(Table 2) Contents of chlorophyll a, organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus and their molar ratios in dried matter of Ahnfeltia tobuchiensis agar containing seaweed from the Izmena Bay, Kunashir Island (South Kurils)

A complex study of influence of various environmental factors on rates of oxygen (M_O2 ), ammonium (M_NH4), and phosphate (M_PO4) metabolism in Ahnfeltia tobuchiensis has been carried out in situ in the Izmena Bay of the Kunashir Island. The following environmental factors have been included into the investigation: photosynthetically active radiation (PAR); ammonium (NH4); phosphate (PO4); and contents of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and chlorophyll a (Chl) in tissue. Population of agar-containing seaweed A. tobuchiensis forms a layer with thickness up to 0.5 m, which occupies about 23.3 km**2; biomass is equal to 125000 tons. Quantitative assessment of organic matter production and nutrient consumption during oxygen metabolism has been carried out for the whole population. It has been shown that daily oxygen metabolism depends on PAR intensity, concentrations of PO4 and NH4 in seawater, and contents of N and P in tissues (r**2=0.78, p<0.001). Average daily NH4 consumption is 0.21 µmol/g of dry weight/hour and depends on NH4 and O2 concentrations in seawater and on ? and Chl a contents in algal tissues (r**2=0.64, p<0.001). Average daily PO4 consumption is 0.01 µmol/g of dry weight/hour and depends on NH4 concentrations in seawater and on P contents in algal tissues (r**2=0.40, p<0.001).

Satellite image map of King George Island, Antarctica

A new topographic database for King George Island, one of the most visited areas in Antarctica, is presented. Data from differential GPS surveys, gained during the summers 1997/98 and 1999/2000, were combined with up to date coastlines from a SPOT satellite image mosaic, and topographic information from maps as well as from the Antarctic Digital Database. A digital terrain model (DTM) was generated using ARC/INFO GIS. From contour lines derived from the DTM and the satellite image mosaic a satellite image map was assembled. Extensive information on data accuracy, the database as well as on the criteria applied to select place names is given in the multilingual map. A lack of accurate topographic information in the eastern part of the island was identified. It was concluded that additional topographic surveying or radar interferometry should be conducted to improve the data quality in this area. In three case studies, the potential applications of the improved topographic database are demonstrated. The first two examples comprise the verification of glacier velocities and the study of glacier retreat from the various input data-sets as well as the use of the DTM for climatological modelling. The last case study focuses on the use of the new digital database as a basic GIS (Geographic Information System) layer for environmental monitoring and management on King George Island.

(Table 2) Taxonomic composition of diatoms in dredged samples from the island-side slope of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench

Studies of diatoms from dredge samples collected on the island slope of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench have allowed to recognize well-preserved marine diatom assemblages corresponding to assemblages of the followed Oligocene zones: Rhizosolenia oligocaenica (subzone ''a'', 33.6-31 Ma), Cavitatus rectus (29.6-28.2 Ma), and Rocella gelida (28.2-24.0 Ma) as identified in the North Pacific zonal scale. Description of these assemblages and their complete taxonomic composition are presented. Diversity of species together with abundance and degree of preservation of diatoms and accompanying siliceous microorganisms suggests their autochtonous origin and favorable conditions of their development. Assemblages of the Early Oligocene zones Rhizosolenia oligocaenica and Cavitatus rectus recognized in sediments of the outer zone of the Lesser Kuril Ridge (submarine slope of the Shikotan Island) and on the Vityaz' submarine ridge were most probably formed under conditions of a vast shelf, while assemblage of the Late Oligocene zone Rocella gelida encountered only in the region of the Lesser Kuril Ridge formed under more deep-water conditions, presumably, over an island slope. Deepening of the basin in the region of the outer zone of the Lesser Kuril Ridge in Late Oligocene probably reflects one of stages of evolution of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench.