URN:NBN:fi:tsv-oa49319 DOI: 10.11143/49319 The Russian Far North – a landscape in transition The Russian Far North is constantly changing with respect to natural as well as socio-economic conditions. Larger temperature and precipitation changes than elsewhere in the world are predict- ed for this region (IPCC 2013). It includes most of the Northern Eurasian tundra biome with its abundance of small lakes and extents into the taiga forest transition zone. A large proportion is underlain by permanently frozen ground causing specific geomorphological processes at the sur- face. The Russian Far North is also rich in natural resources, especially oil, gas and ores. Their ex- traction requires the development of infrastruc- ture and movement of workers over long distanc- es. Local and distant but connected communities have been confronted with these changes for sev- eral decades, what lead inevitably to transitions. Current geographical research deals with these changes and their local impact as well as con- nections within Russia and globally. Especially the Yamal peninsula has been studied for several decades. Industrial development has led here to land cover changes as revealed by satellite data (Kumpula et al. 2011, 2012). The development of a crater-like hole drew worldwide media atten- tion to this region in summer 2014. Leibman et al. (2014) argue that this feature is a result of in- creasing temperatures and especially the recent occurrence of comparably warm years. This special issue of FENNIA brings together the research results of natural as well as socio- economic changes in the Russian Far North. These developments are tightly connected with the rest of the world and are thus of high interest beyond this specific research community. This special issue has evolved from a workshop or- ganized as part of the Austrian-Russian joint project COLD Yamal financed by the Austrian Science Fund and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (I 1401-N29 and 13-05-91001- AH8 a) which aims to advance our knowledge on landscape dynamics in permafrost regions with focus on Yamal. Its concept has been fur- ther developed within the framework of the re- cently founded Austrian Polar Research Institute which fosters the interdisciplinary activities and international cooperation of Austrian research- ers in polar regions. Two papers of this volume discuss the impact of natural resources and their exploitation on communities. Four papers deal with permanently frozen ground on the Yamal peninsula and relat- ed geomorphological processes at the surface. Leibman et al. review 25 years of geomorpho- logical research of the Russian Academy of Sci- ence and the Tyumen State Oil and Gas Univer- sity on Yamal. A framework for long term meas- urements has been established already in the 1980s. Data gathered contribute to the Global Terrestrial Network of Permafrost. “Vaskiny Datchi” is one of 200 CALM (Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring) sites and more than 800 ther- mal state measurement locations around the world. It however stands out due to its long re- cords within the Russian Far North. Measure- ments on active layer depth are available for al- ready more than 20 years. The data show a depth increase during this period. Recent analyses have also included measurements available from satellites. Cryogenic landsliding is a widespread phenomenon on the central Yamal peninsula. It has been shown to be related to subsurface prop- erties such as temperature and moisture content. Three papers provide further insight and present new research results. Khitun et al. bring together ex- pertise in botany and geomorphology in order to shed light on the process of cryogenic landsliding and its impact on landscape development as well as the ground thermal regime. So far unknown spatial and temporal patterns can be revealed with this method. Dvornikov et al. investigate the relationship between snow cover and the ground thermal re- gime. The role of vegetation is quantified using a combination of field survey and GIS (Geographic Information System) analyses. Results undermine the need of precise digital elevation models (DEMs) for permafrost modelling. Such data are however only available from ground surveys with sufficient detail although DEMs can be derived from satellite data over larger regions. The suitability of such data- sets for the study of land surface hydrology is as- sessed by Trofaier et al. The drainage network is ana- lyzed for central Yamal and discussed with respect to the abundant seasonally inundated areas. It is sug- gested that further research is needed in this context with respect to the landsliding in this region. 2 FENNIA 193: 1 (2015)Annett Bartsch The role of natural resources for communities in the Russian North is discussed by Saxinger as well as Suutarinen. Saxinger exemplifies the way people are enmeshed with oil and gas resources and the extractive industry. The focus is on com- muters coming to the North from as far as the Black Sea coast region. These workers from the South have incorporated the North into their so- cial space. Suutarinen studies the development on the Kola Peninsula in the context of natural resource extraction. Mining, specifically iron ore processing is of high importance in this region. He seeks to explain how the current use of natu- ral resources restrains the sustainable socio-eco- nomic development of resource communities. This special issue highlights the aspects of both human as well as physical geography in a region of rapid change and global importance although generally considered as remote. Annett Bartsch, Austrian Polar Research Institute and Central Institute for Meteorology and Geody- namics, Vienna, Austria. E-mail: annett.bartsch@ polarresearch.at REFERENCES IPCC 2013. Climate change 2013: The physical sci- ence basis. Contribution of working group I to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, NY. Kumpula T, Forbes BC, Stammler F & Meschtyb N 2012. Dynamics of a coupled system: Multi-reso- lution remote sensing in assessing social-ecologi- cal responses during 25 years of gas field develop- ment in Arctic Russia. Remote Sensing 4:4, 1046– 1068. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs4041046. Kumpula T, Pajunen A, Kaarlejärvi E, Forbes BC, Stammler F 2011. Land use and land cover change in Arctic Russia: Ecological and social implica- tions of industrial development. Global Environ- mental Change 21: 2, 550–562. http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.12.010. Leibman MO, Kizyakov AI, Plekhanov AV & Strelets- kaya ID 2014. New permafrost feature – Deep crater in central Yamal, West Siberia, Russia, as a response to local climate fluctuations. Geography, Environment, Sustainability 7: 4, 68–80.