Blistering winter winds, fog-smothered summers, chronic storms, volcanic eruptions, bubbling fields of sulfur, earthquakes, tidal waves, noxious seaweed-scented air, and blood-sucking swarms of mosquitoes. The home of these natural wonders is the geographically remote and barely accessible Kuril Archipelago, composed of 56 islands of which six are inhabited by humans...And NSF-funded scientists and international colleagues are delighted to be there, as part of the ongoing International Kuril Island Project (IKIP).
Volcanic in origin, the Kuril islands were formed mostly in the mid-Pleistocene era. The combination of great distances between the Kurils and mainlands, deep channels between islands, and strong ocean currents created major barriers to plant and animal dispersal, so that species evolved distinctly in their place of origin. Thus each island has its own unique geological and biological history, allowing scientific glimpses into a rare, spectacular spectrum of biodiversity. The Kuril islands today are one of the last biologically unknown places in the world.
The archipelago (a bit smaller than the Hawaiian Islands in total land mass) stretches from the northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido, to the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka. It is a study in extremes, ranging from nearly Arctic to nearly sub-tropical climates. With several dozen active volcanoes, many which regularly spew lava, local residents are known to cook food in the sand amidst hot springs and boiling crater lakes. Elsewhere flourish dense virgin forests of silver fir trees, deep hidden fjords, magnolia trees and plains of wild bamboo. Brown bears, wolves, rabbits, sea otters, fur seals, sea lions, hundreds of varieties of birds, fish and crustaceans from cod to king crab, and scores of less familiar species of plants and animals, et al. populate these biotically bustling islands.
Traveling to the southern, nearly subtropical islands of Kunashir and Iturup, an NSF-funded American scientific team affiliated with University of Washington, Seattle, is headed by Dr. Theodore W. Pietsch, professor of Fisheries and Zoology. Pietsch and rotating groups of students join scientists, curators, and university staff from the U.S., Japan and Russia. In pursuit of a full-scale biotic survey of the region, the international, inter-disciplinary scientific team uses standardized survey methods, computer-based inventory procedures, dissemination of information via the Internet, and comparative data on patterns of species diversity. Although information is available for commercially important Kuril species such as salmon and marine mammals, detailed studies and descriptions of the islands’ diverse plant and animal life is nearly non-existent.
While NSF funds will continue to provide primary support for the IKIP project over its lifetime, the cost of the project is shared with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Russian Academy of Sciences. On-going objectives for IKIP include:
- a biological survey of the 31 major islands of the Kurils, focusing on plants, insects, spiders, mollusks, freshwater fish and terrestrial vertebrates
- modern inventory of existing collections of Kuril plant and animal specimens at the various institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences
- sorting, identifying and curating whole specimens and ethanol-fixed tissue collections for further study
- developing a database of specimens
- preparing keys and guides to the flora and fauna of the Kurils
- continuing to make databases and written reports globally accessible to researchers
 The Kraternaya Bight, Ushishir, Kuril Archipelago.  The Kuril Archipelago is an island chain of volcanic origin.  Seismic and volcanic activity are still shaping the terrain.  Each island has its own unique geological and biological history, allowing scientific glimpses into a rare, spectacular spectrum of biodiversity.  Researches have already described thirty-two new species in this remote island chain.  Collecting strategies are specific to the type of organisms being collected.  |
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