A joint Russian-American scientific expedition NABOS-2021 has begun in the Arctic on the ship "Akademik Treshnikov".
On the night of September 11, a Russian-American marine expedition entered the Arctic, within the framework of which the participants intend to conduct research in the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian Sea and in the deep part of the Arctic Ocean.
"The scientific expedition vessel Akademik Treshnikov has left the Norwegian port of Kirkenes with an international group of scientists from Russia, the USA, Japan and Norway on board," the message says.
According to the organizers, one of the goals of the expedition is to study climate change in the Arctic.
On June 10, the first stage of the "Master of the Arctic" expedition ended in Moscow, at Domodedovo Airport. The team of participants spent 26 days in the expedition.
In total, the specialists completed about eight routes, each for an average of 5-6 hours, in search of polar bears and marine mammals.
"Exactly how many of them [animals] will be known after processing all the flight materials, and this is about 100 thousand photos and the same number of images from the thermal imager. Bears, seals and walruses are definitely there! But the musk oxen were seen only with their eyes, they were not reflected in the photos, maybe because they are not marine mammals, but land ones," scientists suggest.
In addition to monitoring polar bears, experts also held several meetings with residents of Tiksi, showed a film on the results of last year's expedition and conducted environmental and space lessons in two schools.
In particular, Dmitry Glazov, the head of the scientific group, introduced schoolchildren to the peculiarities of the life of marine mammals, and hero of Russia, test pilot and cosmonaut Valery Tokarev - to the secrets of space.
On the same day, June 10, in Arkhangelsk, three expeditions at once go to the Mikhail Somov NPP to the Franz Josef Land archipelago, where they will continue searching for polar bears with the help of a helicopter.
"There are 5-6 days to go by sea to Novaya Zemlya and further to the archipelago of Franz Josef Land Islands, where the team will have to find polar bears with the help of a helicopter, put on satellite collars and take biological samples. It is curious that it is possible to fasten the collar only on a female polar bear - the neck of a huge predator is not suitable for such "ornaments", it is too voluminous," the organizers of the expedition say.
They also add that the satellite collar will help scientists trace the migration path of the red book predator, understand where it spends different seasons, where it sets up a den and forages for food. The analyses will complement the animal health map of the Arctic region. By the way, this time the bears will be checked for the presence of coronavirus.
Director of the Department of Expeditionary Activities and Tourism Development of the Executive Directorate of the Russian Geographical Society Sergey Chechulin announced at the annual conference "Day of the Arctic at the Presidential Library" about the plans of the Russian Geographical Society to organize three expeditions to explore the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in 2021.
Within the framework of the project, it is planned to study the hydrographic aspects and underwater objects discovered by researchers earlier in expeditions.
"This time they will be identified, 3D-underwater shooting of these objects so that everyone can get acquainted with these materials," - added the representative of the Russian Geographical Society. He noted that in the near future, scientists will also go on an expedition to Alexandra Land, an island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago.
It is also planned to carry out five types of scientific work, the main of which is the study of the polar bear population. The projects will be implemented jointly with the Northern Fleet and the Russian Arctic National Park.
Recall that the Novaya Zemlya archipelago is located in the Arctic Ocean between the Barents and Kara Seas. The Russian Arctic National Park is the northernmost and largest specially protected natural area in Russia. It includes the Franz Josef Land archipelago and the northern part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.
A group of Chinese scientists has started the 11th expedition to the Arctic region aboard the first polar ice-breaker Xue Long 2 (Snow Dragon 2) built in China, the Xinhua News Agency reports.
The vessel is expected to return from the voyage at the end of September. In total, it will have covered 12,000 nautical miles.
The expedition was organized by the Ministry of Land and Resources of the People's Republic of China. The expedition program includes a series of studies on biological diversity and ecosystems, acidification of the ocean and the chemical environment and new pollutants in the Chukchi Plateau, the Canada Basin and the central part of the Arctic Ocean.
They started building the Xue Long 2 at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai in December 2016. The ship was launched in September 2018 and put into service in July 2019.
Main characteristic:The ice-breaker has a displacement of over 13,900 tons and a maximum draft of 7.85 meters, it is 122.5 meters long and 22.3 meters wide and can carry up to 4,500 tons of cargo. According to the specifications, the maximum speed of the Xue Long 2 is about 15 knots. The vessel is designed to be able to break ice up to 1.5 meters thick, both at the stern and the bow, at a speed of 2-3 knots. The cruising range of the ice-breaker is up to 20,000 nautical miles and it can run autonomously for up to 60 days.
The Arctic is getting closer. In any case, for 14 Moscow schoolchildren who are preparing to go to the North pole as part of the 11th Great Arctic expedition. On the eve of the start, seven of them - boys and girls aged 16-17 years - crossed the wormwood in the Big Stroginsky Zaton. So passed the final stage of preparation of the detachment "pole" before the conquest of the Arctic ice on skis.
This body of water, of course, is not the Arctic ocean, and the April air temperature in Moscow is higher than in the Arctic. The length of the hole - only about 10 meters, and the depth here - no more than 2 meters. However, this training allows the children to work out the skills of overcoming obstacles on the water, to hone the technique of swimming, as well as psychologically prepare for the first step in the icy ocean - the chances of meeting on the route of wormwood are great.
A bright wetsuit is worn right over the winter outfit. Swim on your back it is not very convenient - you can easily roll over. But this suit provides insulation and protects against possible damage. In addition, it is very light - so as not to add weight to the already heavy clothes.
All members of the expedition have been carefully selected. Michael Abalain is one of those who checked their hand in the conditions close to the Arctic. The lad was 100 km on skis through the snow Karelia - after such tests, any pole on the shoulder. "My main fear is that I will not meet a polar bear. I really want to see him," - said Misha.
The permanent leader of youth expeditions to the Arctic is the famous traveler Matvey Shparo. He is convinced that young men and women who are preparing for the launch can be compared to astronauts.
- After all, the Arctic is the near space. It is the nature which is unambiguously hostile to the person. She was opposed to open 100-200 years ago, the same thing now remained. Blizzard - as it was, and is, a frost a minus thirty, minus forty was, and is. Crazy winds, crazy hummocks. I think that the guys will face the same difficulties that Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen met. But due to the fact that they are together, due to the fact that they will be close to enough experienced leaders, everything should go well.
Matvey Shparo is the son of the famous polar Explorer Dmitry Shparo, whose expedition was the first in the world to reach the North pole on skis back in 1979. The family tradition continues, and 40 years later the daughter of Matvey Shparo Katya is going to the Arctic. Girl she has dreamed about polar snows with early childhood. According to her, physical difficulties frighten a little: the main thing - psychological spirit and support of the team. Answering the question, which of the historical figures should be guided by young people, Katya highlights the pioneers of Antarctica Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, as well as cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. "We, of course, will not be the first, but still - to the North pole reach units," she said.
Students will go to conquer the glaciers on April 10. In parallel with the group "the pole" will run another expedition and research. The guys from the detachment "Barneo" will put experiments on the drifting station, measure the sunshine and the temperature of the Arctic ocean, and then share their discoveries in schools.
Source: https://rg.ru/2019/04/05/arktika-eto-blizhnij-kosmos-shkolniki-gotoviatsia-pokoriat-severnyj-polius-video.html
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