At present, studies of the Arctic Basin are of particular importance to the world scientific community due to the strong influence of this region on the global climate, its enormous mineral and hydrocarbon resources, the poor knowledge about the polar biosphere, and the growing anthropogenic pollution of the Arctic (Gramberg et al. 2000; KIuev 2000). Therefore, the forthcoming century is sometimes justly named "the century of the Arctic. " Global climatic changes attract the close attention of scientists from all over the world. The prevalent concept that climate warming is a minor positive...

My work Geochemistry oj organic matter in the ocean first appeared in Russian in 1978. Since then much progress has been made in the exploration of various forms of organic matter in the ocean: dissolved, colloidal, organic matter sus pended in particles and that contained in bottom sediments and in interstitial waters. The appropriate evidence is found in hundreds of articles and several re view works, such as Andersen (1977), Biogeochimie de a matiere organique a 'interjace eau-sedimentmarine (1980), Duursma and Dawson (1981). A great amount of new information has been obtained in the...