On August 2, famous traveler Fedor Konyukhov came back after the one-man polar expedition to Murmansk on board of the nuclear icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy”. In the framework of the project “Clean Arctic” he collected information on ice thawing speed, concentration of microplastics, and seismic activity of the Arctic Ocean bottom.
For the first time in the history of the Arctic studies the drifting ice station operated in summer. The expedition started from Murmansk on July 11. During its preceding voyage, the icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” brought Konyukhov to the point of geographical Northern Pole. The ice drift lasted 249 hours. The data of the research program will be handed over to Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of RAS.
In Murmansk Konyukhov was met by representatives of Murmansk Region government, General Director of FSUE Atomflot Mustafa Kashka and others. “Speaking about the project “Clean Arctic” we often speak about the Arctic that is far from us. But we have to start from ourselves. Rosatomflot has taken part in improvement the ecological situation in the region for a long time; it removes spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. Recently, the project to dispose the floating maintenance base “Lepse” was completed. This project has significantly reduced environmental risks. It is important to make the Arctic cleaner but we have to start working in our region rather than in far territories”, Kashka said.
At.jpg
The initiator of the project “Clean Arctic”, captain of the nuclear icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” Dmitry Lobusov believes that the works to clean territories should not damage the delicate ecosystem. “It is pleasant that they though back about the Arctic ecology and have started serious work in this direction. Let’s hope that a new wave of interest to the “great Arctic cleaning” do not end as we end this dead”, he said.
“I am pleased that young people love the Arctic. Youth of my time wanted very much to be like Soviet Arctic researcher Papanin. Now, when late in life, I am sometimes uneasy: who will come after us? Whether someone will care of the Arctic as we do today? When they seriously speak of the Arctic, I am glad”, Konyukhov said.
Photo credit: Press service of Murmansk region
For information:
The idea of the action “Clean Arctic” aimed at making a single program on cleaning the Arctic territories belongs to captain of nuclear icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” Dmitry Lobusov and Hero of Labor of Russia Gennady Antokhin. The authors of the voluntary project on “great Arctic cleaning” hope that the joined effort would help remove scrap metal and lubricant contamination from the Arctic territories. The “Clean Arctic” will bring together the general public, scientific community, powers, business and society. On August 2, one more expedition of the “Clean Arctic” project has started on Taimyr Peninsular. A team of volunteers from 12 regions of the country went for the first voluntary expedition to clean the Arctic territories.
Source: The Press Service of FSUE Atomflot