White spots of white silence

The Russian drifting polar station “North Pole-32” begins to operate in the Arctic. The size of the ice floe, which became the base of the station, is impressive - three by five kilometers, and the thickness of the ice is on average 4 - 5 meters. There are 12 participants in the expedition. For now they are living in tents, but in the coming days they must assemble seven modular houses - for the accommodation of polar explorers and for equipping laboratories. The Russian drifting ice station program "North Pole" is being revived after a twelve-year hiatus. The last, 31st polar expedition ended in 1991 when the ice floe on which the station was located fell into warm waters and practically collapsed. And the first expedition, led by the legendary Ivan Papanin, landed on drifting ice near the North Pole back in 1937. The initiator of the revival of drifting ice stations was the St. Petersburg Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute... However, someone may think that the romantic times of harsh discoverers are a thing of the past...

Many believe that the time of geographical discoveries has long passed. And really, what new can be found on a planet whose every nook and cranny has been photographed many times from space? No matter how it is! A real geographical discovery was made by Russian scientists who compiled a map of one of the most mysterious places on the planet - the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. Covered by a thick shell of ice, until very recently it represented a white spot for humanity.
The map was born last year, and more recently, a team of Russian scientists, including the director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Doctor of Geographical Sciences Ivan Frolov, was awarded the Russian Government Prize for 2002 “For creating a relief map of the Arctic Ocean bottom to solve multi-sectoral problems and realize Russia’s national interests in the Arctic.”
The map reflects the bottom topography of the Arctic Ocean in every detail. Until very recently, it could not be scanned from space or studied using a bathyscaphe. The ice was in the way. Mathematical models helped to map the top of the Earth - a data bank was loaded into computers and smart machines produced a map.
Just? Only to the uninitiated eye. It's all about the information that needed to be included. And it was assembled over 60 years and exclusively by Soviet specialists.
“In Soviet times, large-scale research was carried out in the Arctic that no other state in the world could afford,” says Ivan Frolov. - Only the USSR had drifting polar stations and conducted year-round observations for decades. The Americans landed polar explorers on their shores for one or two months, then they needed rest and recovery. And Soviet specialists stood on watch for a year. In total, all our stations have operated for about 30 thousand days, and the total distance traveled by them is about 170 thousand kilometers.
Research in the Soviet Union began in 1937 from the North Pole-1 station, when four Papanins were landed on an ice floe. The study of the Arctic resumed in the 50s with the beginning of the so-called “jumping” expeditions “North”. Polar explorers settled on an ice floe, carried out scientific work, and as soon as things began to crack under their feet, they “jumped” to a new, solid section of ice.
All expeditions carried out a huge number of measurements, including geological and hydrographic. The military did not sit idly by either - they studied the bottom horizons from submarines. All this material became the basis for drawing up the map.
What is it like, the bottom of the Arctic Ocean?
“At the beginning of the last century it was considered flat,” comments Ivan Frolov. - But as it turned out in reality, it was very complex - with mountains, gorges, straits, bays, depressions. The maximum depth is 4 kilometers, and the Lomonosov Ridge rises from this depth 2 kilometers to the surface of the water. A colossal mountain range. The Gulf Stream turns to the North Pole of the earth, the water under the ice is relatively warm. This is what affects the ice.
It turns out that ice in the Arctic lasts a maximum of seven years. Ice floes, freezing off the coast, drift to the pole, and from there, under the influence of wind and currents, to Greenland. That is why expeditions are called drifting and cover thousands of kilometers. For example, the famous Papaninskaya, landed at the North Pole, covered a distance of 2,500 kilometers in 9 months and was removed off the coast of Greenland by icebreakers.
The ocean ice map was not published for the sake of “love of art”; it is also a matter of great national importance.
“The map finally clearly shows the boundary of the continental shelf,” continues Ivan Frolov. - According to international law, the shelf zone belongs to the state that owns the coastal territories. As is known, such zones are extremely rich in natural resources. It has been proven that the Arctic continental shelf of Russia is part of a colossal oil and gas superbasin, on the outskirts of which giant deposits of oil and gas, placer gold, tin, and diamonds have been discovered. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, the potential of the Arctic shelf in the Russian sector is approximately 90 billion tons of standard fuel.
In short, Russia, in accordance with the article of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, can claim to increase its territory by more than 1.2 million square kilometers. And get the keys to a real natural storeroom.
Although politically this is a very difficult task. The division of the Arctic pie will stir up a lot of controversy. Thus, Norway is already laying claim to a section of the Russian shelf, which our geologists call the “Fedynsky uplift.” According to forecasts, gas reserves in this area are similar to the largest Shtokman field, and oil reserves are similar to those of the Timan-Pechora province.
“Russia urgently needs to sort out all the legal issues,” says Ivan Frolov. - The claims of the Russian government have already been submitted for consideration to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) at the UN. At the same time, we must not forget about the legal framework at the level of national legislation. The State Duma is preparing for consideration a draft Federal Law “On the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation.” But, unfortunately, for a very long time, almost since 1999. This way you can waste time...

Lina ZERNOVA