POLLEN DEPOSITION IN ARCTIC MOSSES FROM THE SEVERNYA-ZEMLYA ARCHIPELAGO, FRANZ-JOSEPH LAND AND FROM NOVAYA-ZEMLYA

The mosses investigated in this study were from 20 localities scattere d over a wide area of the Russian Arctic between the Taymyr Peninsula, Severnya Zemlya, Franz-Joseph Land and Novaya Zemlya. Pollen analysis were carried out from surface samples of mosses which act as pollen t raps. Numerous moss species were reported for the first time from this region. These investigations have confirmed that pollen grains are tr ansported over long distances into the polar region. Due to the prevai ling wind direction (in winter north to northeast, in summer south to southwest) pollen is transported from the Siberian mainland and from n orthern Scandinavia. The number of pollen grains caught in the moss tu rfs and mats decreases northwards. There was a high fraction of damage d and degraded pollen grains in comparison with the well preserved pol len grains found in material from Antarctica. The pollen load of the a ir above the high Arctic region is also low when compared with that of central Europe.