ИСТИНА

White Sea coast provides a unique ability for studying of the ecological transformation of coastal lakes by sea transgressions and regressions. In the western part of the White Sea, in particular, in the Coast of Kandalaksha Gulf the shore undergoes a rapid glacioisostatic lifting. In the vicinity of the White Sea Biological Station of Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) the speed of the uplift is at a rate of about 40 cm per century. This, together with irregularity of the coastline, abundance of islands, alternation of hollows and thresholds winding coastline and uneven topography provides favorable conditions for separating of the bays from the sea and leads to appearance of many water bodies in various stages of separation. During last years interdisciplinary researches of such reservoirs actively develop. Some faculties of MSU (faculties of biology, geography and physics) and some institutes of academy of Sciences of Russia participate in these field researches on White Sea Biological Station of MSU. As a result of a few years of investigation invention of the coastal lakes by now we have data on more than 20 water bodies in various stages of isolation from the sea, including seven meromictic lakes, five flow-through lagoons, four inlets with first signs of stratification, as well as seven fresh lakes completely lost their connection with the sea. Water column of meromictic lakes inhabited by unique microorganisms exercising anoxic photosynthesis. Hydrological structure of these lakes, thermal, hydrochemical regime, optical properties, hydrobiological and microbiological features of these reservoirs were studied. Results of long-term complex researches of these unique water objects are presented in this report.