Kolguev Island as an object for monitoring the biota of the western sector of the Russian Arctic

The article presents the research results on the Kolguev Island Arctic biota dynamics under climate change in the 21st century. The researchers substantiate the prospects for using the island as a model territory for studying the dynamics of the biota in the western sector of the Russian Arctic. They outline that the area meets all the requirements for a monitoring object due to the relative representativeness of climate, vegetation and landscapes, spatial integrity, diversity of biota, variability of structure, functioning and dynamics, as well as the presence of long-term observation series. The researchers propose a system of indicators for monitoring the state of the biota, soils and ecosystems of the island and methods of their observation.