Russia prepares new Arctic research station

Russia continues its arctic research program with drifting ice stations in the high latitudes. The icebreaker “Yamal” sails out to pick up scientists who have spent nearly a year on an ice floe and to find a suitable place for a new station.

The nuclear powered icebreaker “Yamal” leaves Murmansk today to pick up the Russian scientists who have spent nearly a year on the drifting ice station “North Pole-36” (NP-36). The station was established on an ice floe between the Wrangel Island and the North Pole in September 2008. Since then, the station has drifted some 2500 kilometers and is now approaching Greenland, RIA Novosti reports.

The icebreaker will pick up the 16 scientist, their dogs and 150 tons of equipment. The vessel will then continue its journey to find a suitable ice floe for the next station, which will get the name “North Pole-37”. The station will probably be placed near Severnaya Zemlya off the Taymyr Peninsula.

The first scientific drifting ice station in the world, “North Pole-1” was established in May 1937. Since 1954 Soviet “NP” stations worked continuously, with one to three such stations operating simultaneously each year, according to Wikipedia. In the post-Soviet era, Russian exploration of the Arctic by drifting ice stations was suspended for twelve years, and was resumed in 2003.

Watch video Of preparations on the “Yamal” on TV21.ru

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