The German-Russian "Lena Delta 2006" expedition of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Ocean Research (AWI) started on 22 May 2006, under the aegis of its Department of Periglacial Research in the Siberian Arctic. The science focus was on microbiological, soil science, hydrological and palaeogeographical investigations of permafrost areas in the Lena Delta. Trace gas emissions has been recorded over an entire vegetation period, limnological investigations have been undertaken, and temperature measurements are carried out in permafrost drillings.

The studies, sampling and experiments are being conducted in the context of the Helmholtz-EOS research network "Land Surface Processes -- Carbon Balance". Spectral measurements of vegetation and soil will be carried out simultaneously with an overflight of the European environmental satellite ENVISAT in order to extrapolate the results of local investigations to large areas on the basis of vegetation models and satellite data.

In addition to AWI researchers, scientists from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) in St. Petersburg, the State University of St. Petersburg (SPbSU), the Lena Delta Preserve (LDR), the Permafrost Institute in Jakutsk (PIY) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen are participating in the expedition. Two doctoral candidates from AWI and DLR who are in the Helmholtz-EOS Land Surface Processes program carried out measurements related to the carbon cycle.

Research station on Samoylov island- the home of the expedition team   Copyright: S. Kirschke, DLR	Upcoming storm above a sandbank in central Lena delta   Copyright: T. Sachs, AWI
Spectral measurement of thetundra vegetation in Lena delta, July 2006   Copyright:S. Kirschke, DLR
50 m steep shore of the Lena river with the so called ice complex   Copyright: T. Sachs, AWI	Ice wedge of a polygon breaking off from the steep shore on Samoylov island   Copyright: S. Kirschke, DLR