This thesis is an autoethnography based on a two week Trans-Siberian railway journey from Moscow to Vladivostok in October 2011. It explores the role of memory in our spatial surroundings, the effect remembering has on the way we move through and interpret the present and ourselves. In the chapters about community, rhythms, memory/imagination, and landscape the journey becomes a backbone for the personal narratives and the stories of others, which intertwining unveil the complex relationship between the self and the world, the present and the absent, and the imagined. Thesis explores the inevitable mobility of the mind, which sees us losing the ability to stay fastened to physical spaces, images and our own being, and opening the possibility to travel in time, space and memory. The physical landscape, landscape of Siberia gradually becomes almost invisible, disappears and re-emerges as a series of personal images and stories, feelings and dreams, suggesting that even moving through the vastest landscapes in the world we are always travelling inward, towards an understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Permafrost soils in the Arctic store large quantities of organic matter, roughly twice the amount of carbon that was present in the atmosphere before the industrial revolution. This freeze-locked carbon pool is susceptible to thawing caused by amplified global warming at high latitudes. The remobilization of old permafrost carbon facilitates its degradation to carbon dioxide and methane, thereby providing a positive feedback to climate change. Accelerating coastal erosion in addition to projected rising river discharge with enhancing sediment loads are anticipated to transport increasing amounts of land-derived organic carbon (OC) to the Arctic Ocean. On its shallow continental shelves, this material may be remineralized in the water column or in the sediments, transported without being altered off shelf towards the deep sea of the Arctic Interior or buried in marine sediments and hence sequestered from the contemporary carbon cycle. The fate of terrigenous material in the marine environment, though offering potentially important mechanisms to either strengthen or attenuate the permafrost-carbon climate feedback, is so far insufficiently understood. In this doctoral thesis, sediments from the wide East Siberian Arctic Shelf, the world’s largest shelf-sea system, were used to investigate some of the key processes for OC cycling. A range of bulk sediment properties, carbon isotopes and molecular markers were employed to elucidate the relative importance of different organic matter sources, the role of cross-shelf transport and the relevance of degradation during transport and after burial. Overall, OC released from thawing permafrost constitutes a significant proportion of the sedimentary organic matter on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf. Two sediment cores from the inner and outer East Siberian Sea recorded no substantial changes in source material or clear trends in degradation status for the last century. With increasing distance from the coast, however, strong gradients were detected towards lower concentrations of increasingly reworked land-derived OC. The time spent during cross-shelf transport was consequently found to exert first-order control on degradation. Compound-specific radiocarbon dating on terrigenous biomarkers revealed a net transport time of ~4 000 years across the 600 km wide Laptev Sea shelf, yielding degradation rate constants for bulk terrigenous OC and specific biomarkers on the order of 2-4 kyr-1. From these results, the carbon flux released by degradation of terrigenous OC in surface sediments was estimated to be ~1.7 Gg yr-1, several orders of magnitude lower than what had been quantified earlier for dissolved and particulate OC in the water column. Lower oxygen availability and close associations with the mineral matrix may protect sedimentary OC from remineralization and thereby weaken the permafrost-carbon feedback to present climate change. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Submitted. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

<p>This thesis examines risk management in breeding Siberian jays (<i>Perisoreus infaustus</i>), which is indigenous to the northern taiga. Parent behaviour and the nest are cryptic. A new nest is built each year. It is placed on spruce or pine branches close to the trunk and well insulated with lichens, feathers and reindeer hair.</p><p>Nest failure rate was the main factor driving annual variations in jay numbers. The probability for nesting attempts to be successful ranged annually between 0.08 and 0.70. Nest predation was rampant and a main cause of nest failure. Nest predators were mainly other corvids (primarily the Eurasian jay <i>Garrulus glandarius</i>). Habitat quality was the main factor determining the risk of predation. The risk for nest failure due to predation was higher in thinned forests with an open structure and with a high abundance of man-associated corvid species (jays, crows, raven). </p><p>Siberian jay parents show several strategic adjustments in life-history and behaviour to the risk of nest predation. Parents traded reduced feeding rates for a lower predation risk and allocated feeding to low risk situations. Chick provisioning imposes a cost by drawing the attention of visually hunting predators to the location of nests, and parents adjusted their daily routines and avoided exposure by allocating provisioning to times of low activity among nest predators. These strategic adjustments of feeding efforts were estimated to reduce the exposure to nest predators by 26 percent. Also, parents adjusted their reproductive efforts to the perceived presence of predators in a playback experiment. Siberian jays reduced their reproductive investment by laying a smaller clutch size when high risk of nest predation reduced the value of current reproduction, as predicted from life-history theory.</p>

