International Ecological Educational Center “Istomino”
Location
The Evenkian Field Station (64°17’ N, 100°11’ E; 145 m a.s.l.) is located near Tura settlement at the bank of the Kochechum River (in the central part of the Central Siberian Plateau). The research area is located within the continuous permafrost zone.
History
The field station has operated since 1989. The station provides accommodation mainly during frost-free season (May-October) but may accept visitors during all other seasons. There are five houses at the station with 22 beds, kitchen, sauna, electricity, and water supply. “Summer” and “Spring/Autumn” laboratories for sample preparation are available and equipped with basic instruments, e.g. drying ovens, freezer, refrigerators, and scales. The Evenkian station offers opportunity for stationary research and field campaigns up to 200 km away from the station.
Research
The Evenkian Field Station has a number of experimental plots established in the forest in different landscape units. There are three automatic weather stations in the Tura area along with forested plots equipped with air and soil temperature and moisture sensors. The Evenkian Field Station hosts programmes exploring forest dynamics and productivity, hydrology, hydrochemistry, biosphere-atmosphere GHG exchange, and satellite calibration-validation studies. A tower is equipped with an eddy covariance system on a 17 m tall tower in a 110 year old larch forest. Databases include stand inventories, meteorological observations, observations hydro-chemical compositions of streams/rivers retrospective satellite imagery of different resolution, etc.
Biodiversity
The area belongs to northern larch taiga. Tree species include Larix gmelinii (>95% of territory), Picea obovata (rare), Pinus sibirica (rare), and Betula pubenscens, while understory shrubs are Duschekia fruticosa (formerly Alnus fruticosa) and Betula nana. Spruce and Siberian pine occur on well-drained south-facing slopes and alluvial soils in stream valleys and on river banks. Birch appears after fires on hill tops. All tree stands are regenerating after ground fires that also influences composition, productivity and carbon stock of stands. Fire return interval is 20-200 years (c. 90 years mean). Ground vegetation: ericoid dwarf shrubs (mainly Ledum palustre, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, and Vaccinium uliginosum), mosses (Pleurozium schreberi, Hylocomium splendens, and Aulocomnium palustre with patches of lichens (Cladina spp. and Cetraria spp.). Larch forests with domination of Sphagnum fuscum in moss layer occurs in landscape depressions. Reindeers and bears are the major large animals. There are numerous migrating birds.
Human Presence
The nearest village, Tura, is only 0.2 km from the field station. Tura has c. 5000 inhabitants.
Climate
Access
The station can be reached year-round. There are eight regular flights each week from Krasnoyarsk to Tura. Transport from/to airport is by car.
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