NOVOSIBIRSK, September 21. /TASS/. Russian scientists went to a research station on the Samoilovsky Island in the Lena’s delta for the 20th time in 2018. After the expedition, they told TASS what they found during the past season.

Deep studies

The Samoilovsky Island research station, a part of the Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oil and Gas Geology and Geophysics, is located in the Lena River’s delta. Initially, the station focused on permafrost studies, but scientists have been expanding research directions lately. The Institute’s representative Leonid Tsibizov told TASS about specialists in soils, geology and geo-botanic studies, who work at the station.

"Specialists at the station will be involved not only in traditional research of the permafrost’s degradation," he said. "For a few years, scientists have been working on the Earth’s geology studies - the results give important information for the global understanding of the earth processes."

"We plan to develop monitoring of the Earth’s atmosphere and magnet field," he continued. "The station is a great platform for research of the Arctic ecosystems."

During the field season in 2018, geophysics used electromagnetic fields to study rock formations. Thus, they received information about the crust from a big depth - between 40 and 80 meters, the field team’s head, Alexei Fage told TASS. This method may be used further on in searches for recoverable resources.

"We learn how to identify borders of the formations, which after getting up to the surface have not been affected by the wind, and the applied task is to make a map of the rocks, which will be used in searches for recoverable resources," Fage said.

The geophysics studied a big lake, formed from the thawing permafrost. "We have made complex studies, involving geophysics, geo-botanic specialists, geologists, and we all came to a conclusion, which may expand our understanding of how the tundra used to develop there."

A sycamore leaf and cones

On the Sardakh Island, which is next to the Samoilovsky Island, scientists found a rock print of a sycamore leaf - this, the scientists say, proves the climate in the Arctic region used to be warm. According to an expert of the Central Siberian Botanical Garden Nikolai Lashchinsky, the scientists were very lucky to see those findings.

"On the Sardakh Island, my colleagues were happy to find an ancient leaf flora - prints of sycamore leaves, and petrified cones," he said. "Such big findings are a rare occasion, as usually we study pollen, microscopic fragments of plants."

"As for finding big leafs, scientists now may say definitely that at that time the climate was warm, as there used to grow wide-leaf trees," he added.

The scientist pointed to many small findings, but the most important result is that the scientists could confirm earlier described formation of plants in that part of the Arctic. "We are very satisfied with the fact that all the suppositions, which emerged during the first visits to that area, have been confirmed, they develop, and we are collecting big material, with which we shall be able to reconstruct the islands’ history and to give forecasts," he said.

According to the scientist, during the past season he completed a collection to make a detailed map of the Samoilovky Island’s plants. "I believe, I have completed the field stage of the research, and now I am facing lab work to put together a map," he said. "This map will be of high demand - scientists from Russia and Europe have shown interest in it."

A research station for Swiss students

The Samoilovsky Island station has educational functions. Students of the Novosibirsk State University have been using it for a few years to have field practices there.

In 2018, the station welcomed for the first time students from Switzerland’s Lausanne, the University’s teacher Andrei Kartoziya told TASS. They also had a field practice there.

"It was for the first time that we have organized a practice for Swiss students from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne - several field routes and General Geology lectures," he told TASS. "We have been working on an agreement between the Lausanne University and our Novosibirsk State University.".