<p>Evolution is fuelled by independent reproduction events. Yet, the offspring of at least three percent of all bird species postpone dispersal and forego independent reproduction. The Siberian jay, <i>Perisoreus infaustus, </i>is such a species where some<i> </i>offspring are philopatric and remain in their natal territory for up to three years, forming family groups. The main finding of this thesis is that nepotistic anti-predator behaviour displayed by parents provided philopatric offspring benefits, which could be an incentive to stay and forego independent reproduction. Predation, (hawks - 80 % and owls - 15% of deaths observed) is the main cause of mortality. Parents increased their vigilance nepotistically; they were more vigilant against surprise predator attacks, and gave alarm calls when attacked when feeding together with offspring. However, the two parents differed in their behaviour. Mothers gave calls only when together with their offspring, while males also warned unrelated immigrants. Sitting predators were approached and mobbed more intensely by parents in the presence of philopatric offspring. The vocalisation of Siberian jays provides information about predation risk. Specific calls are given for hawks and owls, and calls also varied with hawk behaviour. The nepotistic anti-predator behaviour of parents is a benefit, which the offspring can gain only “at home”, and such behaviour appears to promote offspring to forego dispersal and independent reproduction. This was confirmed in an experimental manipulation; philopatric offspring dispersed when fathers were removed and replaced by a despotic, immigrant stepfather. From a life-history perspective, parents have an incentive to protect their reproductive investment. Nepotistic anti-predator behaviour create a safe haven in the natal territory for philopatric offspring and provides direct fitness benefits. Without such direct fitness benefits offspring may disperse and wait for a breeding opening elsewhere. </p>

This thesis examines risk management in breeding Siberian jays (Perisoreus infaustus), which is indigenous to the northern taiga. Parent behaviour and the nest are cryptic. A new nest is built each year. It is placed on spruce or pine branches close to the trunk and well insulated with lichens, feathers and reindeer hair. Nest failure rate was the main factor driving annual variations in jay numbers. The probability for nesting attempts to be successful ranged annually between 0.08 and 0.70. Nest predation was rampant and a main cause of nest failure. Nest predators were mainly other corvids (primarily the Eurasian jay Garrulus glandarius). Habitat quality was the main factor determining the risk of predation. The risk for nest failure due to predation was higher in thinned forests with an open structure and with a high abundance of man-associated corvid species (jays, crows, raven). Siberian jay parents show several strategic adjustments in life-history and behaviour to the risk of nest predation. Parents traded reduced feeding rates for a lower predation risk and allocated feeding to low risk situations. Chick provisioning imposes a cost by drawing the attention of visually hunting predators to the location of nests, and parents adjusted their daily routines and avoided exposure by allocating provisioning to times of low activity among nest predators. These strategic adjustments of feeding efforts were estimated to reduce the exposure to nest predators by 26 percent. Also, parents adjusted their reproductive efforts to the perceived presence of predators in a playback experiment. Siberian jays reduced their reproductive investment by laying a smaller clutch size when high risk of nest predation reduced the value of current reproduction, as predicted from life-history theory.

