Into the Wild: A History of Antarctica's Polar Stations. polar station

The Mirny polar station was founded in Antarctica on the coast of the Davis Sea as part of the First Soviet Antarctic Expedition (1955-1957). It became the main base for our country's exploration of the continent, from where all other stations were managed.

The name "Mirny" is taken from the legendary sloop, one of the ships of the expedition of Bellingshausen and Lazarev, who discovered Antarctica in January 1820. The second ship, Vostok, also gave the name to the Soviet and then Russian polar station.

IN best years station "Mirny" used to be home to 150-200 polar explorers, but recently its team is estimated at 15-20 explorers. And the function of managing all Russian bases in Antarctica was transferred to the more modern Progress station.

Vostok: the most famous Soviet station

The Vostok-1 station was founded on May 18, 1957 in the interior of Antarctica, 620 kilometers from the Mirny base. But already on December 1, the facility was closed, and the equipment was transported even deeper into the continent, to a place that eventually became known as the Vostok station (its date of birth is December 16, 1957).

Vostok became the most famous Soviet and Russian Antarctic station thanks to the record low temperature recorded there in 1983 - minus 89.2 degrees Celsius. It was "beaten" only thirty years later - in December 2013 at the Japanese station Fuji Dome, where a temperature mark of minus 91.2 degrees was noticed.

At the Vostok station, aero-meteorological, geophysical, glaciological and medical studies have been and are being carried out, where they study "ozone holes" and the properties of materials at low temperatures. And at a depth of three kilometers, it was under this station that the largest subglacial lake in Antarctica was discovered, which received the same name - Vostok.

The place where Vostok is located is one of the most severe from the weather point of view. The events of Vladimir Sanin's heroic books "72 degrees below zero", "Newbie in Antarctica" and "Trapped" take place at the station. According to these works, popular feature films were shot in Soviet times.

Pole of inaccessibility - the most remote station

The Pole of Inaccessibility Station, which existed for just under two weeks in December 1958, went down in history for two reasons. Firstly, it is located at the point of the same name in Antarctica, the most distant from the coast of the continent. The opening of the object in this place was the answer of the Soviet polar explorers to the appearance of the American base "Amundsen-Scott" at the South Pole.

Secondly, the "Pole of Inaccessibility" was decorated with a bust of Lenin, mounted on top of the pyramid that crowned the station building. This figure still rises above the icy plains of Antarctica, even when the structure itself is covered with snow.

Novolazarevskaya - polar station with a sauna

The Novolazarevskaya station, which replaced the Lazarev station closed in 1961, thundered throughout Soviet Union become legendary event, when the doctor Leonid Rogozov performed a unique operation - he cut out an inflamed appendicitis for himself.

"While you're here in the tile bath
Wash, bask, warm yourself, -
He is in the cold with his own scalpel
It cuts out the appendix, ”Vladimir Vysotsky sang about this human feat.

And in 2007, Novolazarevskaya again appeared on the front pages of Russian newspapers and news sites. The first and still the only Russian banya in Antarctica was opened there!

Bellingshausen - polar station with a church

Bellingshausen is not just a Russian research station in southern latitudes, is the spiritual center of Russian Antarctica. After all, on its territory is the Church of the Holy Trinity, brought there disassembled from Russia in 2004.

Since Bellingshausen is located in close proximity to the Chilean, Uruguayan, Korean, Brazilian, Argentinean, Polish and Peruvian stations, the employees of the latter regularly go to services in a Russian church - there are no others nearby.

Youth - the former "capital" of Antarctica

For a long time, Molodyozhnaya station was considered the capital of Soviet Antarctica. After all, it was the largest object of its kind. About seventy buildings, lined up in the streets, functioned at the base. There were not only residential complexes and research laboratories, but also an oil depot and even an airfield capable of receiving such large aircraft as the IL-76.

The station has been in operation since 1962. Up to 150 people could live and work on it at the same time. But in 1999, the Russian flag was lowered, the once year-round base was first completely mothballed, and in 2006 it was switched to a seasonal mode.

