Descriptions of a mummified remains of the head and part of the neck of a wolf ( Canis sp.), found in August 2018 on the bank of the Tirekhtyakh River (Yakutia), are given. The preservation of the find (soft tissues, hair, muscle tissue, and skin) allows us to determine the color of the hair and its length in different parts of the head and neck. In addition, it was possible to measure the skull without violating the integrity of the object and while maintaining its attractiveness using computed tomography and 3D visualization programs. According to the results of our research, the separation of the head from the body occurred under the influence of permafrost. No traces of the influence of an ancient person or any animal on the sample were found. Judging by the size and degree of abrasion of the exposed teeth, as well as by the ratio of the total width and the width of the pulp cavity of the upper canine, the individual age of the studied sample is from 1 to 1.5 years. The absolute age of the find corresponds to the Karginskii time of the Late Pleistocene.

The estimates of statistical indicators of the state and variability of the ice cover characteristics (ice concentration, ice stage of development) of the Bering Sea obtained from digital imagery are presented using available information on ice conditions for the period of 1960–2016. The distributions of average long-term values of the fields of ice concentration and stage of development for the period from 1960 to 2016 are obtained and considered, their spatial-temporal variability is analyzed. The estimates can be used in the analysis of changes in the hydrometeorological regime of the region, in problems of modeling the state of the ice cover, as well as in solving practical issues of economic development of the Bering Sea.

The paper reviews history of studies and research areas on a frozen mummy of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) found in 2010 in Oyogoss Yar, about 30 km west of the Kondratyeva River mouth, northern Yakutia. Introduced to the scientific literature as the Yuka Mammoth, it became the first, partly preserved carcass of female woolly mammoth of adolescent age found in the world, which lived about 39 000 calendar years BP, during relatively warm period (MIS 3, Molotkovskian, or Leningrad Interstadials).The multidisciplinary study of Yuka by various approaches (anatomical-morphological, palynological, paleobotanical, microbiological, computer tomography, and radiocarbon dating methods) yielded fundamentally new data on this proboscidean species. The paper evaluates systematic studies of this unique specimen, from identification of its age and studies of skeletal morphology, ontogenetic development and environmental conditions to reporting the presence of viable bacteria in Yuka’s soft tissues. This paper also features the discovery of the preserved brain and analysis of its structure, as well as a revelation of unique morphology of the trunk, for the first time for this species. The paleobotanical data indicated predomination of open herbaceous landscapes during Yuka’s life. New features of the species morphology were revealed: delayed eruption of the permanent tusks (I) and different number of nail plates and phalanges on the forelegs. The presence of viable bacteria strains of Bacillus genus was recorded in Yuka’s tissues.

Transfer functions for reconstruction of the duration of ice-free period at stations in the Chukchi, East Siberian and Laptev seas have been developed by comparison of hydrometeorological data and the chemical composition of bottom sediments accumulated during observation period. It has been established that in addition to the previously discussed processes through which the ice cover affects the chemical composition of bottom sediments (primary bioproductivity and redox conditions of bottom waters), there are several mainly local processes developed on the East Siberian shelf. These are the changes of terrestrial aqueous and solid runoff; coastal abrasion rate; current structure and water exchange through the Bering Strait between the Pacific and Arctic oceans; and intensity and direction of the ice/iceberg rafting of sediments. It is shown that some typical elements (Br, Ca, As, Fe, Ga) can be used as universal geochemical proxies for qualitative reconstruction of ice conditions.

A partial carcass of the woolly mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius, named “Yuka Mammoth,” was found thawed from the Pleistocene Yedoma (permafrost) deposits of the Oyogos Yar bluff on the coast of the Dmitry Laptev Strait. Yuka’s AMS calibrated radiocarbon date yielded the date between ~40 100–39 000 calendar years BP. The mDNA analyses demonstrated that Yuka clusters with previously published Siberian woolly mammoths falling into clade 1 and represents ancestral to a haplotype shared by two ~18 500 14C yr old mammoths, including the Yukagir Mammoth that was discovered ~140 km from the Yuka’s site. The hide morphology in the genital area suggests that Yuka was a female. The teeth generation (DP3/dp3-Dp4/dp4) and their state of wear, season of her death (autumn) and confirmed earlier the dental development delay in infants allowed to estimate Yuka’s age as 5.5 yr old juvenile. Yuka’s tusks suggests that yuka was not older than 5.5 years woolly mammoth specimens with the similar dental age. Yuka’s missing body parts and the damage of the hide suggests that it was hunted by cave lions, but she managed to escape into a mudhole, where she died and was partially scavenged.

