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/ International News / 2007 / July 2007 / July 22, 2007 Joint Russian-German North Pole expedition to leave this August |
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A joint Russian-German expedition will leave on an eight-month voyage across the Arctic Ocean this August as part of the NP-35 North Pole drifting station project, aimed at better understanding the regions of global climate change in the frigid zone.
Washington, July 22 : A joint Russian-German expedition will leave on an eight-month voyage across the Arctic Ocean this August as part of the NP-35 North Pole drifting station project, aimed at better understanding the regions of global climate change in the frigid zone.
Carried out in conjunction with the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) in St Petersburg, a total of 36 expedition participants, 35 Russian and one German, will board the Russian research vessel 'Akademik Fedorov' in the Siberian harbour of Tiksi on August 29, 2007.
In the vicinity of Wrangel Island, between 80 and 85 degrees northern latitude and between 170 degrees eastern and 170 degrees western longitude, a stable ice floe will be chosen as the base for the drifting station 'North Pole 35' (NP-35).
Scientists say the selection of the floe will be based on long-term satellite observations of the ice, and will be verified by helicopter from the research vessel.
During the course of winter, the ice floe will drift in the Arctic Ocean and across the North Pole and the team will carry out a variety of measurements, gathering information about current climate change.
After one year, the research vessel 'Akademik Fedorov' will evacuate the station. However, to prevent over-wintering, five Russians and the single German will be flown out on 'Polar 5', one of the research aircraft of the Alfred Wegener Institute after approximately eight months, in April 2008. For this purpose, a landing strip will be constructed on the ice.
While the Russian scientists will be investigating the upper ocean layer and sea ice, as well as snow cover, Jürgen Graeser from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, one of the research centres of the Helmholtz Association, Germany, will examine two topics.
He will use a captive balloon system to measure meteorological parameters in the so-called planetary boundary layer, which is the lowest layer of the atmosphere extending to approximately 1500 metres, and will use ozone sensors to measure the ozone layer in the stratosphere up to approximately 30 kilometres altitude.
Atmospheric measurements of meteorological parameters such as temperature, wind, humidity and air pressure, will be added through recordings of trace gases such as carbon dioxide and ozone.
The scientists believe that through the current research, they will be able to identify key processes in the atmosphere and alterations of the sea ice cover in order to examine the coupling of sea ice and atmosphere.
ANI