Progress is the center of the Russian presence in Antarctica

Now the main Russian polar station is Progress. It was opened in 1989 as a seasonal one, but over time, it “built up” the infrastructure and became permanent. In 2013, Progress opened a new wintering complex with a gym and sauna, fitness equipment, modern hospital equipment, tennis and billiard tables, as well as living rooms, research laboratories and a galley.

IN last years"Progress" took over most of the functions that were performed by the survivors better times Mirny and Youth. So now it is there that the administrative, scientific and logistical center of Russian Antarctica is located.

The legendary Russian polar station "Vostok" in Antarctica was established in 1957. It is located in the center of the continent, among ice and snow. Like 59 years ago, today it is a kind of symbol of the pole of inaccessibility.

The distance from the station to the South Pole is less than to the sea coast, and the population of the station does not exceed 25 people. Low temperatures, an altitude of more than three kilometers above sea level, complete isolation from the world in winter time turn it into one of the most inconvenient places for a person to stay on Earth. Despite the most difficult conditions, life in the Vostok does not stop even at -80 °C. Scientists are studying a unique subglacial lake, which is located at a depth of more than four kilometers.

Location

The scientific station "Vostok" (Antarctica) is located 1253 km from the South Pole and 1260 km from the sea coast. The ice cover here reaches a thickness of 3700 m. In winter, it is impossible to get to the station, so polar explorers have to rely only on their own strength. In summer, cargo is delivered here by plane. For the same purpose, a sledge-caterpillar train from the Progress station is also used. Previously, such trains also came from Mirny station, but today, due to the increase in hummocks along the train route, this has become impossible.

The polar station "Vostok" is located near the South geomagnetic pole of our planet. This allows you to study changes in the Earth's magnetic field. In the summer, about forty people are at the station - engineers and scientists.

Station "Vostok": history, climate

This unique science Center was built in 1957 for research and observation of the Antarctic ecosystem. Since its foundation, the Russian Vostok station in Antarctica has never stopped working, and its activities continue today. Scientists are very interested in the relic subglacial lake. In the mid-nineties, a unique drilling was carried out at the station glacial deposits. First, thermal drilling tools were used, and then electromechanical ones, on a load-carrying cable.

Drilling groups of the AANII and the Leningrad Mining Institute jointly discovered the unique underground lake Vostok. It is hidden by an ice sheet more than four thousand meters thick. Its dimensions are presumably 250x50 kilometers. Depth over 1200 meters. Its area exceeds 15.5 thousand square kilometers.

New projects are being developed to survey this deep lake. Vostok is a station in Antarctica that took part in the target federal program World Ocean. In addition, scientists are studying human life in such extreme conditions.

Climate

The polar station "Vostok" is famous for its harsh conditions. The climate of this place can be briefly described - there is no colder place on Earth. The absolute minimum temperature is recorded here - 89 ° C. Average temperatures during the year range from -31 °C and -68 °C, to the absolute maximum, which was recorded back in 1957 - -13 °C. The Polar Night lasts 120 days - from the end of April to the end of August.

The warmest months at the station are December and January. At this time, the air temperature is -35.1 °C -35.5 °C. This temperature is comparable to the cold Siberian winter. The coldest month is August. The air temperature drops to -75.3 °C, and sometimes even below -88.3 °C. The coldest maximum (daily) is -52 °C; for the entire observation period in May, the temperature does not rise above -41.6 °C. But low temperatures- this is not the main climate problem and difficulty for polar explorers.

Station "Vostok" (Antarctica) is located in an area with almost zero air humidity. There is a lack of oxygen here. The station is located at an altitude of more than three thousand meters above sea level. In such difficult conditions, acclimatization of a person lasts from a week to two months. This process is usually accompanied by flickering in the eyes, dizziness, nosebleeds, ear pain, a feeling of suffocation, high blood pressure, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, nausea, severe muscle and joint pain, weight loss up to five kilograms.

Scientific activity

"Vostok" is a station in Antarctica, whose specialists have been conducting research here for more than half a century of mineral and hydrocarbon raw materials, reserves drinking water, conduct actinometric, aero-meteorological, glaciological and geophysical observations. In addition, they conduct medical research, study climate change, conduct research on the "ozone hole", etc.

