Lake studies in early 20TH century European Russia: preserving traditions and laying groundwork for the future

Affiliation: St. Petersburg Branch of S. I. Vavilov Institute for the History of Science and Technology, Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg, Universitetskaia nab., 5

Journal name

Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki

Edition

Volume 40 3

Pages

468-481

Abstract

century was, by and large, a special time in the Russian history, marked by the revolutions and wars that changed the face of the country. These events could not but have affected the development of science in Russia. This paper analyzes the distinguishing features of limnological research in the European part of the Russian Empire, particularly in its north-west region. The prewar studies of waterbodies in this region were distinguished for their focus on the applied tasks of assessing fish stocks; their stake in the outcomes of, and extensive involvement in, the local authorities’ work; and an integrated approach to the development of programs for the studies of lakes and lake regions covering the physicogeographical, biological, and socioeconomic aspects. The local public associations (scientific societies) rather than the official scientific institutions often had an active role in the organization of limnological research. During World War I, the old research organization system prevailed together with its methodological framework. Thus, the Vitebsk lake expedition (1914–1916) was carried out with 50 bodies of water studied from the geographical and socioeconomic standpoints. In these studies, the field work was combined with traditional surveys of local residents, widely practiced by the zemstvo authorities for preparing statistical reports before the War. The fundamental studies also continued: thus, the interest in the lakes of the Olonets Governorate (now Karelia) was maintained owing to S. L. Lovén’s zoogeographical hypothesis. The initiative of local researchers (both the individuals and the groups, often informal) who conducted research on their own was quite strong. At the same time, new scientific institutions were emerging within the framework of wartime establishments, to become institutionalized and work fruitfully in the Soviet era (e. g. the Petrograd Hydrochemical Laboratory).

Keywords

limnology, history of limnology, lakes, European part of Russia, history of lake studies, early 20th century, World War I, scientific and commercial expeditions, fishery research

Received

06.09.2019

Publication date

09.09.2019

Number of characters

28634

Cite

GOST	Rizhinashvili A. Lake studies in early 20TH century European Russia: preserving traditions and laying groundwork for the future // Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki – 2019. – V. 40. – 3 C. 468-481 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://vietmag.org/S020596060005926-0-1 (circulation date: 25.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S020596060005926-0
MLA	Rizhinashvili, Alexandra "Lake studies in early 20TH century European Russia: preserving traditions and laying groundwork for the future." Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki 40.3 (2019):468-481. DOI: 10.31857/S020596060005926-0
APA	Rizhinashvili A. (2019). Lake studies in early 20TH century European Russia: preserving traditions and laying groundwork for the future. Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki 40(3), pp.468-481 DOI: 10.31857/S020596060005926-0

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