Matvei Gedenschtrom

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Matvei Matveyevich Gedenschtrom (Геденштром, Матвей Матвеевич in Russian) (circa 1780 — 9.20.1845), Russian explorer of the northern parts of Siberia.

In 1808—1810, Gedenschtrom led the cartographic expedition to explore the New Siberian Islands (together with Yakov Sannikov and land surveyors P.Pshenitsyn and I.Kozhevin). The theory about the existence of the so called Sannikov Land somewhere northwest of the Kotelny Island originated during this very expedition. Gedenschtrom established the presence of the so called "Siberian polynya" - patches of open water in sea ice at the edge of the drifting ice and continental fast ice. Gedenschtrom charted the coastline between the mouths of the rivers Yana and Kolyma. He also made many trips across Yakutia and areas east of the Lake Baikal.