Life at the station

Vostok is a station in Antarctica where special people live and work. They are infinitely devoted to their work, they are interested in the exploration of this mysterious continent. This obsession, best sense of this word, allows them to endure all the hardships of life, a long separation from loved ones. The lives of polar explorers can be envied only by the most desperate extreme sportsmen.

Station "Vostok" (Antarctica) has many features. For example, in ordinary life we are surrounded by some insects - butterflies, mosquitoes, midges. There is nothing at the station. Not even microorganisms. The water here is from melted snow. It does not contain any minerals or salts, so at first the station workers are constantly thirsty.

We have already mentioned that researchers have been drilling a well to the mysterious Lake Vostok for a long time. In 2011, at a depth of 3540 meters, was discovered new ice, which is frozen from below. This is the frozen water of the lake. Polar explorers claim that it is clean and very pleasant in taste, it can be boiled and brewed into tea.

The building where the polar explorers live is swept up by a two-meter layer of snow. Inside daylight No. Two exits lead outside - the main and the spare. The main exit is a door, behind which a fifty-meter tunnel is dug in the snow. The emergency exit is much shorter. It is a steep staircase leading to the roof of the station.

The residential building has a wardroom, a TV hangs on the wall (although there is no on-air television at the station), and a billiard table is installed. When the temperature in this room drops to below zero, everyone tries not to go there. But one day, polar explorers found a faulty game console in a warehouse. It was repaired, connected to the TV, and the wardroom came to life - now polar explorers gather here. In warm jackets and trousers, in felt boots and hats, they come to play fisticuffs and races.

Polar explorers note that in recent years the station "Vostok" (Antarctica) has changed in everyday life. A warm residential module, dining rooms, a diesel block and other buildings necessary for the life of the station made life here quite acceptable.

Fire at Vostok station in Antarctica

On April 12, 1982, Vostok did not get in touch with the mainland. Nobody could guess what happened. According to the schedule, the station made contact nine times a day. When there was no connection even at the second agreed hour, it became clear that something extraordinary had happened. Lack of communication - in any case, an emergency. No one could have foreseen the extent of the trouble at the station then.

The station "Vostok" (Antarctica) had a separate room where the diesel-electric station was located. There the fire started on the night of March 12. It was the very beginning of wintering. A small house was attached to the power plant, in which the mechanics lived. They were awakened at four in the morning by the acrid smell of smoke.

When they went outside, they found that the fire was blazing on the roof. After a couple of minutes, all the winterers, hastily dressed, ran out into the cold. The spotlight that illuminated the area went out. The light was only from the fire.

Fighting fire

The fire was covered with snow, then they tried to cover it with a tarpaulin to prevent the access of oxygen. But the tarpaulin ignited instantly. The people who climbed onto the roof soon had to jump down. The roof burned down completely in thirty minutes.

Fifteen meters from the station there were tanks with diesel fuel. It was impossible to pull them out - they are too heavy. Luckily, the wind was blowing in the opposite direction. It was also saved by the fact that the diesel fuel was too cold, in the cold it became viscous. She had to be very hot to flare up.

The polar explorers did not immediately notice that there was not one mechanic among them. His remains were found in the ashes. Immediately after the fire, the station premises were left without heat and light, and it was -67 ° C outside ...

How to survive?

There was a real disaster. Two diesel generators, which supplied electricity to the station, and two backup ones, were completely out of order. There was no light in the rooms, the scientific instruments were de-energized, the batteries and the stove in the galley cooled down. The problem was even with water - it was obtained in an electric melter from snow. In the back room they found an old kerosene stove. She was transferred to one of the residential barracks.

Meanwhile, Moscow was frantically looking for a way out of the current situation. They consulted with pilots and sailors. But none of the options could be implemented in the harsh polar night.

Life after the fire

The polar explorers decided to survive on their own. Courageous guys did not wait for help from the mainland. A radiogram was transmitted to Moscow: "We will survive until spring." They were well aware that the icy continent does not forgive mistakes, but it is also ruthless to those who fall into despair.

