Rogovaja IPartners from Stockholm, Helsinki, Kuopio, Utrecht, Wageningen, Nottingham, Greifswald and, of course, Syktyvkar were involved in this summer's fieldwork. After a couple of days with short visits at the Lyali field station and Slutka (Forest-Flux-Site) and in Seida (Tundra-Flux-Site), and after we have spent a day in Vorkuta (for registration and shopping), we finally were flown out by helicopter to our first camp.

The first day in the ”real” wilderness: we were leaving the civilization (i.e. the town of Seida with about 10-20 inhabitants – it certainly had more blooming days). The helicopter coming from Vorkuta picks us up in the early afternoon and the weather conditions allow us to take nice photos of the tundra. We were 15 people on board, plus crew and a lot of field equipment, 15 people from 6 nations.

After 35 minutes flight time towards the Wild West we landed at a beautiful riverbank of the Rogovaya River which flows southward and drains into the Usa River. We are north of the tree line, but there are still a few forest islands, but also peatlands are in the close vicinity of the camp. Ideal preconditions for all of us: the soil scientists (Russia), the treeline specialists (Germany and England), the geobotanists (Finland), the peatland specialist and paleoclimatologists (Sweden).

Bug shirtIf not the weather had its own plans: who expected temperatures constantly lying above 25, sometimes close to 30 degrees?! Not the author of these lines anyway, and the Goretex® raingear used as a protection against myriads of mosquitoes, blackflies and horseflies really doesn’t breathe as they say in the commercials. The statements that there are no horseflies in the tundra, and that blackflies do not bite inside the tent, did not hold our scientific proof.

Anyway the campsite was gorgeous and the Rogovaya close and invited for a swim. The fish were so many that at least one of them decided to follow his ancestors and dared a step on land, another big step in evolution if not Martin had envisaged the unique chance to get some surplus to our dinner.

DeliveranceThe following 5 days were spent on hikes around the camp area and sample taking / mapping. Many soil pits were dug, many trees were cut, and many peat exposures were investigated and sampled. From the peatland perspective, the Rogovaya Camp I was the best of the three season’s field sites: and extensive peat plateau with thermokarst features and palsas and partly artificial drainage – many things to see and to study. The 6 days in Camp I went over quickly and we were very busy with the hikes and sample taking.

We were all urging for some cooler days, but unfortunately they did not come. Then it was time to pack our things together: the day of the 20-km-hike to Camp II has come. We had 5 rather small rubber boats which we “re-designed” into 2 floats for the transport of our equipment to Camp II. But of course there was no space for all of us on those floats, so 10 people had a long long hot hot hiking day in the tundra, which finally ended late in the evening, after about 13 hours walking, with a refreshing thunderstorm.

More photos here
http://www.carbonorth.net/image/tid/36