Oceanographic characteristics and microplankton in the Murmansk coastal pelagic zone in March 1998

From March 13 to March 29,1998 a multi-disciplinary expedition of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute carried out investigations of microplankton in marginal basins of the Murmansk coast (Kola Peninsula). In addition to water sampling the expedition carried out a study of bottom communities of the littoral zone (macrobenthos and littoral foraminifers), sampling of snow, littoral soil, and macrophytes for testing contents of heavy metals and radionuclides.