Leading experts from Russia, China, Austria, Mongolia, and Georgia participated in the event. The conference was organized by the Marine Shores Working Group and the Institute of the Earth's Crust of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the support of EN+ Company.
The conference took place from June 1 to 7, 2026, in Irkutsk and is traditionally held every two years. The "Marine Shores" working group is a public organization operating under the scientific and methodological guidance of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the goal of uniting and coordinating the efforts of Russian coastal researchers. The group was founded in 1952 and promotes the maintenance of Russian coastal science at a global level. Five members of the working group are IO RAS staff members: Sergei Kuznetsov, Boris Chubarenko, Marina Krylenko, Vyacheslav Krylenko, and Igor Leontyev.
The conference was held in five sections:
- Hydro-, litho-, and morphodynamics of the coastal zone.
- Geomorphology and paleogeography of marine coasts.
- The coastal zone in the context of global change (climate and technogenesis).
- Engineering surveys and construction of hydraulic structures in the coastal zone.
- The coastal zone toward sustainable development (integrated management and socio-economic development).
A special place in the program was occupied by round tables dedicated to the environmental safety of the Baikal natural territory.
Researchers from Zenkovich Laboratory of Shelf and Coastal Studies, Sergey Kuznetsov, Yana Saprykina, Mikhail Kuznetsov, and Dmitry Korzinin, presented five papers.
The conference addressed issues related to coastal marine development and the specific geosystem of Lake Baikal. The natural and socioeconomic systems of the coastal areas of the Irkutsk Region are influenced by fluctuations in Lake Baikal's water level, which are associated with both natural hydrometeorological factors and the regulation of the Angara River's flow by the Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station. A significant portion of the conference presentations focused on the impact of changes in Lake Baikal's water level on the lake's ecosystems and wave erosion of its shores.
The conference's decisions, covering both fundamental coastal and coastal zone issues and practical coastal protection planning issues, will soon be published on the working group's website, sea-coasts.ru.
