Scientists have planned major sea expeditions to the Arctic and Atlantic

Specialists from the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences will conduct two major scientific expeditions in the Arctic and Atlantic this season, Academician Mikhail Flint, head of the Institute's Ecology of Seas and Oceans department, told Izvestia.

"The main interest for us now is the Arctic. This year, two large expeditions are planned to study the natural complexes of the Russian northern seas, their biological productivity, seasonal variability, reactions to current climatic processes, their role in the absorption and emission of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and many aspects," the scientist said.

He added that in the Arctic, among other things, experts will install booby traps to analyze sedimentation processes, as well as a special autonomous buoy to study the processes of interaction in the ocean–atmosphere system. Separate works will be devoted to geophysical research of the Arctic shelf, monitoring of radioactive burial grounds in the vicinity of Novaya Zemlya.

Activities were also planned to study the processes during the ice retreat in the northern seas, which is necessary to understand the phenomena associated with climate change. But due to funding delays, the courts were not prepared on time, and the start of research will be postponed, adjusting the scientific program.

According to the plan, two expeditions will operate in the Atlantic Ocean: one of them will study bottom currents that influence climatic processes, and the other will focus on reconstructing ancient oceanological conditions.

Read more in an exclusive interview with Izvestia:

"Scientists estimated the restoration of the Mir deep-sea vehicles at 20 billion rubles."