The Arctic Floating University is an innovative project of the Northern Arctic Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov (NArFU), the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) and the Arkhangelsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society, combining science and education to preserve the Arctic environment and ensure sustainable development of the region for future generations.
The expedition, represented by specialists from leading specialized organizations in Russia, included Yuri Zuev, a senior researcher at the hydrobiology laboratory of the St. Petersburg branch of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO).
The aim of the research team led by Yu.A. Zuev, consisting of students and teachers of the Russian State Hydrometeorological University (RSHU), was the sublittoral benthic communities of the high Arctic latitudes. As part of the APU-2024 expedition, underwater work and data collection were carried out in the area of the Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya archipelagos. All studies were accompanied by underwater video and photography. Thanks to the multidisciplinary composition of the expedition researchers and consultations with colleagues, the group was able to describe the underwater landscapes in the work areas, and with the help of oceanographers from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), record the hydrological characteristics in the areas of direct habitat of invertebrates along the bottom in the sublittoral.
Bottom communities are a fundamental part of the food supply of the unique Arctic fauna. In the studied areas they were distinguished by great diversity and abundance, which is confirmed by the significant diversity of the avifauna and the abundance of large invertebrates.
The conditions of the research in the APU-2024 expedition were quite severe. Since during this period the water temperature in the Barents Sea did not exceed -1ºС, the expedition equipment periodically froze. The research had to be interrupted due to deteriorating weather and the approach of ice fields. Despite this, the first results of the research were recognized as successful, and in the future joint work in the APU expeditions will be continued.
Press service of VNIRO