Preface.
Introduction
Part 1 Paleoenvironment and Rift Basin History
1. Baikal drilling project (M.I. Kuzumin, D.F. Williams, T. Kawai). 2. Changes in the Lake Baikal levels and runoff direction in the Quaternary period (V.D. Mats, S. Fujii, K. Mashiko, E. Yu. Osipov, I.M. Yefimova, A. V. Klimansky). 3. Paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic studies on Lake Baikal sediments: BDP 96 borehole at Academician Ridge (H. Sakai, S. Nomura, M. Horii, K. Kashiwaya, A. Tanaka, T. Kawai, V. Kravchinsky, J. Peck, J. King). 4. Paleoclimatic signals printed in Lake Baikal sediments (K. Kashiwaya, A. Tanaka, H. Sakai, T. Kawai). 5. Glaciations of central Asia in the late Cenosoic according to the sedimentary record from Lake Baikal (E.B. Karabanov, M.I. Kuzmin, A.A. Prokopenko, D.F. Williams, G.K. Khursevich, E.V. Bezrukova, E.V. Kerber, A.N. Gvozdkov, V.F. Geletiy, D. Weil, M. Schwab). 6. Paleoclimatic changes from 3.6 to 2.2 Ma B.P. derived from palynological studies on Lake Baikal sediments (D. Demske, B. Mohr, H. Oberhänsli). 7. TEM analysis of smectite-illite mixed-layer minerals of core BDP-96-1 - Preliminary results (J. Müller, J. Kasbohm, H. Oberhänsli, M. Melles, H.W. Hubberten). 8. Forest-desert alternation history revealed by pollen record in Lake Baikal over the past 5 million years (K. Kawamuro, K. Shichi, Y. Hase, A. Iwauchi, K. Minoura, T. Oda, H. Takahara, H. Sakai, Y. Morita, N. Miyoshi, M.I. Kuzmin). 9. Vegetation history of the southeastern and eastern coasts of Lake Baikal from bog sediments since the last interstade (H. Takahara, S.K. Krivonogov, E.V. Bezrukova, N. Miyoshi, Y. Morita, T. Nakamura, Y. Hase, Y. Shinomiya, K. Kawamuro). 10. Estimation of paleoenvironmental changes in the Eurasion continental interior during the past 5 million years inferred from organic components in the BDP 96 Hole 1 sediment core from Lake Baikal (G.I. Matsumoto, S. Kosaku, N. Takamatsu, T. Akagi, T. Kawai, Y. Ambe). 11. Paleoenvironmental change in the Eurasian continental interior inferred from chemical elements in sediment cores (BDP96/1, BDP96/2) from Lake Baikal (N. Takamatsu, I.G. Matsumoto, N. Kato, T. Kawai). 12. A new preparation method for qualitative and quantitative analyses of fossil sponge spicules by the light microscope (C. Eckert, E.V. Veinberg, U. Kienel, H. Oberhänsli). 13. Evolution of fresh water centric diatoms within the Baikal rift zone during the late Cenozoic (G.K. Khursevich, E.B. Karabanov, D.F. Williams, M.I. Kuzmin, A.A. Prokopenko). Part 2 Physicochemical Limnology 14. Elemental compositions of short sediment cores and ferromanganese concretions from Lake Baikal (T. Takamatsu, T. Kawai, M. Nishikawa). 15. Mercury distribution in bottom and stream sediments of the Baikal Lake, water reservoirs of the Angara river cascade, and the adjacent drainage basins (P.V. Koval, G.V. Kalmychkov, V.F. Geletyi, L.D. Andrulaitis). 16. Correlation between geochemical features of recent bottom and stream sediments in the Baikal geoecological polygon (P.V. Koval, A.N. Gvozdkov, V.A. Romanov). 17. Remote sensing methods in studies of Lake Baikal environment (S.V. Semovski). 18. Environmental impact on the dynamics of Lake Baikal phytoplankton taxonomic groups: modeling attempts (S.V. Semovski). 19. Nonlinear stability near the temperature of maximum density and thermobaric instability in Lake Baikal during summer stratification (N.G. Granin, R.Yu. Gnatovsky, A. Kay, L.M. Galkin). 20. Study of the elemental compositions of suspended particles in large continental lakes (Baikal and Khubsugul) (T.G. Potyomkina, V.L. Potyomkin). 21. Atmospheric and riverine input of nutrients and organic matter into Lake Baikal (L.M. Sorokovikova, T.V. Khodzher, V.N. Sinyukovich, L.P. Golobokova, N.D. Bashenkhaeva, O.G. Netavetaeva). 22. Comparison of persistent organochlorine pollutant behavior in the food webs of Lake Baikal and Superior (J.R. Kucklick, J.E. Baker). 23 (Carbon and nitrogen isotope studies of pelagic ecosystem and environmental fluctuations of Lake Baikal (N.O. Ogawa, K. Yoshii, N.G. Melnik, N.A. Bondarenko, O.A. Timoshkin, N.S. Smirnova-Zalumi, V.V. Smirnov, E. Wada). 24. Some speculations on the possibility of changes in deep-water renewal in Lake Baikal and their consequences (R. Kipfer, F. Peeters). 25. Contamination of the ecosystems of Lake Baikal by persistent organochlorines (H. Nakata, S. Tanabe, H. Iwata, M. Amano, N. Miyazaki, E.A. Petrov, R. Tatsukawa). Part 3 Evolution and Biodiversity 26. Genetic differentiation of gammarid (Eulimnagammarus cyaneus) populations in relation to past environmental changes in Lake Baikal (K. Mashiko, R. Kamaltynov, H. Morino, D.Yu. Sherbakov). 27. Myological peculiarities of the comephoridae: an endemic fish taxon of Lake Baikal (Pisces: Teleostei) (M. Yabe, V.G. Sideleva). 28. Morphometric comparison of skulls of seals of the subgenus Pusa (M. Amano, Y. Koyama, E.A. Petrov, A. Hayano, N. Miyazaki). 29. The importance of habitat stability for the prevalence of sexual reproduction (K. Martens, I. Schön).