ARKHANGELSK, June 24. /TASS/. Specialists of the Arctic Museum-Exposition Center (St. Petersburg) during a voyage on board the Mikhail Somov icebreaker will study historic equipment, which remains at polar stations in the White, Barents and Kara Seas, Deputy Head of the hydro-meteorology service’s Northern Division Alexei Barakov told TASS on Sunday.
"On June, 23, the Mikhail Somov begins a voyage, which will continue to late August," he said. "The route be to the White, Barents and Kara Seas; and the vessel will also go to Franz Josef Land."
"The Center’s experts will study the historical and cultural heritage they see during the voyage," he continued. "They will work at all the stations, and their task is to find equipment which remains there from the time of the Arctic’s development."
The polar meteorology stations keep many old machines, some of which could become interesting exhibits. "Those are old cars, tractors, and so on - if those objects are of any historic value, the experts will register them, and later on they will organize bringing them to the mainland for restoration and exposition," he said.
The icebreaker can transport big exhibits, as a Mil Mi-8 onboard the vessel may be used to transport cargo.
The icebreaker will stop at about 40 destinations, to where it is bringing goods and new equipment. "Additional satellite equipment will be installed at the station on Novaya Zemlya," the deputy director said. "This system will be above the demand in communication and will reserve the existing capacities."
The research vessel is also bringing to a few stations teams of polar researchers and geologists, who will work on Arctic islands.
Fencing off polar bears
To the Vaygach Island, the research ship will bring constructors and volunteers who will make a special fence around the Fedorov meteorology station to keep polar bears off. It is a joint project by the hydro-meteorology service and the World Wide Fund for Nature. The station on the Vaygach Island is the first place where this protection will be tested. Earlier, the station was equipped with cameras, and barrels were installed on all windows and doors.
"The three-meter-high fence will be 700 meters long - it is a special net, which will survive when a polar bear, standing on legs, will try to break down the fence," he continued. "It is installed so that to dampen the vibration from bears’ paws. Nor would the animals be able to climb the net."
If this system proves to be successful, such fences could be used at other polar stations to secure the staff from polar bears. Russia has about a dozen stations in the Arctic.