Staff member of Irkutsk State University Faculty of Geography Alina Stom, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Hydrology and Nature Management, and Ivan Belkin, a 4th-year student in Ecology and Nature Management, have successfully completed the winter research programme on Lake Baikal. The second stage of the expedition took place at the first ice camp “Boro-Boro” located in the waters of Maloe More.
In February 2026, a team from the Faculty of Geography launched a pilot programme for a comprehensive ecosystem monitoring of the lake using the innovative infrastructure of the tourist camp. During the final stage of the work, ISU staff completed a large volume of field tasks: collected zooplankton and zoobenthos samples and gathered a collection of the main representative species of Lake Baikal’s hydrobionts. The collected materials will form the base for educational textbooks and information stands. Now anyone will be able to see the inhabitants of the waters of Lake Baikal and its bottom: from microscopic crustaceans to active deep-water amphipods.
All planned work for this season has been fully completed. Samples have been submitted for laboratory processing. The results obtained will form the foundation for long-term monitoring of the state of the Baikal ecosystem under conditions of increasing anthropogenic pressure and climate change.
The team disassembled the automatic weather station. The equipment, which continuously monitored the ice field every 5 minutes, successfully completed its operational season. The scientists not only engaged in research but also acted as educators, giving lectures to camp guests. Together with the “Boro-Boro” team and tourists, Alina Stom and Ivan Belkin examined the captured hydrobionts, explained the food chains linking the epishura to the nerpa and debunked popular myths about the unique lake.
The first research results will be presented by the faculty staff and students of the Faculty of Geography during sessions of the VIII All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference “Current Trends and Prospects for the Development of Hydrometeorology in Russia” at the Faculty of Geography of ISU from March 25 to 27, 2026.
The founders and creative inspirers of the first ice camp “Boro-Boro” are ISU Faculty of Geography graduates Maria and Alexey Streluk. This project became the embodiment of the idea of integrating science into modern tourism projects.
Amphipods (Amphipoda) are a large order of small malacostracans inhabiting the benthos of seas and freshwater bodies. They have a curved, laterally compressed body and swim on their side, serving as an important food source for fish. “Amphipod” is also a popular winter bait for fishing.
Baikal epishura (Epischura baikalensis) is an endemic microscopic crustacean (about 1.5 mm) that constitutes up to 90% of the plankton biomass in Lake Baikal. The epishura plays a critical role in the ecosystem, feeding on algae and filtering water. This crustacean also serves as the main food source for Baikal omul and golomyanka, ensuring the transparency of the water.