Using transfer functions, this study reconstructed the ice-free period (IFP) that occurred 4.7 kya in the southern Chukchi Sea, based on the comparison between the observed data and the chemical composition of sediments accumulated during the observation period. During the analysis, a double normalization of the chemical element contenton rubidium and minimax - was implemented for the first time. It was established that the duration of the IFP varied between 90 and 140 days/year. The highest values are observed in the 21st century and 4-5 kya, coinciding with Pacific water inflow through the Bering Strait. The reconstruction of water masses based on diatom thanatocoenosis has revealed the considerable impact of the Alaskan coastal current on the duration of the IFP. The penetration of its waters to the west during the following time periods - 2750-2550, 1450-800, 350-0 cal yr BP - led to an increase in the duration of the IFP in the central part of the sea by 10-15 days, relative to background values. As a result, the identified variations in the duration of the IFP in the southern Chukchi Sea do not coincide with global climate events of the last millennium, but are clearly demonstrated by an increase in the IFP during the Little Ice Age. Currently, the influence of the Alaskan coastal water is summed up by the effect of increasing global temperatures and Pacific water inflow, which has led to a sharp increase in the IFP in the last few decades.

Variability of the ice conditions in the Chukchi Sea is considered in various scales on the basis of all available information for 1950–2017. Its dependence on the atmospheric circulation patterns measured with the Arctic Oscillation index is shown. Tendency to the ice reducing has intensified in the early 21st century in the Chukchi Sea that is accompanied with changes in its seasonal development, as shift of the ice destruction beginning from June to July, gradual increasing of the ice destruction rate till September, shift of the ice formation beginning from September to October, and delay of the ice spreading over entire sea area from November to December. Relationship of the ice conditions in the Chukchi Sea on summer phase of Arctic oscillation is detected: the maximum positive values of the index always correspond with heavy ice conditions, the minimum values of the index correspond with low-ice conditions only, and various ice conditions are observed in other years without neither positive nor negative extremities of Arctic oscillation. However, winter phase of Arctic oscillation does not affect on the ice conditions in the Chukchi Sea in June-November.

The first description of well-preserved fur of one male and one female cubs of the fossil cave lion Panthera spelaea (finds of 2017–2018, Semyuelyakh River, Yakutia, Russia) is presented in comparison with the fur of two cubs (a male and a female) of the extant African lion P. leo and adult lions of both species: the color, differentiation, configuration, microstructure, and internal design of hair of different categories are considered. The coat of the cave lion is similar but not identical to that of the African lion, because it contains a high thick undercoat of spiral-shaped thick and airy down hair. This difference is most pronounced in the cave lion cubs, in which, however, the fur is not differentiated to the same extent as in the adult. The microstructure of hair is species-specific and subject to intraspecific age-related variability. Adaptive features of the hair structure in the cave lion are noted.

The relevance of the research. The rich resource base, the large transport and strategic importance of the Arctic Basin and, in particular, the seas of East Arctic, determine the relevance and necessity of researching the hydrometeorological regime variability of the region. The main aim of the work is the analysis of variability of regional indicators of the hydrometeorological regime (wind regime, ice conditions and the nature of water mixing) in the East Siberian and Chukchi Seas over the last several decades (from 1979 to 2015). Object of the research is the complex of the most significant indicators determining the nature of the hydrometeorological conditions of the region. Methods. Methods of multivariate statistics and modeling were used to analyze the hydrometeorological regime variability of the region. Results. On the basis of all available hydrometeorological information the analysis of the variability of regional indicators of the hydrometeorological regime is carried out. The conducted researches indicate the directional changes in the indicators of the hydrometeorological regime of the seas of East Arctic: the nature and intensity of atmospheric circulation over the region (a change of the nature and intensity of the wind regime is noted); in the ice cover of the seas (there is an active decrease of the ice cover); in the nature and intensity of wave activity (at the expense of the first two indicators, intensification of the wave activity expressed in a significant increase in the area and depth of wave mixing is observed). In the future, the obtained estimates can be used to implement a number of probabilistic-statistical models of the hydrometeorological state variability, as well as in solving a number of practical problems, the economic development of areas of the seas of East Arctic.

