The duration of the drifting expedition North Pole 41, which is carried out on the world's first ice-resistant self-propelled platform (IR-SPP), has been extended until the spring of 2024.
The world's first IR-SPP North Pole is designed for year-round expeditions in the northern latitudes of the Arctic Ocean; it is capable of arriving at the work site without the involvement of an icebreaker, drifting in the water for up to two years and returning to the port. As TASS notes, the next expedition will start in August 2024.
Director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute Alexander Makarov noted that the extension of the expedition is connected with the drift trajectory of the ice floe that the platform is attached to. During the journey, the platform has already covered about 4,000 km along a complex route; the distance covered in a straight line was 1,200 km.
Makarov noted that at the current stage of the expedition, scientists have already collected valuable data on the influence of Pacific waters on the waters of the central part of the Arctic Ocean. He explained that flows from the Pacific Ocean in the region have not previously been thoroughly studied, unlike waters from the Atlantic. Geologists also managed to collect samples of bottom sediments from the Arctic Ocean, which will help clarify the map of the geological structure in this area of the planet.
Theodor Lisovoy, Editor in Chief of the European bureau, Rough&Polished