Wintering continued in force majeure conditions. The polar explorers moved into one tiny living quarters. Based on gas cylinders, five new stoves were made. In this room, which was both a bedroom, and a dining room, and a kitchen, there were also scientific instruments.

The main disadvantage of the new furnaces was soot. She was collected a bucket a day. After some time, thanks to the ingenuity of the aerologist and the cook, the winterers were able to bake bread. They glued portions of the dough to the walls of the oven and thus received completely edible bread.

In addition to hot food and warmth, light was needed. And then these strong people began to make candles, using the available paraffin and asbestos cord. "Candle Factory" worked until the end of wintering.

Work continues!

Despite the incredible conditions, polar explorers increasingly began to think about continuing their scientific activities. But this was due to a huge shortage of electricity. The only surviving engine satisfied only the needs of radio communications and electric welding. They were simply "afraid to breathe" on him.

However, the meteorologist interrupted his observations of the weather only during a fire. After the tragedy, he worked as usual. Looking at him, the magnetologist resumed his work.

The rescue

This is how wintering went - in the absence of sunlight, with a lack of oxygen, with enormous domestic inconveniences. But these people survived, which in itself is a feat. They have not lost self-control and "taste" to work. They lasted 7.5 months, as promised to the Moscow curators, in extreme circumstances.

In early November, an Il-14 plane flew to the station, which delivered a new generator and four new winterers from the next, 28th expedition. There was also a doctor among the passengers of the long-awaited plane. According to him, he expected to see demoralized and exhausted people at the station. However, these guys were fine.

And fifteen days later a sledge-tractor train arrived from Mirny. He delivered building materials and products, as well as everything for the construction of a power plant. After that, time at the station went faster: everyone tried to make up for the accumulated "debts" on scientific research.

When the shift arrived, the courageous polar explorers were sent by plane to Mirny. The remains of the deceased were delivered on the same board. He was buried in the Antarctic "Novodevichy" cemetery. The rest of the polar explorers transferred to the ship "Bashkiria", which delivered them to Leningrad. Today, all of them are alive and well, and some of them managed to take part in the Antarctic expedition again during this time.

Station "Vostok": visiting rules

Tourists, as well as trained travelers, are not invited to the station - this is an exclusively scientific center. Nevertheless, it is still possible to visit the "East". To do this, those who wish must contact the Institute and convincingly prove why the station needs them. The minimum requirements for applicants are good health and many useful skills.

Half a century ago, on February 22, 1968, one of the first Soviet polar stations, Bellingshausen, was opened, which received its name in honor of the discoverer of Antarctica Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen. For its construction, they chose King George Island, which is part of the South Shetland Islands. The employees of the station, like other temporary settlers of the Antarctic, have been and are engaged in geographical, geological, and biological studies of the continent. Antarctica is still unexplored, new scientific data about it can be obtained every day. In the summer, about five thousand people work on the mainland, and no more than a thousand remain for the winter.

There are still many abandoned buildings in Antarctica. different years Today they are visited mainly by tourists.

Permanent stations in Antarctica began to be actively built in the 1940s. Territorial claims to the mainland were then voiced by Germany, Great Britain, Argentina and Chile. In 1954, an Australian station appeared here, in 1956 - a French one (Dumont d'Urville), an American one (McMurdo, one of the largest) and a Soviet one (Mirny).

In 1959, an international treaty on Antarctica was signed. The document provides for the demilitarization of the mainland, turning it into a nuclear-free zone and using it in the interests of all mankind for the sake of scientific research. The sixth continent also does not have any institutions of power and citizenship. But it has its own flag and even an Internet domain - .aq.

All Antarctic explorers face local harsh climatic conditions. On the mainland, the temperature is usually -20-25 °C, and in 1983, a record temperature of -89.2 °C was recorded near the Russian Vostok station.

Approximately 70% of the fresh water planet Earth. Despite this, the sixth continent is famous for its unusually dry air. No more than 10 cm of precipitation falls here per year. One of the most interesting places here - the so-called McMurdo dry valleys, covering an area of ​​\u200b\u200babout 8000 square kilometers. These valleys are almost free of ice - so strong winds blow here. For millennia, there was no precipitation at all in this region.

There are no time zones in Antarctica. The researchers who are here live according to the time of their states. And wherever you look, everywhere is north.

Curiously, once Antarctica had its own nuclear power plant. It functioned for almost 12 years, from 1960 to 1972, and was located at the American McMurdo station. Now energy is produced here with the help of solar panels and wind turbines. In addition, at every opportunity, fuel is thrown onto the mainland.

The area of ​​polar stations with all the buildings and equipment is usually small - this is especially noticeable from the air - but inside there is always everything you need for year-round living, including a canteen, a hospital and a gym.

There are even small shops at large stations frequented by tourists. In addition, the southernmost bar in the world is located in Antarctica - at the Akademik Vernadsky station, which belongs to Ukraine.

The true geographic and the so-called ceremonial South Pole are two different things. The first is inconspicuous, and the second is surrounded by flags and is a favorite place for photographing tourists who have reached here.

A trip to the South Pole today can be safely called the most expensive trip in the world: a flight from Chile or South Africa will cost several tens of thousands of dollars. Also, several tens of thousands of people annually sail to the coast on cruise ships, but no more than a hundred get deep into the continent and reach the very pole.

Photo: DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI / Contributor / Getty Images, Probably William Speirs Bruce, 1867-1921 / commons.wikimedia.org Marketa Jirouskova / Getty Images, Delta Images / Getty Images, Martin Harvey / Getty Images, Hubertus Kanus (x2 ) / Getty Images, Johner Images / Getty Images, cunfek / Getty Images, Hubertus Kanus / Getty Images, WanRu Chen / Getty Images, Stefan Christmann / Getty Images, David Merron Photography (in announcement) / Getty Images, SammyVision / Getty Images, wigwam press / Getty Images, Grant Dixon / Getty Images, DR. DAVID MILLAR/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images

The beginning of the work of the station is not marked at all by the solemn moment of raising the Russian flag over the wardroom. Officially, the drifting station begins its work from the moment the first weather report is transmitted to the AARI, and from there to the global meteorological network. Since the Arctic is known to be the kitchen of the weather, this data provides meteorologists with extremely valuable information. The study of baric (pressure, wind speed and direction at various altitudes) and temperature profiles of the atmosphere using probes up to a height of 30 km is used not only for weather prediction - these data can later be used for fundamental scientific purposes, such as refining models of atmospheric physics, and for applied ones, for example, ensuring aircraft flights. All these data are the responsibility of meteorologists and aerologists.

The work of a meteorologist may seem simple - it is the removal of weather data and their sending to Roshydromet. To do this, a set of sensors is located on a 10-meter meteorological mast that measures wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity, visibility and pressure. All information, including from remote sensors (snow and ice temperatures, solar radiation intensity), flows to the weather station. Although the data is taken from the station remotely, it is far from always possible to carry out measurements without going to the weather site. “The cups of the anemometers and the radiation protection of the weather booth, where the temperature and air humidity sensors are located, freeze over, they have to be cleaned of frost (to access the upper part of the mast, the latter is made 'breaking')," explains meteorologist SP-36 Ilya Bobkov.- A during the thawing period, the stretchers constantly have to be fixed so that the mast is stable.In addition, the station is not designed to work in conditions of such severe frosts, below -40 ° C, so we built in heating - an ordinary 40-watt incandescent lamp. Of course, there are stations , designed for such low temperatures, but they are less accurate.

Everything is visible from above

At SP-36, for the first time in the history of Arctic research, a light 5-kg UAV of the Kazan company Enix with a wingspan of 140 cm and a range of 15 km was tested in operation (the same device will keep watch on SP-37). True, it was used primarily not for scientific purposes, but to ensure the life and safety of the station - reconnaissance of the ice situation in the immediate environment. In particular, the device very clearly recorded those cracks that passed through the ice floe SP-36 on April 12 - they were clearly visible on the pictures. The methodology for using UAVs is still being worked out, one of the companies in St. Petersburg is cooperating with AARI in the field of processing and linking images transmitted from UAVs. Over time, it is planned to equip the UAV with various sensors to collect scientific information (the station has already experimented with the installation of aerological sensors).

