Thawing tundra in July at Sterlegova, 75.26N 89.09E, Taymyr, Russia 1991
Within the former German-Soviet Environmental Agreement in the years 1989-1991 3 biological expeditions to the Taymyr peninsula in northernmost Siberia were performed. They laid the ground for the establishment (1993) of the Great Arctic Reserve (Zapovednik). The Taymyr peninsula is covered by the most extensive and northernmost tundra habitats in Siberia. These enormous wetlands are used during the short Arctic summer by millions of waterbirds, which winter in Southern Europe, Southern Asia and Africa. The biodiversity of the Taymyr peninsula is with 20% well covered with different kinds of protected areas. However, there may be need to connect them by South-North corridors to secure adaptation of biodiversity moving North with climate change. With increased warming and thawing of tundra massive release of methane stored in the ground could trigger further climate change.
Year: 2013
From album: Great Arctic Reserve, Taymyrski Zapovednik and German-Russian Expeditions 1989-1991 to Taymyr
Photographer: Peter Prokosch