As part of the State Programme Environmental Protection for 2012-2020. A federal budget subsidy amounting to 205.209 million roubles has been allocated for the resumption of national research expeditions to the Arctic. This will ensure steady progress in Russia’s activities in the world ocean, including those related to the needs of growing nature resource use in the Arctic and protecting the region’s environment.
Reference
Submitted by the Ministry of Natural Resources in pursuance of the Foundations of the Russian Federation’s State Policy in the Arctic until 2020 and beyond with regard to the development of research in the high altitude Arctic regions.
The North Pole drifting stations are a crucial factor in ensuring Russia’s presence in high altitude Arctic regions establishing Russia’s priority in integrated research in the Arctic.
The Arctic drifting station programme was launched in 1937 but was suspended in the summer of 2013 due to unfavourable ice conditions caused by abnormal natural processes in the Arctic basin.
Following a proposal of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Rosgidromet), in 2015 the North Pole station will operate in a seasonal mode, rather that year-round. In this connection the drifting station launched on 19 April 2015 is positioned as North Pole 2015 (hereinafter, the station). The total duration of field activities, including landing and evacuation, is estimated at two and a half to three months. The station is located in the area of the geographical North Pole in the vicinity of the ice camp of the Russian Geographical Society. The station’s staff is estimated at 16 persons.
The principal objectives of the station’s operation are ongoing and enhanced integrated research of the environment in the central part of the Arctic basin, which is essential for improving the hydrometeorological methods of securing economic activities in the Arctic region; the study of physical and hydrobiological processes impacting or affected by global and regional climate change.
The station will be set up by the Polar Fund – Polar Research Foundation non-profit organisation (hereinafter, the Foundation) set up in 2000 by the inter-regional public organisation Polar Researcher Association and a group of individual scientists and polar researchers.
The inter-agency research programme will be executed at the station by Rosgidromet, the Russian Academy of Sciences and Sevmorgeo company. The logistical support will be provided by a number of airlines and the Expedition Centre of the Russian Geographical Society’s Expedition Organisation Fund.
The signed instruction approves a 2015 federal budget subsidy of 205.209 million roubles to the Fund for setting up a North Pole drifting station as part of the Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring subprogramme within the State Programme Environmental Protection for 2012-2020. The funds will be allocated from the budget means earmarked in the federal budget for Rosgidromet for 2015.
The decision will revive national research expeditions to the Arctic Ocean, ensure steady progress in Russia’s activities in the world ocean, including those related to the needs of growing nature resource use in the Arctic and protecting the region’s environment.