Severnaya Zemlya (Russian: Се́верная Земля́, Northern Land) is an archipelago located in the Russian high Arctic at around . Located off Siberia's Taymyr Peninsula between the Kara and Laptev Seas in the Arctic Ocean, Severnaya Zemlya was first noted in 1913 and first charted in 1933, making it the last archipelago on Earth to be discovered. Politically, they are part of Russia's Krasnoyarsk Krai region, but are uninhabited by humans except for an Arctic base.

It is annotated in the Dorling Kindersley Reference Atlas of the World as "Novosibiskiye Ostrova" (New Siberian Islands). However, that is an entirely separate archipelago.

History

Although located not far off the northern coast of Russia, Severnaya Zemlya was not formally recorded until the 20th century. Earlier explorers did report a land mass in the general areas, most notably a report by Matvey Hedenstrom and Yakov Sannikov in 1810 from their explorations out of Novaya Sibir.[1]

Nested among the ice-locked waters of the Arctic Ocean, Severnaya Zemlya was not recorded until the 1913-1915 expedition of the icebreaker ships Taimyr and Vaigach on a hydrographic expedition led by Boris Vilkitsky to exploring the Northern Sea Route. On August 22, 1913 (September 3, 1913 in the Gregorian calendar), the expedition raised the Russian flag on what they believed to be a single island and named it Emperor Nicholas II Land, (Zemliya Imperatora Nikolaya II in Russian) after the Emperor of Russia. [2] [3] It was given the name "Severnaya Zemlya" in 1928. [4]

The 1931 polar flight of the Graf Zeppelin determined that there were at least two islands. Later study by the expedition of Nikolay Urvantsev and Georgy Ushakov (1931–1933) showed Severnaya Zemlya to be further divided, and the first detailed map of the archipelago was made during this expedition. [5] The islands were further studied by a team of geologists from NIIGA (the Scientific Research Institute of Arctic Geology) in St. Petersburg under B. Kh. Egiazarov from 1948 to 1954, who compiled a comprehensive geological map. [6]

On December 1, 2006, the local Duma (parliament) of the Taimyr autonomous region approved a resolution renaming the islands, which still bear names glorifying Bolshevism, after the members of the royal family that were killed by the Bolsheviks in 1918:

• "Severnaya Zemlya" renamed "arkhipelag Zemlya Imperatora Nikolaia II" in honor of Emperor Nicholas II;
• the island "Maly Taimyr" renamed the island of the Tsarevich Alexy;
• the island "October Revolution" renamed the island of St. Alexandra;
• the island "Bolshevik" renamed the island of St. Olga;
• the island "Komsomoletz" renamed the island of St. Maria;
• the island "Pioneer" renamed the island of St. Tatiana;
• the island "Domashny" renamed the island of St. Anastasia.

The local Duma has asked the national Russian authorities to approve of the name change. [7]

Geography

Severnaya Zemlya is located in the Arctic Ocean across the Vilkitsky Strait from the mainland Taymyr Peninsula, between the Kara Sea to the west and the Laptev Sea to the east. It is comprised of four major islands — October Revolution, Bolshevik, Komsomolets, and Pioneer — and around 70 smaller islands, covering a total area of about 37,000 km² (14,300 sq mi). [8]

October Revolution

Coordinates:

October Revolution Island (Russian: Остров Октябрьской Революции, Ostrov Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii) is the largest island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic.

The area of this island has been estimated at 14,170 km² making it the 56^th largest island in the world.^[1] It rises to a height of 965 m on Mount Karpinsky. Half the island is covered with glaciers reaching down into the sea. In the sections free from ice, the vegetation is desert or tundra. The island was first explored and named by the expedition of G.A. Ushakov and Nikolay N. Urvantsev in 1930 - 32.^[2]

October Revolution Island houses five domed ice caps; clockwise from north, they are named: Rusanov, Karpinsky, University, Vavilov and Albanov.^[3] The Vavilov Meteorological Station was operated from 1974 to 1988 on the northern part of the Vavilov Ice Cap.^[4] Other minor ice caps on the island include the Mal'yutka Glacier. The Podemnaya River and the Bolshaya River drain to the northwest between the Vavilov and Albanov glaciers, and the Bedovaya and Obryvistaya Rivers drain to the north between Albanov and Rusanov.^[5]

Bolshevik

Bolshevik Island (Russian: о́стров Большеви́к IPA [ostrəv bəlʲʂɨˈvʲik]) is the southernmost and second largest island in the group, located across the Shokalsky Strait from October Revolution Island. The area of this island has been estimated at 11,312 km² (4,368 sq mi). The island is mountainous reaching a height of 935 m (3,070 ft), and it houses an Arctic base named Prima. About 30% of the island is covered by glaciers, while the coastal plains have a sparse vegetation of moss and lichen.

Bolshevik Island houses at least three glacier systems: Leningrad and Semenov-Tyan Shansky glaciers, as well as a smaller glacier, Kropotkin. [9]

Komsomolets

Komsomolets Island (Russian: остров Комсомолец) is the northernmost island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic, and the third largest island in the group. It is the 82nd largest island on earth.