Evolution is fuelled by independent reproduction events. Yet, the offspring of at least three percent of all bird species postpone dispersal and forego independent reproduction. The Siberian jay, Perisoreus infaustus, is such a species where some offspring are philopatric and remain in their natal territory for up to three years, forming family groups. The main finding of this thesis is that nepotistic anti-predator behaviour displayed by parents provided philopatric offspring benefits, which could be an incentive to stay and forego independent reproduction. Predation, (hawks - 80 % and owls - 15% of deaths observed) is the main cause of mortality. Parents increased their vigilance nepotistically; they were more vigilant against surprise predator attacks, and gave alarm calls when attacked when feeding together with offspring. However, the two parents differed in their behaviour. Mothers gave calls only when together with their offspring, while males also warned unrelated immigrants. Sitting predators were approached and mobbed more intensely by parents in the presence of philopatric offspring. The vocalisation of Siberian jays provides information about predation risk. Specific calls are given for hawks and owls, and calls also varied with hawk behaviour. The nepotistic anti-predator behaviour of parents is a benefit, which the offspring can gain only “at home”, and such behaviour appears to promote offspring to forego dispersal and independent reproduction. This was confirmed in an experimental manipulation; philopatric offspring dispersed when fathers were removed and replaced by a despotic, immigrant stepfather. From a life-history perspective, parents have an incentive to protect their reproductive investment. Nepotistic anti-predator behaviour create a safe haven in the natal territory for philopatric offspring and provides direct fitness benefits. Without such direct fitness benefits offspring may disperse and wait for a breeding opening elsewhere.

The amount of organic carbon (OC) present in Siberian Arctic permafrost soils is estimated at twice the amount of carbon currently in the atmosphere. The shelf seas of the Arctic Ocean receive large amounts of this terrestrial OC from Eurasian Arctic rivers and from coastal erosion. Degradation of this land-derived material in the sea would result in the production of dissolved carbon dioxide and may then add to the atmospheric carbon dioxide reservoir. Observations from the Siberian Arctic suggest that transfer of carbon from land to the marine environment is accelerating. However, it is not clear how much of the transported OC is degraded and oxidized, nor how much is removed from the active carbon cycle by burial in marine sediment. Using bulk geochemical parameters, total OC, d13C and D14C isotope composition, and specific molecular markers of plant wax lipids and lignin phenols, the abundance and composition of OC was determined in both dissolved and particulate carrier phases: the colloidal OC (COC; part of the dissolved OC), particulate OC (POC), and sedimentary OC (SOC). Statistical modelling was used to quantify the relative contribution of OC sources to these phases. Terrestrial OC is derived from the seasonally thawing top layer of permafrost soil (topsoil OC) and frozen OC derived from beneath the active layer eroded at the coast, commonly identified as yedoma ice complex deposit OC (yedoma ICD-OC). These carbon pools are transported differently in the aquatic conduits. Topsoil OC was found in young DOC and POC, in the river water, and the shelf water column, suggesting long-distance transport of this fraction. The yedoma ICD-OC was found as old particulate OC that settles out rapidly to the underlying sediment and is laterally transported across the shelf, likely dispersed by bottom nepheloid layer transport or via ice rafting. These two modes of OC transport resulted in different degradation states of topsoil OC and yedoma ICD-OC. Terrestrial CuO oxidation derived biomarkers indicated a highly degraded component in the COC. In contrast, the terrestrial component of the SOC was much less degraded. In line with earlier suggestions the mineral component in yedoma ICD functions as weight and surface protection of the associated OC, which led to burial in the sediment, and limited OC degradation. The degradability of the terrestrial OC in shelf sediment was also addressed in direct incubation studies. Molecular markers indicate marine OC (from primary production) was more readily degraded than terrestrial OC. Degradation was also faster in sediment from the East Siberian Sea, where the marine contribution was higher compared to the Laptev Sea. Although terrestrial carbon in the sediment was degraded slower, the terrestrial component also contributed to carbon dioxide formation in the incubations of marine sediment. These results contribute to our understanding of the marine fate of land-derived OC from the Siberian Arctic. The mobilization of topsoil OC is expected to grow in magnitude with climate warming and associated active layer deepening. This translocated topsoil OC component was found to be highly degraded, which suggests degradation during transport and a possible contribution to atmospheric carbon dioxide. Similarly, the yedoma ICD-OC (and or old mineral soil carbon) may become a stronger source with accelerated warming, but slow degradation may limit its impact on active carbon cycling in the Siberian Shelf Seas. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Biological processes in living organisms consist of a vast number of different molecular networks and interactions, which are complex and often hidden from our understanding. This work is focused on recovery of such details for two quite distant examples: acclimation to extreme freezing tolerance in Siberian spruce (Picea obovata) and detection of proteins associated with prostate cancer. The first biological system in the study, upon P. obovata, is interesting by this species ability to adapt and sustain extremely low temperatures, such as -60⁰C or below. Despite decades of investigations, the essential features and mechanisms of the amazing ability of this species still remains unclear. To enhance knowledge about extreme freezing tolerance, the metabolome and proteome of P. obovata’s needles were collected during the tree’s acclimation period, ranging from mid August to January, and have been analyzed. The second system within this study is the plasma proteome analysis of high risk prostate cancer (PCa) patients, with and without bone metastases. PCa is one of the most common cancers among Swedish men, which can abruptly develop into an aggressive, lethal disease. The diagnostic tools, including PSA-tests, are insufficient in predicting the disease’s aggressiveness and novel prognostic markers are urgently required. Both biological systems have been analyzed following similar steps: by two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) techniques, followed by protein identification using mass spectrometry (MS) analysis and multivariate methods. Data processing has been utilized for searching for proteins that serve as unique indicators for characterizing the status of the systems. In addition, the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) study of the metabolic content of P.obovata’s needles, from the extended observation period, has been performed. The studies of both systems, combined with thorough statistical analysis of experimental outcomes, have resulted in novel insights and features for both P. obovata and prostate cancer. In particular, it has been shown that dehydrins, Hsp70s, AAA+ ATPases, lipocalin and several proteins involved in cellular metabolism etc., can be uniquely associated with acclimation to extreme freezing in conifers. Metabolomic analysis of P. obovata needles has revealed systematic metabolic changes in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Substantial increase of raffinose, accumulation of desaturated fatty acids, sugar acids, sugar alcohols, amino acids and polyamines that may act as compatible solutes or cryoprotectants have all been observed during the acclimation process. Relevant proteins for prostate cancer progression and aggressiveness have been identified in the plasma proteome study, for patients with and without bone metastasis. Proteins associated with lipid transport, coagulation, inflammation and immune response have been found among them.

