Olga Zimina

Murmansk Marine Biological Institute | MMBI · Zoobenthos laboratory

In Arctic seas, Crustacea is a widespread taxonomic group including a great variety of species. These invertebrates are capable of inhabiting a wide range of environments and populating nearly all benthic biotopes. Crustaceans rarely dominate the biomass of bottomdwelling communities, but their settlements may reach high densities. Detailed analysi...

“Comprehensive multidisciplinary research and monitoring of ecosystems of the Arctic Ocean and its seas” is one of the projects organized within the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science Program. One of the main goals of this program is to create an effective system for monitoring and forecasting the state of the marine environment, ensuring...

Chaun Bay, located on the fringe of the East Siberian Sea, has been described since the mid-20th century to support a unique marine ecosystem that is atypical for the local Siberian Arctic. Here we use ship-board physical, biogeochemical and geological measurements taken in October 2020, along with hydrographic observations taken from land-fast ice...

Vertical distribution of macrobenthos in sediments remains poorly studied; data from higher latitudes are especially scarce. At the same time, it is believed to contain important information about communities that should not be neglected. Hence, our main objectives are to study the peculiarities of macrobenthos vertical patterns in the Arctic and t...

We report two Arctic species of incirrate octopods new to science. One is formally described here as Muusoctopus aegir Golikov, Gudmundsson & Sabirov sp. nov. while the other, Muusoctopus sp. 1, is not formally described due to a limited number of samples (all are immature individuals). These two species differ from each other, and from other Muuso...

Sponges of the genus Suberites are quite polymorphic and diverse, yet the delimitation of species within the group has always been challenging since there are only a few spicule types that show little, or sometimes no variation in closely allied species. Koltun (1966) created a variety, S. domuncula var. ficus—something of a “dustbin assemblage”—wi...

The continental shelf of the northeastern Barents Sea is presently experiencing a weak influx of Atlantic water from the west. In recent times, warming in Arctic regions has led to an increase in extended ice-free periods in this area, instead of significantly elevating water temperatures. The implications of this phenomenon on the structure and fu...

This study presents a sampling manual of megabenthos bycatch, based on long-term monitoring programms of bottom communities in North Atlantic and Arctic. The present guidance will provide high-quality, reliable, and complete data about benthic communities for conservation and protection of their habitats. This manual will help to optimize sampling...

Organotin pollution in components of benthic ecosystems was investigated in 2019 in the Barents Sea (South shore, Kola Peninsula) and the Fram Strait (Icefjord, Svalbard Archipelago). Six species of organotin compounds (OTs), including monobutyltin, dibutyltin, tributyltin, tetrabutyltin, triphenyltin and tricyclohexyltin, were measured in the surf...

Stauroteuthis syrtensis and Cirroteuthis muelleri were studied based on representative material collected in Greenland, Iceland, and the Barents Sea and adjacent deep-sea areas (96 stations and 165 individuals for S. syrtensis, and 82 stations and 215 individuals for C. muelleri). The species occur on the border of the Arctic and the northern North...

The sustainable development and environmental protection of the Arctic ecosystem is on the agenda globally. The Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals call for conserving at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas globally. Management tools to achieve this goal include marine protected areas (MPAs) a...

This paper presents data on species composition and peculiarities of distribution of Decapoda in the southern part of Kara Sea obtained during trawl surveys in 2012 and 2016. In total, 11 species of decapod crustaceans were collected. In the last decade the fauna has been enriched by the invasion of the snow crab Chionoecetes opilio. Brief informat...

In this paper, the distribution of polychaetes in the Laptev Sea and New Siberian shoal is analyzed based on 115 bottom trawl samples taken in August–October 2014. Polychaetes were the most species-rich group (83 taxa, 74 identified to the species level). Two faunistic assemblages of polychaetes, coastal and offshore ones, were distinguished. The b...

В работе проанализировано распределение полихет на шельфе моря Лаптевых и Новосибирском мелководье по данным 115 донных тралений в августе–октябре 2014 г. Полихеты были наиболее богатой в видовом отношении группой (83 таксона, 74 определено до вида). По видовому составу было выделено два фаунистических комплекса полихет – прибрежный и мористый. Гра...

According to the results of surveys performed in the years 2003-2008, the species composition of the Peracarida (Crustacea, Malacostraca) fauna of the Barents Sea was determined. In total, 323 species were identified within the study area. Sixty-four species of Peracarida were noted for the Barents Sea for the first time. The most significant refin...

The work is devoted to study of ecological peculiarities of the species colanoid copepod Jaschnovia brevis. It was found in the border area of the ice extend in the North-Western part of the Barents Sea during two expeditions of R/V “Dalniye Zelentsy” in July and November 2017. The species has been recorded in the Barents Sea for the first time. Si...

Data obtained using three different types of sampling gear is compared and combined to assess the size composition and density of a non-indigenous snow crab population Chionoecetes opilio in the previously free of alien species Kara Sea benthos. The Sigsbee trawl has small mesh and catches even recently settled crabs. The large bottom trawl is able...

Preliminary results of the Transarktika-2019 winter expedition in the Arctic Ocean on the R/V “Akademik Tryoshnikov” are presented. The expedition program included studies on meteorology, hydrology, hydrochemistry, hydrobiology, geology, geophysics and an extensive complex of ice measurements in the Northern Barents Sea from the drifting ice and fr...

The squid Gonatus fabricii (Lichtenstein, 1818) is the most abundant pelagic cephalopod in the Arctic and the only squid to spend all of its life cycle in this region. Despite being highly abundant, its reproductive biology remains poorly known, and data on large maturing and mature specimens are especially rare. This study, based on extensive mate...