The northernmost point of the island is called the Arctic Cape. This is the launching point for many Arctic expeditions.

The area of this island has been estimated at 9,006 km². It rises to a height of 780 m. Some 65% of island are covered with glaciers, which is mostly composed of loose loam and sands. Komsomolets Island is home to the largest ice cap in Russia, the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap. Photos of the Academy of Science Ice Cap can be found at [10]^[6] Komsomolets island is largely covered by the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap — an 819 m (2,690 ft) thick ice dome reaching 749 m (2,460 ft) above sea level and covers 5,575 km² (2,153 sq mi) of the island. [11]

The soil of the island is mostly composed of loose loam and sands, a tundra desert scattered with mosses and lichens. Some of these facts were gathered from [12]^[7] (which also features dramatic satellite photos of the islands of the Severnaya Zemlya group).

The island was first explored and named by the expedition of Georgy Ushakov and Nikolay Urvantsev in 1930 - 32. In keeping with their scheme of naming the islands after events and movements of the Russian Revolution, this island was named in honour of the members of the Komsomol, the "Communist Union of Youth".

Pioneer Island

Pioneer Island, Ostrov Pioner in Russian, measuring 1,527 km² (590 sq mi) in area, houses Pioneer Glacier. [13]

Schmidt Island

Schmidt Island, Ostrov Shmidta in Russian, measuring 467 km² (180 sq mi), is located at the far northwestern end of the archipelago. It is almost entirely covered by the Schmidt Ice Cap. [14] The island was named after Soviet scientist Otto Schmidt.

Minor Islands

• Maly Taymyr Island (232 km² or 90 sq mi) is located at the far southeastern end of the archipelago.
• Sedov Archipelago, located just west of October Revolution Island. Golomyanniy Meteorological Station, located on the western Tip of Sredniy Island at , has been taking continuous measurements since 1954. http://www.ggy.bris.ac.uk/staff/personal/MartinSiegert/Bassford_etal_AAAR_2006a.pdf. The archipelago consists of six islands: Sredny, Golomyanny, Domashny, Figurny, Vostochny, and Smaoylovich.
• Bolshoy Island, located just south of October Revolution Island.
• Vostochny Island, located south of Bolshevik Island.

Climate

Severnaya Zemlya is consistently cold and dry, with a mean annual temperature of -16 degrees C (3 Â°F), mean annual precipitation of about 420 mm (16½ in), and generally overcast skies. Monthly average temperature ranges from -29 C (-20 Â°F) in February to -0.5 C (31 Â°F) in July. The archipelago sees large temperature fluctuations during winter months, as low-pressure cyclonic activity originating in the North Atlantic make their way across the Arctic, bringing precipitation and higher temperatures. These cyclones are most common in September and October, which see 30% of annual precipitation. Snowfall in summer is not uncommon as temperatures fluctuate around 0 C (32 Â°F), although higher temperatures occur when warm air masses move north from Siberia. [15]

Flora and fauna

See also:

Severnaya Zemlya is a polar desert with sparse vegetation and permafrost at less than 50 cm. Rare vascular plants include species of Cerastium and Saxifraga. Non-vascular plants include the moss genera Detrichum, Dicranum, Pogonatum, Sanionia, Bryum, Orthothecium and Tortura, as well as the lichen genera Cetraria, Thamnolia, Cetraria, Cornicularia, Lecidea, Ochrolechia and Parmelia. [16]



According to a survey of prior observations by De Korte, Volkov, and Gavrilo, thirty-two bird species have been observed on Severnaya Zemlya, 17 of which are known to breed on the islands. Eight species are widespread across the archipelago: five species of colonial seabirds: little auk (Alle alle), Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), black guillemot (Cepphus grylle), ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea), and glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus); and three species of tundra bird: the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), purple sandpiper (Calidris maritima), and brent goose (Branta bernicla). [17]

The most common mammal on Severnaya Zemlya is the collared lemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus), which is present on all of the large islands and, in some places has been recorded to reach a density of 500 per km² (1,300 per sq mi) . The Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) has been known to den on the islands, with several hundred observed in the 1980s. Other mammals occasionally observed include the wolf (Canis lupus), ermine (Mustela erminea), and Arctic hare (Lepus timidus), and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). [18]

In fiction

The discovery of Severnaya Zemlya is the subject of Veniamin Kaverin's novel, The Two Captains.

In the James Bond film GoldenEye, a fictional Russian satellite control station was located on Severnaya Zemlya. However, in the film and game, it is depicted in a wooded section of central Russia, coordinates 62.08 N, 108.59 E, about 2,300 km (1,400 mi) from the actual region of Severnaya.

References

• Geology of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago and the North Kara Terrane in the Russian high Arctic
• [http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/inqu/finalprogram/abstract_52988.htm Glacial and Environmental History of Severnaya Zemlya, Siberian High Arctic, During the Last > 130,000 years]

External links

• Oceandots - Severnaya Zemlya
• Arctic photos of Severnaya Zemlya by Ólafur Ingólfsson