ARKHANGELSK, July 23. /TASS/. The Arctic Floating University expedition returned to Murmansk after exploring the northeast of the Barents Sea, the north of Novaya Zemlya, and the Franz Josef Land's islands. Researchers managed for the first time to carry out work on the Prince George Land, the expedition's leader Alexander Saburov told TASS from aboard the Professor Molchanov scientific research vessel.
"We have managed to complete all the planned work, although we repeatedly had to adjust and change plans and even had to interrupt missions ashore due to weather conditions. Overall, the expedition is very successful. During the voyage, we made record-breaking four missions ashore the Franz Josef Land Archipelago. The Arctic Floating University was lucky to explore a new location - we have gone ashore the Prince George Land (an island of the Franz Josef Land Archipelago) for the first time. As for the Hooker and the Heiss Islands, our expeditions had not been there since 2021. In fact, researchers have visited these areas very rarely lately, so the collected data will help us in understanding conditions of the Arctic ecosystems," he said.
Over the voyage, the Professor Molchanov vessel passed about 3,000 nautical miles. In the Barents Sea, scientists carried out work at 48 stations during four oceanographic sections. A section is a line of points with fixed coordinates where specialists make measurements and collect water samples. Researchers were identifying how the warm and salty Atlantic water mass penetrates into the Barents Sea's northeastern and central parts. Based on hydro-chemical tests' results, the scientists identified all the three expected water masses that are characteristic of the area.