Arctic rivers transport 31-42 Tg organic carbon (OC) each year to the Arctic Ocean, which is equal to 10% of the global riverine OC discharge. Since the Arctic Ocean only holds approximately 1% of the global ocean volume, the influence of terrestrially derived organic carbon (OCter) in the Arctic Ocean is relatively high. Despite the global importance of this region the behavior of the, by far largest fraction of the OCter, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in Arctic and sub-arctic estuaries is still a matter of debate. This thesis describes data originating from field cruises in Arctic and sub-arctic estuaries and coastal areas with the aim to improve the understanding of the fate of OCter in these areas, with specific focus on DOC. All presented studies indicate that DOCter and terrestrially derived particulate organic carbon (POCter) are subjected to substantial degradation in high-latitude estuaries, as shown by the non-conservative behavior of DOC in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf Seas (ESAS) (paper I) and the even more rapid degradation of POC in the same region (paper II). The removals of OCter in Arctic shelf seas were further supported by multiple isotope studies (paper III and IV), which showed that a use of 13C/12C in both OC and DIC, together with 34S/32S is a powerful tool to describe the sources and fate of OCter in estuaries and coastal seas. High-latitude estuaries play a key role in the coupling between terrestrial and marine carbon pools. In contrast to the general perception, this thesis shows that they are not only transportation areas for DOCter from rivers to the ocean, but are also active sites for transformation, degradation and sedimentation of DOCter, as well as for POCter. In a rapidly changing climate, the importance of these areas for the coupling between inorganic and organic carbon pools cannot be underestimated. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: In press. Paper 2: Submitted. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

The aim of the diploma thesis is the comparison of maritime and rail freight transport between Asia and Europe. The thesis focuses on characteristic of rail transport as an alternative mode of transport and identification of possibilities, how to increase its competitiveness towards to maritime transport. First part of the thesis analyses current situation in maritime and rail transport and focuses on their specifics and future potential. The practical part deals with the change of fictitious company´s logistics system. Maritime and rail transport are compared in terms of risks, costs and shipping time. The last part of thesis deals with possibilities of increasing competitiveness of rail transport in the future.