2019 Issue №1

In this article, we present an analysis of the taxonomic diversity of plant macro-remnants retrieved from the peat deposits of Svinoye Bog in the south­ern part of the Curonian Spit, Russia. The initial mire formation stage is probably associated with the alder carrs and stretches of Phragmites, which were successively replaced by fen, transition mire, and raised bog communi­ties. Based on a diagram of the botanical composition of peat, we identified eight stages of the formation of the Svinoye Bog ecosystem.

In this article, I examine climate change facts relating to study objects of different scales, particularly, the Arctic, which serves as an indicator of global processes taking place across the planet. I track long-term fluctuations in the climatic parameters of the Kaliningrad region. Further, I estimate the rate of temperature change in Kaliningrad and other locations that have weather sta­tions and establish the cause-and-effect relationship in the behavior of various indicators.

The waters of the Curonian Lagoon and the contiguous coastal area are linked together by both the environment and economic activities. Regional planning considers water and coastal areas as separate phenomena that lack a common management system. However, this approach is poorly applicable to the Curonian Lagoon, the delta of the River Neman, and the adjacent coastal area. Only when these elements are analysed as a single whole, one can see the problems of the region in their entirety. This article is the very first attempt to provide an overview of possible ways to use the Russian part of this region as a single water and land system in view of the close interdependence between land, waters, and environmental conditions.