A photo from open sources
“The Arctic is awesome! Ice, glaciers, icebergs. I didn’t want to come back. “-” And what was remembered most of all? “- “Polar bear! True, we watched him from afar with binoculars – it’s dangerous to get close. “Anya Rudalyova, first year student Master’s program at the Northern Arctic Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov (NArFU), still overwhelmed with emotions. Still would! Over 4 thousand miles in the waters of the White, Barents and Kara Seas. Until recently, only such a summer practice was possible. dream.
University at Sea
We are standing on the upper deck of a research vessel “Professor Molchanov” who has just returned to the port Arkhangelsk. On the eve of the capricious northern weather presented it’s an unpleasant surprise for the archangelians – the city has sharply become colder, the temperature overboard hardly exceeds ten degrees. People meet are wrapped in scarves and leather jackets, and on the ship many almost summer-like – t-shirts, vests. After the Arctic, even a small plus seems very warm. “Professor Molchanov” completed the next flight of the Arctic Floating University is the third and the second one this year.
The project was launched last summer thanks to a Russian grant. geographical society, which also acted as one of his organizers together with NArFU and Roshydromet. The idea itself is not new This educational model has already been tested by Moscow State University and Russian State Medical University. Their floating universities plowed the waters of the Mediterranean, Black, Caspian, Baltic seas. But we got to the Arctic for the first time. Main feature – combination of educational and research activities. In professors give lectures to youth during long transitions, and almost immediately, the knowledge gained is put into practice.
Floating University is by no means a pleasure walk for particularly distinguished students. Actually, they are part of the expedition about half. The rest are teachers and young scientists. AND everyone has to work harder than on the shore. And in the afternoon, and even at night. So, for example, thanks to university expeditions managed to restore (after a 15-year hiatus) observations on oceanographic sections in the northern seas. It is consistent a number of geographical points where water samples are taken at different the depths. The distance between the points is relatively small, and when there is a cut, you have to work around the clock. Duty roster distributed equally, without discounts on age and status. Except that students are not forced to scrub the deck – the crew is engaged in this.
Each subsequent expedition continues the research begun in previous flights. The range of scientific disciplines is quite wide – glaciology, biology, oceanology, meteorology, hydrochemistry, etc. The main task is the collection of data and samples. Part of the laboratory work carried out directly on the ship, but closer examination and analysis of the collected materials is already carried out on land – in the CCU “Arctic”, created a couple of years ago at NArFU.
“And how is the Arctic?” – “Melting …”
The first results of Arctic Floating expeditions University say climate change on the planet goes on. Already in the first flight managed to “catch” in the cold Russian seas warm course. This year its availability confirmed. For landing on some glaciers today more rubber boots fit, eyewitnesses say – water flows there are stormy streams from real lakes.
The area of ice cover in the Arctic compared to the 70s. of the last century almost halved, told reporters Head of the Northern Department of Roshydromet and Chairman Arkhangelsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society Leonid Vasiliev. True, this year is a little colder than the previous ones, but, in overall, the trend towards warming continues. Over the past 20 years the number of natural hazards has increased. Permafrost is not justified its name and began to melt, dragging along the coastal line. Weather station on the island of Vise had to be moved to the center of the island, because its predecessor fell into the sea. “Entire pieces of the shore are breaking away,” the chapter describes the situation. “Sevhydromet” and adds: in other places are the same processes.
At the same time, the serious negative consequences of melting ice so far not observed, says Vasiliev. But there are positive ones: shipping conditions on the Northern Sea Route are improving. AND the heating season in the north is getting a little shorter.
Restless economy
The interest of the Russian Geographical Society in the Arctic is not accidental. The edge of white silence is one of the main directions research activities of the organization almost from the moment of its creation. One trouble: the situation in the Russian part of the Arctic is launched so much so that no social organization without a powerful support from the state is not able to rake the whole heap accumulated problems.
In the Russian Arctic, there are places where one hundred years has not gone foot person. There you can make great geographical discoveries, says the Institute’s deputy director Geography RAS Arkady Tishkov. Modern Russia is tens of times less involved in research in the Arctic than in the 20s years of the last century, when the country lived not just poorly, but barely reduced make ends meet. In the difficult post-war years, the foundations were laid of the wealth that is still being eaten together. Exactly then all without exception, discoveries of oil and gas fields have been made, gold, tin, which are now used by mining companies. New ones do not open, says the scientist. In the 90s. Arctic in general turned out to be abandoned. In Soviet times, there were 90 polar meteorological stations, today – about 50 (at Chukotka, in Yakutia and the Arkhangelsk region). From point of view geophysicists Russian Arctic waters about a thousand times less researched than neighboring Norwegian, Canadian or American. FROM other points of view, we are no less behind.
By crumbs, you can collect places where the expeditionary research. And if earlier it was hospitals of 50 – 100 people, powerful expeditions that allowed for one season to survey half of the New Earth, now often be content with a passing boat or a helicopter. Own money there are not enough vehicles to rent. And scientific research should not depend on whether the pilot uncle Vasya takes the scientist on board or not, Tishkov laments.
“The need for science in personnel? Yes, we need ten times more specialists than there are now. At the desk of the arctic you can’t prepare a researcher. And we have a lot of plans, “- boils he. The Arctic today needs a massive development of science, and There should be hundreds of projects like the Floating University. But development of Arctic research and their financing – state task. The state, it seems, is the importance of the issue understands. There is even a development strategy for the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation to 2020 year. That’s just to her another program relies, which until still not. And with financing, somehow it’s not too good, especially recently.
And still they ride
In fact, our acquaintance with the scientific life of Arkhangelsk started with the aerological station. Here is a brand new Doppler radar launched on May 6 is the pride of Sevhydromet. The device allows you to accurately predict the very dangerous weather conditions. For the whole country, “Dopplers” will be typed no more than five. Due to interest in the Arctic, the last seven years, the region is not bad evolved. Including, at the expense of budgetary funds. “And now it became restless again, ”admitted Leonid Vasiliev. This year financing of the northern UGMS was cut by 33 million rubles., in the next two are expected to continue sequestration. Hold on the commercial sector helps me: paid service hydrometeorological information provides 25% of the total the budget.
Moreover, the average salary in management is about 18-19 thousand. rubles. Polar explorers, of course, earn more – from 25 thousand. ordinary specialists up to 40 thousand with the bosses. Plus rations first categories – this is another 7 thousand. With the “northern” salary of the Soviet times, frankly speaking, is not comparable. But there are still enthusiasts ready to go to the Arctic and for the money. Some work there for decades. Looking into the “graduates” eyes shining with delight floating university, understand why. True, and among them not everyone is going to connect fate with the Arctic.
By the way, it is Sevhydromet that owns Professor Molchanov. On August sixth, the ship will leave for the next voyage. This expedition will be dedicated to the memory of the famous Norwegian polar researcher Fridtjof Nansen and must repeat his route Travels along the Northern Sea Route: Bugrino – Vaigach – Yamal – Dixon – Dudinka.
EKATERINA TROFIMOVA
Arctic Water Time Money Islands
