ARKHANGELSK, August 13. /TASS/. Participants in the Arctic Floating University expedition recorded very low values of radioactivity during missions ashore Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land, Senior Researcher at the Laverov Federal Research Center for Integrated Arctic Studies' Environmental Radiology Laboratory (the Russian Academy of Sciences' Urals Branch) Andrey Puchkov told TASS. Results of studies conducted in the 2025 season have shown an increase in the radon flux in the coastal area of the Russian Harbor Bay on Novaya Zemlya compared to results of observations conducted in 2024. The expedition in 2026 has found no anomalies.

"We measured radon at all missions ashore. The values ranged from the minimum - less than one millibecquerel (mBq) per square meter per second - to 200 millibecquerels per square meter per second. All the recorded indicators are background values. Permafrost, which performs a barrier, shielding function, does not allow radioactive gases to the surface. The radon flux density's highest values most likely are related to geological features of the territories, to fault and fractured zones," the expert said.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is formed by the decay of uranium. The gas is volatile, and its ecological role is very high. Warming in the Arctic leads to the permafrost melting and increases radon's release to the surface.

While measuring the alpha particle flux, scientists have found almost zero values. This indicates extremely low activities of alpha-emitting radionuclides in the near-surface soil layer. The laboratory has measured also gamma radiation. Results showed only background values. Alpha radiation points to the presence of radioactive decay of heavy elements such as uranium, radium, thorium; Gamma radiation is the number and energy of photons (gamma quanta) that pass through a certain site per unit of time. The gamma particles flow indicates the radiation intensity and the activity of radioactive sources.

The expedition's researchers carried out measurements in the area of the Tikhaya Bay polar station on the Hooker Island, on the Franz Josef Land Archipelago's Heiss, Wilczek and Prince Georg Land Islands and in the area of the Russian Harbor polar station on the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago's Severny Island. At all the locations, the scientists sampled soil, mosses, lichens and vascular plants.

Bottom sediments' radioactivity

In the Barents Sea's northeastern part, during the sections and in areas of missions ashore, the expedition's radiologists sampled bottom sediments. Similar work was carried out in 2019 and in 2024. Results of 2026 tests will be used to structure the temporal dynamics of the distribution of natural and man-made radionuclide activities and to determine how much the man-made load on the Arctic ecosystems has changed. Right now, it is decreasing and there are no powerful man-made sources of radiation: there are no tests, nor dumping from burial sites.

However, monitoring needs to be continued, as the situation may change due to the redistribution of radionuclides from terrestrial ecosystems. In particular, climate warming may cause the release of man-made radionuclides, deposited in glaciers during past nuclear tests.

About the expedition

The 20th voyage of the Arctic Floating University scientific and educational expedition continued from July 1 to July 22, 2026 on board the Professor Molchanov scientific research vessel. The expedition organizers are: the Lomonosov Northern Arctic Federal University and the Northern Department for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Sevhydromet). The project's official sponsors and partners are: the Russian Federation's Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Russian Geographical Society, general sponsor - VTB, the Norilsk Nickel Company, and the Floating University Coordination Center based at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT).