the assessment of the individual transboundary surface waters and groundwaters in this subregion can be found in chapters and of section iv drainage basins of the white sea barents sea and kara sea black sea and baltic sea eastern and northern europe holds a number of other important transboundary wetland areas including numerous freshwater lakes and extensive mires connected by rivers and streams which stretch all along the russian norwegian and finnish borders and further to the south along the russian estonian latvian and belarusian borders extensive river floodplains temporary flooded forests grasslands and fens are also typical for the region as well as coastal bays lagoons and river deltas in the barents baltic and black seas the northernmost part of the region is characterized by permafrost