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Russia resumes meteorology services on island in Kara Sea after 26 years break

It is noted that this station will play an important role in meteorology forecasts, as observation facilities in that part of the Arctic are very scattered

ARKHANGELSK, August 18. /TASS/. The Northern Department for Hydro-Meteorology and Environment Monitoring, SevHydroMet, resumed meteorology services on the Uyedineniya Island in the Kara Sea’s central part, the authority’s press service said.

A polar station on the island was closed in 1996.

"After a long break (of 26 years), we have resumed meteorology observations on the Uyedineniya Island in the Kara Sea. The polar station was closed on November 21, 1996. During a voyage of the Mikhail Somov research/survey vessel, SevHydroMet’s specialists installed on the island an automatic meteorology station, which does not require services or personnel," the press service said.

This station will play an important role in meteorology forecasts, as observation facilities in that part of the Arctic are very scattered. The meteorology stations in the Arctic Ocean serve the Northern Sea Route, and their work and precision are most important for the navigation.

Automatic meteorology stations consist of sensors mounted on a weather mast and connected to a box with a switchboard. The sensors monitor atmosphere pressure, temperature and humidity, and wind parameters. Every three hours, the station transmits received data to the center in Arkhangelsk and from there the data is forwarded to the national meteorology service, HydroMetCenter. Rechargeable batteries powered by solar panels and a wind generator are sources of electricity for such stations.

The Uyedineniya Island in the Kara Sea’s central part is located in the Krasnoyarsk Region. Norway’s Captain Edward Johannesen discovered the island on August 26, 1878, and named it Ensomheden (Loneliness in Norwegian) due to its isolated position. In 1915, an expedition on the Eclipse visited the island. The expedition was searching for Vladimir Rusanov’s missing expedition. At that time, the Russian flag was raised over the island. In 1934, a polar station was opened on the island. It continued working without interruption until it was closed in 1996.