ARKHANGELSK, July 17. /TASS/. Scientists for the first time will determine dynamics of marine waste accumulation on coasts of Franz Josef Land's islands. The research will be conducted by the Arctic Floating University expedition onboard the Professor Molchanov scientific research vessel, the State Hydrometeorological University's PlastikLab laboratory's leader Alexandra Yershova told TASS.
"We are engaged in monitoring studies, that is, regular monitoring of the Arctic coasts pollution. We will work on Novaya Zemlya, at sites laid out several years ago to track the dynamics of marine waste accumulation," she said. "We face this task also for coasts of Franz Josef Land, where we are going ashore only for the second year in a row. It is the most inaccessible archipelago of the Russian Arctic, which is of particular interest in terms of plastic waste accumulation. We will make first assessment of the annual plastic waste accumulation on these islands."
In 2024, scientists first assessed pollution on coasts of the Northbrook and the Mabel Islands. This year, scientists expect to see the process' dynamics.
Presently, Novaya Zemlya is the most polluted archipelago in the Russian Arctic. However, scientists say, its pollution by marine waste is not big, though less than on Spitsbergen. "Novaya Zemlya is definitely the most polluted coast among the Russian Arctic's archipelagos. We already can understand the order of magnitude, density, and quantity of waste on Novaya Zemlya's shores. We have compared this with the data on Spitsbergen to find that Novaya Zemlya is also heavily polluted, but still slightly less than Spitsbergen. As for Franz Josef Land, we can't say now, because it is a top inaccessible region," the expert added.
It is important to assess the dynamics of marine waste accumulation on the coast. The currents that bring waste to Franz Josef Land differ from those that bring waste to Novaya Zemlya. "Thus it is important to study factors of plastic load formation and to find out how different it is. We have realized that waste composition on Franz Josef Land differs from that on Novaya Zemlya," the scientist concluded.
About the expedition
The Professor Molchanov departed from Arkhangelsk on July 9, and the expedition will continue to August 1. The project's sponsors and partners are Russia's Ministry of Science and Higher Education, VTB Bank (the general sponsor), the Russian Geographical Society, the Norilsk Nickel Company, and the Floating University Coordination Center based at MIPT.