18 июля 2019 г. на границе Дальневосточного морского биосферного государственного природного заповедника затонуло научно-исследовательское судно «Академик Владимир Касьянов».В результате аварии в окружающую среду попало более 4,5 тыс.л летнего дизельного топлива, из которого на поверхности моря образовалось пятно площадью 1 км 2 .Благодаря усилиям сотрудников Национального научного центра морской биологии им.А. В. Жирмунского ДВО РАН и благоприятным гидрометеорологическим условиям 20 июля пятно было устранено

Seasonal and long-term variability of the ice age and concentration in the Japan Sea is analyzed on the base of all available information for 1960–2019. The highest variability of ice concentration is localized in the area with concentration 7–8 points (70–80 %) and follows to shifts of this area: form north to south in early winter and back to the north in late winter. The highest variability of ice age is associated with the area of young ice (age 1–3 points), where influence of melting or freezing on the ice thickness is the greatest. The areas of in-phase and out-phase variability of the ice age and concentration are identified and compared by analysis of standard deviations and 3 the first eigenvectors for restored mid-month fields of ice cover in December-May. Contributions of 3 the first empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) to total variability of the ice cover are determined. Cyclics with periods of 9–12, 2–4, and sometimes 15–16 and 4–6 years are found in variation of EOFs for the ice age and concentration; besides, the 5–7 years periodicity occurs in the ice age spectra for December, January and April.

The seasonal and long-term variability of seaice concentration in the Chukchi Sea in 1997–2016 was analyzed using allavailable satellite data on sea ice conditions. It is shown that thezone of maximum variability is situated in the areas with the iceconcentration equal to (4–6)/10 and follows the displacements of thisarea: it moves to the north in the first half of the warm season(June–November) and moves back to the south in the second half of theperiod. The analysis of spectral components for the first threeempirical orthogonal functions of sea ice concentration revealedquasiperiodic components with the periods of about 2–4 and 6–8years.

Various aspects of the seasonal and interannual variability of the sea ice cover are estimated based on all available Bering Sea ice data from 1960 to 2017. The possibility of long-term and super-long-term modeling of the ice cover is investigated. Test results are given, and a conclusion is drawn on the prospects of the proposed model and possibility of its practical application.

