The expedition has
completed all the tasks.
ARKHANGELSK, June 17.
/TASS/. The Trans Arctic 2019 expedition’s second stage, which began on May 15
on board the Mikhail Somov research vessel, finished on Friday. The icebreaker
returned home. The expedition’s leader Olga Balakina told TASS in the good
weather and ice conditions the ship was lucky to make it to Franz Josef Land
and to the Victoria Island.
"The expedition
has completed all the tasks, and in certain tests we were even ahead of the
plans," she said. "We were lucky to have good weather and favorable
ice situation. The vessel crossed waters of the White and Barents Seas, went
along Novaya Zemlya’s western coast, and Franz Josef Land’s south-western and
northern shores. We have also visited the Victoria Island."
Warm water and thin
ice
The ice in the
Barents Sea "was rather thin, this year’s white ice is thin," she
continued. "In some parts, the ice was medium thick, but anyway for the
Somov it was not a problem."
By the oceanology
cuts (cuts are lines with the points, which have fixed coordinates, where
scientists take water probes - TASS), the experts confirmed the Barents Sea’s
hydrology peculiarity - the warm Atlantic stream coming in from the west, which
leaves 88% of its warmth in the Barents Sea.
"This way, the
Barents Sea receives the warmth, and this year we have seen the water temperatures
were by 1-2 degrees higher than usually," she continued. "One of the
reasons is the warm winter, and, of course, the warming climate."
Meeting animals
During the
expedition, scientists watched the fauna. "We have seen 32 sea birds
species and 12 species of mammals," the expedition leader continued.
"We have registered areas in the Barents Sea, to where birds tend to come
during the spring migration, and we have demonstrated how those areas are
connected with warm streams. We have gathered information on seven species,
which are on Russia’s Red Book."
Leonid Kruglov on
board the Mikhail Somov began making a documentary about the Arctic. For quite
a time, the expedition did not come across any animals, he said. "But as
we were approaching Franz Josef Land, we could see real crowds."
The scientists
registered the white seagull’s colony on the Victoria Island, and were shocked
to see a huge herd of bowhead whales. "We managed to fly above the island
and the ice fields and counted more than 80 animals," Dmitry Glazov of the
Severtsov Institute told TASS. "That was a great surprise."
In the past,
researchers could see groups of maximum 20-30 whales near Franz Josef Land.
"We believe, the formed climate factors have made them come there,"
the expert said, adding the mammals apparently have sufficient food in that
area.
"Bowhead whales
know how to live in the ice, they can break ice with heads when they need to
take a breath," he said. "They must have sufficient food. Our
colleagues will study plankton probes, and we shall have more details about the
food those whales use."
Curious cautious
narwhals
Studying narwhals was among the expedition’s main tasks. The researchers were lucky to see the first group of narwhals on June 1. "Within a few following days, we watched them from the helicopters, and used drones," the scientist said. "We tried to follow them, but, those animals must be afraid of the ship, and we could not see them from the deck, only once and only a few tails."
By using helicopters
and drones, the scientists managed to count the animals. They were about 40.
"We shall have to study every picture to analyze every animal," the
expert said. "What is good about narwhals is that they can be identified
by unique spots."
The filmmakers tried
to walk the ice to approach the narwhals. "We walked the ice, rather close
to them, we launched the drone a few times, and the pictures we’ve got are absolutely
incredible," Leonid Kruglov told TASS.
The narwhals gathered
in a small bay next to a rock, spreading into the sea. As the helicopter
disappeared, they calmed down and began watching the drones. "Our
cameraman Max Arbugayev lowered the drone, and here we see the mom with a cub
is lying on her side, watches the drone, trying to make out what it may
be," Kruglov said. "They behaved silently, and it was clear they were
not afraid, but rather curious."
The climate changes
The scientists
studied various pollutants in the Arctic, including microplastics and
radioactive substances.
"We have
measured the radioactivity and saw that in the Arctic shore areas it is even
lower than across Russia," Evgeny Yakovlev of the Arctic Studies Center
told TASS. "Everything is fine there with the radiation, even on Novaya
Zemlya, though it used to host the main nuclear test grounds."
Radioactive
substances may remain in the sea water and soil, the scientists said, adding
experts would study the probes for another two months. In the changing climate,
radioactive substances are getting more easily into the Arctic seas, he said.
The Mikhail Somov
The expedition’s
leader stressed the Mikhail Somov participated in an expedition for the first
time in many years. "The expedition was on board the legendary Mikhail
Somov, which has been used lately as a support vessel for our Arctic
stations," she said. "Once again, the expedition has proved it is a
universal ship, which has a heli pad, the ice class - everything for effective
work."
The icebreaker will
be a key character in the new film about the Arctic, Kruglov said. "We are
charmed by the icebreaker, by her life, her crew, and we understand that in our
project, dubbed Novaya Zemlya, she will be a main character, it is a vintage
ship, which lives under laws of the 1970s, it keeps the atmosphere of the 70s -
the golden era of the Arctic’s exploration," he said, adding he would also
film the Mikhail Somov’s other voyages within next two-three years.
About the expedition
The Trans Arctic 2019
scientific polar expedition is a big project of Russia’s hydrometeorology
service, RosHydroMet, which continues the research traditions of sea, air and
drift expeditions and stations in the Arctic’s high latitudes. The first stage
kicked off in March on board the Akademik Treshnikov vessel. The second stage
was on board the Mikhail Somov. The Professor Multanovsky and Professor
Molchanov research vessels will also participate in the expedition. Earlier,
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered to allocate in 2019 almost 870 million
rubles ($13 million) for scientific studies and monitoring of the Arctic
environment during the Trans Arctic 2019 expedition.
Source: ITAR-TASS
17-06-2019
