The volume was prepared with financial support from the Russian Academy of Science allocated to the Research & Education Centre "Aquatic objects of Karelia and methods for their study" of the Northern Water Problems Institute (NWPI), Karelian Research Centre of RAS within the programme "Support to young scientists". Owing to the R&E Centre's active and multifaceted activities, the academic institute, which main task is basic research, has the opportunity to disseminate scientific results obtained both from own studies, and from wide collaboration, including international cooperation.
The edition is the fifth one in a series of popular science books published by NWPI. It is a collection of papers structured into 2 sections. The first section present the results of studies carried out by researchers from scientific institutes dealing namely with problems such as arrival of new species of aquatic organisms in Lake Onego, maintaining the stability of border area waterbodies, Arctic studies. The second section is a gathering of papers by the 2006–2007 Baltic University students (under NWPI), Karelian State Pedagogical University students and school teachers. These materials were left unedited, with view to their potential multipurpose use, e.g. as a source of information, practical data or as separate lectures adapted to environmental awareness classes at various levels.
The materials will help university students, high school teachers and pupils, as well as officials and anyone interested in the environmental situation to raise their awareness and knowingly contribute to conservation and sustainable use of aquatic resources.