The Arctic Floating University expedition is back in Murmansk,after a sweeping journey through the northeast Barents Sea,Novaya Zemlya,and Franz Josef Land islands. This year's mission,spanning July 1 to July 22,2026, scored a first — landing on Prince George Land,expedition leader Alexander Saburov said.
Saburov noted the team ticked off all planned tasks despite tough weather that forced some plan changes. They made four landings on Franz Josef Land Archipelago,a site not visited since 2021. Data gathered will boost understanding of climate-hit Arctic ecosystems.
Traveling roughly 3,000 nautical miles on the Professor Molchanov, team worked at 48 stations across four oceanographic sections . They measured and sampled water to study warm, salty Atlantic waters flowing into the Barents Sea . Hydro-chemical tests identified three distinct water masses.
Grasping the marine carbonate system and CO2 exchange at water-atmosphere boundary is key,as oceans absorb atmospheric CO2,regulating climate. This trip was first to monitor Barents Sea bottom communities, allowing comparisons with 20-year-old data.
At Tikhaya Bay on Hooker Island, researchers repeated a 2006 dredging station study to track fauna changes over 20 years. In Sommerville Bay on Prince George Land,they collected seabed samples for first time,filling a research gap on local marine life.
Samples showed a rich mix of macrozoobenthos: Chionoecetes opilio crabs, northern shrimp,sea lilies,Ophiurida stars,sea urchins,soft corals, various polychaete worms, and bivalves. Microbiologists also studied seabird species as disease vectors,noting 22 bird species in Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land colonies. A new kittiwake colony was found in Sommerland Bay.
Saburov highlighted success in confirming reproduction for 15 bird species . Marine mammals were plentiful too, with 90 sightings of 13 species,including seven in Russia's Red Data Book. Bowhead whales and a male narwhal were spotted in ice-free waters between Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land. Four well-fed polar bears were also seen.
The expedition conducted its first insect survey on Franz Josef Land's islands . A Zoology Institute researcher noted insect diversity there is lower than on Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya's Severny Island,due to harsher climates and isolation.
The Arctic Floating University expedition is organized by Lomonosov Northern Arctic Federal University and Sevhydromet . Key sponsors include the Ministry of Science and Higher Education,Russian Geographical Society, VTB,and Norilsk Nickel Company, with support from MIPT's Floating University Coordination Center.