Based on the results of an ecosystem survey carried out by the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (MMBI) in the Laptev and East Siberian seas, the sponge fauna of the considered areas was studied. A total of 26 sponge species were identified. Some species were new records for the study area, i.e. Mycale helios, Tetilla sandalina, Halichondria sp....

The species composition of Peracarida in the Barents Sea is determined, based on material of benthic investigations in 2003–2008. A total of 323 species are identified. 64 peracarid species are new to the Barents Sea fauna, mainly Isopoda, Cumacea and Tanaidacea. The main features of the quantitative distribution of Peracarida are revealed. The mos...

Cephalopods are an important, abundant and taxonomically diverse component of the bathypelagic realm. However, their biology, ecology and distribution are poorly known. Specimens of Mastigoteuthis agassizii (Mastigoteuthidae) have been captured in the southern part of the Denmark Strait, which is at approximately 65°N. This site is approximately 55...

The total content of mercury was studied in marine water, sediments and benthic organisms in Billefjord, Isfjord and Gronfjord (Western Spitsbergen) in 2017. The samples were collected between 21 and 24 of July 2017 on-board RV “Dalnie Zelentsy” of Murmansk Marine Biological Institute. Total mercury content was measured at chemical-analytical labor...

The total content of mercury was studied in marine water, sediments and benthic organisms in Billefjord, Isfjord and Gronfjord (Western Spitsbergen) in 2017. The samples were collected between 21 and 24 of July 2017 on-board RV “Dalnie Zelentsy” of Murmansk Marine Biological Institute. Total mercury content was measured at chemical-analytical labor...

The first data were obtained on the total mercury content in hydrobionts and their habitat in Grønfjorden, Spitsbergen, at the waste discharge sites of the settlement of Barentsburg in early spring 2017. The Hg concentration was below the detection limit in the water and varied from 7.1 to 42.3 ng/g of dry weight in the bottom sediments. Mercury co...

The first data were obtained on the total mercury content in hydrobionts and their habitat in Gronfjorden, Spitsbergen, at the waste discharge sites of the settlement of Barentsburg in early spring 2017. The Hg concentration was below the detection limit in the water and varied from 7.1 to 42.3 g/ng of dry weight in the bottom sediments. Mercury co...

В Атласе представлена информация о траловых приловах мегабентоса, полученных в ходе российско-норвежских экосистемных съемок Баренцева моря и сопредельных вод в 2005-2015 гг. Даны карты пространственного распределения мегабентоса, информация об основных условиях обитания (температура, соленость и глубина) и оригинальные фотографии более 300 массо...

Morphological and molecular data on a deep-sea pleuroproctic taxon of the family Aeolidiidae from the Barents Sea (subarctic North Atlantic) are presented for the first time. Zeusia n. gen. is established for the North Atlantic and North Pacific pleuroproctic species of the family Aeolidiidae with two species: Z. hyperborea n. sp. and Z. herculea (...

The first description of the quantitative and qualitative compositions of the littoral fauna of Grønfjorden Gulf during the winter and spring period is given. Granulometric analysis of the surface sediments of the littoral has been performed. Thirty invertebrate taxa that did not leave the littoral zone during wintertime and could survive complete...

Two new species of the nudibranch genus Dendronotus, D. arcticus sp. n. and D. robilliardi sp. n., are described from the Arctic and North Pacific oceans respectively, based on morphological and molecular data, and the North Pacific D. albus is revealed to be a species complex. The species D. robilliardi sp. n. is described from the northwestern Pa...

Species composition and peculiarities of distribution of peracarid crustaceans’ fauna on the transect “Kola Section” was studied based on the materials of 2000-2013 years. 37 new for the Barents Sea fauna species were detected. Possible influence of climatic conditions on the temporal changes of peracarid fauna was discussed.

Species composition and pattern of distribution of decapod crustaceans in the Barents Sea and adjacent waters have been described using the material of the PINRO–IMR trawling survey of the 2011 year. Twenty five decapod species were identified. According to their global distribution 40% of them are boreal species, and 46% — boreal-arctic species. E...

Several specimens of the snow crab Chionoecetes opilio (O. Fabricius, 1788) were found in trawl catches in October 2012 during the expedition of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (MMBI) on the R/V Dalnie Zelentsy to the southwestern part of the Kara Sea. This species has not so far been recorded from the Kara Sea. The possible means of the i...

In the paper distribution of the different taxa of zoobenthos (Polychaeta (Annelida), Peracarida (Crustacea), Bivalvia, Gastropoda (Mollusca)) in the coastal zone of the Kola Peninsula (Barents Sea) has been analyzed according to modern data of 2006-2011. Dependence of biogeography structure and distribution of the faunal complexes on position of t...

On data, gathered in 2001, 2002 by expeditions of MMBI in the Hornsund-fjord, Gren-fjord, Is-fjord, Sassen-fjord, Nur-fjord, Belsunn-fjord distribution of benthic communities in the gradient of environmental factors was analyzed. Trend of benthic biomass reduction with abundance increasing in direction from inner part to outer part of fjords was es...

Based on the data collected in five marine expeditions of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute from 2002 through 2007, the spatial and temporary variability of benthic communities in the Central Depression of the Barents Sea (licensed plot of the Shtokmanovskoe condensed gas deposit) has been analyzed. The range of quantitative characteristics...

Based on the data collected in five marine expeditions of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute from 2002 through 2007, the spatial and temporary variability of benthic communities in the Central Depression of the Barents Sea (licensed plot of the Shtokmanovskoe condensed gas deposit) has been analyzed. The range of quantitative characteristics...