ARKHANGELSK, August 17. /TASS/. The Professor Molchanov research vessel returned to Arkhangelsk bringing the expedition team from the Mikhail Somov, which ran aground, as well as a group of volunteers from the Vaygach Island. The vessel has stopped at the city roadstead near the sea terminal. People will be taken ashore by boats.
"We've arrived, remain at roadstead," a source onboard the Professor Molchanov told TASS.
On July 24, the Mikhail Somov ran aground between the Komsomol Islands and the Wilczek Land of the Franz Josef Land Archipelago. On August 8, the vessel resumed sailing. Currently the vessel is sailing along Novaya Zemlya.
The Professor Molchanov has delivered to Arkhangelsk the Arctic Floating University's expedition that conducted scientific research on the coast and islands of the Barents and Kara Seas. The expedition team united 17 experts from ten scientific and educational organizations in Arkhangelsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Syktyvkar and Perm. An artistic expedition team has also changed the vessels. The writers, artists and journalists have organized solemn laying of wreaths in the Barents and Kara Seas in the locations where the Soviet vessels and warships sank during World War II.
The Professor Molchanov has picked from the Vaygach Island six volunteers who participated in the an ecological expedition, organized by the MIREA Russian Technological University and the Arkhangelsk Region Governor's Center with the support from the Clean North - Clean Country ecological movement. The volunteers have cleaned the area and helped in preparations for the construction of a new polar station. They also have collected samples of water and soil for microplastics.
On July 4, the Mikhail Somov left Arkhangelsk to deliver supplies to the Arctic polar stations of the national hydrometeorology service, Roshydromet. The vessel has delivered cargo to the stations on islands and coasts of the White, Barents and Kara Seas. The voyage was approaching final destinations, where the Krenkel polar station on the Heiss Island of Franz Josef Land was one of the planned stops. On board the Mikhail Somov now remain 34 crew members, 8 helicopter pilots and 4 divers. The vessel is sailing along Novaya Zemlya and is expected to arrive in Arkhangelsk on August 18.
Scientific results
The expedition team's leader Lyudmila Drachkova told TASS the scientists had carried out all the planned work, and samples from the Professor Molchanov had been delivered to Arkhangelsk. Those are hundreds of kilograms of sampled rocks, soils, water, snow, air, lichens, and bio materials. "The expedition was successful, all the planned field work has been completed, we went ashore more than ten times," she said. "We have collected unique geological samples, extensive bio material, and geo-botanical studies have been conducted for the first time."
The expedition worked for the first time on Cape Sopochnaya Karga, near the Marresalya station, on the Vilkitsky and Oleniy Islands in the Kara Sea, on the Wilczek Land and the Komsomol Islands of the Franz Josef Land Archipelago. On the Komsomol Islands, the expedition went ashore twice. They had to cancel the first attempt when a bear with a cub appeared there. The route's northernmost point was the Heiss Island - 80 degrees 34 minutes 50 seconds north latitude.
The Komsomol and Wilczek Islands and the Wilczek Land are uninhabited, she continued. People go there very rarely, thus scientists, for example, microbiologists, expect interesting results. The researchers have sampled biological material from bird rookeries and from the permafrost areas. They will use them to search and identify microorganisms resistant to antimicrobial drugs. According to early results, they have found bacteria with antibiotic resistance genes.
On the islands of Franz Josef Land, the expedition has found plant species new to that territory. For example, at least one rockfoil on the Wilczek Island. Two plant species have been previously known on the Komsomol Islands, and seven more have been discovered.
Geological works have been organized both on coasts and on islands - to update the Russian Federation's geological map of the Arctic territories. Researchers have collected extensive stone samples to determine the rocks' age and composition. Scientists have studied quaternary formations, and an expert of the Moscow State University has recorded ice formations (ice grounds) at the base of coastal ledges that had not been described earlier. Collected samples will be used to determine the mineral composition of sediments. Scientists have described landscapes, their soil cover structures, and sampled soils.
About Floating University
The Arctic Floating University is a joint project of the Northern Arctic Federal University and the Northern Branch for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. The expeditions continue since 2012. The first expedition in 2023 was on board the Professor Molchanov between June 23 and July 15. The project's partners and sponsors are the Ministry for Development of the Far East and Arctic, VTB, Novatek, Norilsk Nickel, the Arkhangelsk Region's government, and the Russian Geographical Society.