#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. According to the all-Russian vote results, the Arctic Floating University expeditions entered the top 100 main achievements. The project was presented by the Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov.
The Arctic Floating University is a unique scientific and educational sea expedition on board the ships Professor Molchanov and Mikhail Somov. Major scientific directions of the university expeditions are ecology, climate and biodiversity of the region. The project has been implemented since 2012 with the support of Roshydromet and the Russian Geographical Society – during this time, students, graduate students and scientists went on hikes 17 times and collected data to study the Arctic ecosystem, including the archipelagos of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, Spitsbergen, Dixon Islands, Vaygach and Kolguev.
One of the main partners of the project is the Nornickel company.
The floating university expedition head Alexander Saburov emphasizes that the Arctic today is an important region from a scientific point of view for Russia and for the whole world.
“These territories are greatly affected by climate changes – here they are much more pronounced and pass faster than, for example, in the middle zone. Human economic activity is noticeable in the Arctic, including the introduction of various pollutants from other territories into the region, which affects ecosystems and biodiversity. Therefore, it is important to conduct constant monitoring from the point of view of various scientific disciplines. In addition, the Arctic Floating University provides an opportunity to test various equipment for Arctic applications”, the researcher noted.
During the years of the project’s implementation, 805 scientists visited the northern seas. An important feature of the Arctic Floating University is its educational program: right on board the research vessel, scientists give lectures and hold discussions.
“We do not know foreign programs that combine both scientific research and educational components to such a large extent. Therefore, we can say that the experience of the Arctic Floating University is Russian know-how,” added Alexander Saburov.
We previously reported that in 2023, the Arctic Floating University explored cape Sopochnaya Karga on Taimyr for the first time. Norilsk scientists also took an active part in research on board the floating university.
Follow us on Telegram, VKontakte.
Text: Angelika Stepanova, Photo: Arctic Floating University
