact is added on top of that, irreversible changes can occur in our highly vulnerable northern ecosystems. And mixing of the water column is a factor that largely underpins their functional stability. It influences the distribution of oxygen, heat exchange, and, consequently, the thermal and gas regime, the distribution of nutrients and pollutants – all the factors for the successful development of aquatic organisms, including fish, and most of our water bodies belong to the top category in terms of fisheries value, – stressed Yulia Lukina, Dr. of Biology, Director of the Northern Water Problems Institute KarRC RAS, commenting on the significance of the research done by hydrophysicists.
Researcher of the Institute of Geology KarRC RAS Oleg Maksimov talked about White Sea eclogites as a focus for geodynamic reconstructions of the early history of the Earth. Eclogites are rare metamorphic rock species formed at great depths under high pressure.
– In modern geodynamic systems, such parameters are attained in subduction zones – fragments of the lithosphere where the oceanic crust sinks into the mantle, or in collision zones, where the earth's crust becomes thicker. So, these rocks are reliable indicators of such geodynamic environments and geologists pay much attention to their study, – explained Oleg Maksimov.
In the White Sea are, near the village of Gridino, Karelian scientists discovered some of the most ancient eclogites on the continent, dated to 2.7 Ga BP. “These findings provide weighty grounds for the idea that 2.7 billion years ago lithospheric plate tectonics mechanisms on our planet were already active, meaning supercontinental cyclicity had also begun”, – the scientist informed.
Doctor of Geology and Mineralogy Alexander Slabunov praised these results as one of the world’s three major geological discoveries that have "significantly altered our ideas and allowed us to draw many conclusions about how the planet evolved in the early stages".
The results of the above studies will be presented in more detail in forthcoming posts on KarRC RAS website.
Lecture delivered by Oleg Maksimov, Cand. Sci. (Geol.-Miner.)
After discussing the keynote lectures, KarRC RAS leader suggested going back to the matter of Director General election outcome as one of the previous week’s hottest topics. Olga Bakhmet reminded that the election was announced by the founder of KarRC RAS, i.e. the Ministry of Science and Higher Education Russia, in December 2024 and consisted of several stages: candidate nominations, candidature approval by the Russian Academy of Sciences, voting of employees, and final endorsement by the Ministry.
– In September, the Ministry informed us that the candidate who received the most votes, Alexander Mikhailovich Kryshen, was not endorsed. When asking for a reasoning for the rejection, we were not given any additional explanations. Neither do we have any information on further actions regarding this matter, so we are waiting for the ministry's decision, – said Olga Bakhmet.
She also announced the reason for the dismissal of Alexander Kryshen as Director of the Forest Research Institute KarRC RAS.
– One of the approval criteria was the security clearance level. Screening of candidates by this criterion is done by the Federal Security Service Office in the Republic of Karelia without involving KarRC RAS. Based on the results of the review, Alexander Mikhailovich's security clearance was terminated. All institute directors must have such clearance. So, in compliance with the Labor Code, if it’s terminated, the director must be removed from their post, – explained Olga Bakhmet and added that Alexander Kryshen will continue working at the institute as a Chief Researcher.
KarRC RAS leaders met with the administration of the Forest Research Institute and heads of its laboratories to discuss several candidates proposed by the Institute’s team. The person chosen to be the Acting Director of the Forest Research Institute as a result is Aleskey Pekkoev, Cand.Sci. (Agriculture), Head of the Laboratory of Boreal Forest Dynamics and Productivity.
– The Forest Research Institute is going through a rough time, but at the same time it retains its integrity and the staff continues working actively. We have many plans, goals and objectives. We will preserve the institute’s historically established research areas and will create new ones. Despite everything, we remain open to communication and cooperation, – said Aleksey Pekkoev addressing the audience.
Aleksey Pekkoev, Acting Director, Forest Research Institute KarRC RAS
At the Learned Council meeting Olga Bakhmet also informed the audience that the journal Transactions of the Karelian Research Centre RAS was included in the “White List” of academic journals with “Level 1” status. This listing highlights the outlet’s authority and makes it more prestigious.
The White List is a listing of the most reputable scientific journals, which includes about 30 thousand domestic and international outlets. It was created to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of the publication activity of Russian academics. It is approved by an Interdepartmental Working Group set up by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The white-listed outlets are assigned one of four levels, with Level one at the top.
“It’s a wonderful great event and our task now is to keep it up”, – commented Olga Bakhmet.
The next meeting of the KarRC RAS Learned Council will take place on October 28. It’ll be dedicated to the anniversary of the Institute of Linguistics, Literature and History KarRC RAS.
Photos: Alexander Orlov / KarRC RAS Science Communication Office