На основе анализа архива спутниковых мультисенсорных данных исследована динамика ледяного покрова в области ВосточноКамчатского течения. При развитом зимнем муссоне плавучий лёд смещается вдоль побережья Камчатки на юг, трассируя разномасштабные вихри, которые возникают при взаимодействии потока ВосточноКамчатского течения с неоднородностями береговой черты и континентального склона. Средняя скорость дрейфа, рассчитанная по изображениям, полученным в марте 2016 г. в один день с разницей в 110 мин, составила 0,25 м/с, что в два с половиной раза превысило суточное значение. На севере и на юге района значения скорости дрейфа превышали скорости в центральной части. При ослаблении зимнего муссона в поле дрейфующего льда в западной части Берингова моря образуются хорошо выраженные грибовидные структуры, горизонтальные размеры которых могут превышать 200 км. Наряду с известными ранее синоптическими вихревыми образованиями синоптического масштаба спутниковые данные высокого (10 15 м) и среднего (250 м) пространственного разрешения позволили зарегистрировать многочисленные мезомасштабные циклоны диаметром 10 25 км и временем жизни от 1 до 14 суток. Ключевые слова: Берингово море, ледяной покров, MODIS, Landsat, дрейф льда, грибовидные течения, мезомасштабные вихри.On the basis of the analysis of the satellite multisensor data archive, the dynamics of the ice cover in the region of the East Kamchatka Current is investigated. With the developed winter monsoon, floating ice shifts along the Kamchatka coast to the south, tracing the multiscale eddies that appear when the East Kamchatka stream interacts with the inhomogeneities of the coastline and the continental slope. The average drift speed calculated from images taken in March 2016 on the same day with a difference of 110 min was 0.25 m / s, which was two and a half times higher than the daily value. On the north and south of the region, the drift velocity values exceeded the velocities in the central part. With the attenuation of the winter monsoon in the field of drifting ice in the western part of the Bering Sea, welldefined mushroomlike structures are formed, the horizontal dimensions of which can exceed 200 km. Together previously known synoptic eddy formations of a synoptic scale, satellite data of high (10 15 m) and moderate (250 m) spatial resolution made it possible to register numerous mesoscale cyclones with a diameter of 10 25 km and a life time of 1 to 14 days. Keywords: Bering Sea, sea ice cover, MODIS, Landsat, ice drift, mushroom currents, submesoscale eddies.На основе анализа архива спутниковых мультисенсорных данных исследована динамика ледяного покрова в области ВосточноКамчатского течения. При развитом зимнем муссоне плавучий лёд смещается вдоль побережья Камчатки на юг, трассируя разномасштабные вихри, которые возникают при взаимодействии потока ВосточноКамчатского течения с неоднородностями береговой черты и континентального склона. Средняя скорость дрейфа, рассчитанная по изображениям, полученным в марте 2016 г. в один день с разницей в 110 мин, составила 0,25 м/с, что в два с половиной раза превысило суточное значение. На севере и на юге района значения скорости дрейфа превышали скорости в центральной части. При ослаблении зимнего муссона в поле дрейфующего льда в западной части Берингова моря образуются хорошо выраженные грибовидные структуры, горизонтальные размеры которых могут превышать 200 км. Наряду с известными ранее синоптическими вихревыми образованиями синоптического масштаба спутниковые данные высокого (10 15 м) и среднего (250 м) пространственного разрешения позволили зарегистрировать многочисленные мезомасштабные циклоны диаметром 10 25 км и временем жизни от 1 до 14 суток. Ключевые слова: Берингово море, ледяной покров, MODIS, Landsat, дрейф льда, грибовидные течения, мезомасштабные вихри.

Analysis of night images of the Sea of Japan obtained by VIIRS radiometer in 2012-2018 shows an extensive growth of North Korean fishing.From 2015 in September-November during the period of Pacific squid fishing, there has been a massive penetration of North Korean ships into the Russian economic zone.Until 2018, ships were predominantly grouped south of 42° N.Last year, the DPRK fleet shifted to the northeast and stretched along a 12-mile zone.In October, North Korean fishermen also spread to the economic zone of Japan.Several typhoons caused emergency situations and the massive removal of North Korean schooners to the shores of Primorye and Japan.North Korean fishermen utilize drift nets, prohibited from January 1, 2016 in the Russian Federation, to fish for Pacific squid.The use of these nets on migration routes to spawning sites can lead to the destruction of anadromous fishes.

For the first time, the reconstruction of variations in the duration over several hundred years was conducted on the basis of models developed by comparing hydrometeorological observations and detailed scanning of the chemical composition of bottom sediments accumulated during the corresponding period. The gauge models for the reconstruction of air temperature and ice cover of the water area for three sites in the northern part of the Chukchi Sea have been developed. During the reconstruction, an insignificant increase in the duration of the ice-free period during the Little Ice Age was established, which does not coincide with the changes in the temperature regime that took place. It is concluded that the dynamics of the inflow of warm Pacific waters through the Bering Strait had the predominant influence on the ice regime of the Chukchi Sea.

The sedimentary cores from the southern and northern parts of the Chukchi Sea illustrate the influence of climate and environmental conditions on the chemical composition of bottom sediments accumulated at present and in the recent 500 years. The low concentration of biogenic (Ca, Br, Sr) and some redox-sensitive (Fe, Mn, Zn) elements is typical of the recent sediments accumulated in the areas with permanent ice cover and of the sediments accumulated during cold periods (Little Ice Age and especially the Maunder Minimum). The possibility is revealed of identifying cyclic changes in environmental conditions including sea ice extent in the concrete Arctic areas. This may be used to detail the regional forecast of future changes.

The features of sea ice drift in the Sea ofOkhotsk are studied using Terra and Aqua satellite MODIS spectroradiometer data. The spatial heterogeneity of sea ice drift in the areas of hydrocarbon fields on the Magadan and Sakhalin shelves is analyzed.