Big Norilsk Expedition’s scientists finalize field works

MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Scientists from 14 research institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Siberian Branch finalized the field stage of the Big Norilsk Expedition and begin laboratory tests and analyses, the expedition’s press service said on Wednesday. “During the field works, the scientists have collected on the Taimyr a few thousand samples of water and soil, organisms, they took various measurements,” the press service said. “Now, they will be working at laboratories at the institutes in Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Barnaul, Yakutsk and Norilsk. They will be working there for at least three months to process the collected material.” The scientists want to learn exact contours of the contamination spot from the accident at the power plant near Norilsk in May, they want to find or disclaim presence of oil products in organisms, to restore chronology of Taimyr’s man-made contaminations, to follow up changes in feed bases of birds, fish and animals, to analyze conditions of the perennially frozen ground, and to solve many other scientifically important tasks. At the end of this work, the experts will prepare a report, which is expected in December. “The expedition’s scientific result would be something more than a complex image of consequences from a certain event or events,” Chairman of the Academy of Sciences’ Siberian Branch Valentin Parmon said. “We must create comprehensive models of sustainable and safe cooperation between people and the Arctic’s environment, we must present to authorities and big companies smart strategies for the nature’s exploitation and development of resources in this macro region, which is most important for Russia.” The scientist pointed to an effective cooperation between the Siberian Branch and Nornickel in organization of this expedition, which has not limited its studies by areas neighboring the power plant, but which observed far-away places to make sure the collected material and results of its tests would serve interests of companies, doing business in the Arctic. During the field works, the expedition participants did not face any problems with transport, fuel, equipment or anything else, he added. About expedition to Taimyr The Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the first time in recent years has sent to the Taimyr Peninsula, at the invitation of Nornickel, a big scientific expedition to conduct a large-scale examination of the area. Scientists will use the expedition’s results to present suggestions for industrial companies, working in the Arctic, on how to preserve the nature. The expedition’s key points are watersheds of the Rivers Pyasina, Norilka and Ambarnaya, and Lake Pyasino. The expedition’s term is five months – from July to November. Before end of August, experts from 14 research institutes of the Academy of Sciences’ Siberian Branch have collected samples of soils, plants and sediments, and now they work on tests at the institutes’ labs. First results may be expected in November-December, 2020. Read more