Bolshiye Koty Scientific Research Station

The scientific research station “Bolshiye Koty” of the Institute with an area of one hectare is located 100 km from Irkutsk and 20 km from the settlement of Listvyanka on the lakeshore (N51°53'57,45'' E105°03'52,17''). Cargos, materials and scientific equipment for the expedition are delivered from Irkutsk to Listvyanka by vehicles, and then to the settlement of Bolshiye Koty either by water using the fleet of the Institute, or on the ice in winter. The Station is a two-storey building assembled in 1991 out of four Polish modules. On the first floor, there are three laboratories and a common room, the second floor houses six rooms for 18 persons. On the territory of the station, there is also a kitchen and a dining room. Researchers have a possibility to carry out primary processing of scientific data. The laboratories are equipped with a cooling chamber, a refrigerator for keeping samples and a thermostat. There is a boat “Amur” for 5 persons, a motor boat, a tractor and an off-road vehicle “Honda”. The communication is available by mobile phone . There is also Baikal Atmospheric Limnological Observatory (BALO) set up together with V.E. Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science (Tomsk, Russia).

The Station is used for comprehensive monitoring studies of Lake Baikal, sampling and primary processing of scientific data in the field, as well as it supports all areas of research related to the study of Lake Baikal. To-date, the Station ensures fieldworks within basic research projects, grants, international projects and agreements in all areas of limnology between the Institute and organizations from different countries. The following studies within the research projects have been carried out at the Station: “The role of exchange processes of the system ‘water-atmosphere’ in the regulation of daily and seasonal variability of chemical and biological water characteristics of Lake Baikal”, “Lake Baikal: a case study of inflow and dynamics of matters in water column, ice cover and at the water-atmosphere interface under global climate change”, “Interdisciplinary study of the splash zone as an important part of the Lake Baikal littoral area”, “Complex ecological audit of the Baikal Natural Territory”, “Molecular mechanisms of excessive DNA at specific chromosome domains”, “Relevant issues in hydrodynamics, hydrophysics and hydrochemistry of major substances”, “Different-scale hydrophysical processes and their variability as main factors of heat and mass transfer in Lake Baikal ecosystem”, “Biogeochemical processes in the littoral area of Lake Baikal: benthos biodiversity, association of aquatic organisms with minerals, and interaction with environment”, “Genetic differentiation and ecological segregation of Baikal organisms”, “Microzooplankton of large and small stratified lakes”, “Biogeochemical processes in aquatic landscapes”, “Monitoring of aquatic environments in Siberia”, “Influence of landscape environmental factors on biodiversity of unique communities and speciation in shallow area of Lake Baikal”.

Vadim Annenkov, Station Supervisor
E-mail: annenkov@lin.irk.ru
Tel.: +7 (3952) 51-13-14

Aleksander Novitsky, Station Manager
E-mail: nalnov@bk.ru
Mobile tel.: +79500866687, +79086661154