Above 10 m is the area of ​​work of aerologists. “We study the upper layers of the atmosphere with the help of aerological probes,” explains Sergey Ovchinnikov, lead engineer-aerologist of SP-36. - The probe is a box weighing 140 g, it is attached to a balloon - a balloon with a volume of about 1.5 m³, filled with hydrogen, which is obtained chemically in a high-pressure gas generator - from ferrosilicon powder, caustic soda and water. The probe has a built-in GPS receiver, telemetry transmitter, as well as temperature, pressure and humidity sensors. Every two seconds, the probe transmits information along with its coordinates to a ground receiving station.” The coordinates of the probe allow you to calculate its movement, wind speed and direction at different heights (height is determined by the barometric method). The electronics of the probe is powered by a water-filling battery, which is previously kept in water for several minutes (life jackets with emergency beacons are equipped with such power sources).

“Probes are launched every day at 0000 and 1200 GMT, weather permitting, with strong wind the probe simply "nails" to the ground. In less than a year, 640 releases took place, - says Sergey Ovchinnikov. - The average ascent height was 28,770 m, the maximum was 32,400 m. lift swells, and then bursts, and the probe falls to the ground. True, it is almost impossible to find it, so the device is disposable, albeit expensive.”

Water

“The main emphasis in our work is on measuring current parameters, as well as temperature, electrical conductivity, water density,” says oceanologist SP-36 Sergey Kuzmin. world level. Now we use profilograph devices that allow us to measure the flow velocity using the transverse Doppler effect in several layers.

We mainly studied the Atlantic currents, the upper boundary of which is at a depth of 180–220 m, and the core is 270–400 m.” In addition to studying the currents, a daily study of the water column was provided using a probe that measured electrical conductivity and temperature, every six days studies were carried out at a depth of up to 1000 m in order to "capture" the Atlantic waters, and once a week the probe was lowered to the entire maximum length of the cable - 3400 m to study the deep layers. “In some areas,” Sergey Kuzmin explains, “a geothermal effect can be observed in the deep layers.”

Houses on the ice

The drifting station consists of several houses placed on an ice floe. The houses, called PDKO (Polar House of Kanaki-Ovchinnikov), are assembled from shields - layers of bakelite plywood, between which a thick layer of foam is laid as a heater. The shields are interconnected with special locks, insulation (felt) is stuffed into the cracks, and the house becomes quite habitable. Of course, subject to the availability of heating - either electric (oil heaters and fan heaters), or special stoves on kerosene or diesel fuel.
The life of the people at the station literally words depends on the fuel - diesel fuel for diesel power plants (DPP). Therefore, fuel is taken with a margin - almost a thousand barrels (about 180 tons, about 110 tons were consumed in a year). The barrels are distributed among the fuel depots - ice floes are placed in various places, in case some of the fuel is lost when cracks occur. Energy is provided by two 30-kW DPP diesel engines, which operate alternately for 500 hours (before changing the oil), another diesel engine is in standby mode. In addition to diesel fuel for diesel power plants and tractors, the station has a small supply of gasoline, which runs snowmobiles, and aviation kerosene - this allows you to refuel aircraft arriving at the station in spring and summer.

The task of oceanologists at SP-36 also included the collection of samples for subsequent analysis by hydrochemists. “Three times during wintering — in spring, summer and autumn — we took an ice core, which was then melted at room temperature, the resulting water was passed through a filter, then frozen again,” Sergey says. “Both the filter and the ice were packed in a special way for further analysis. In the same way, samples of snow and under-ice water were taken. They also took air samples - with the help of an aspirator, which pumped air through several filters that trap the smallest particles. Previously, in this way, it was possible, for example, to detect the pollen of some plant species, which flies to the polar regions from Canada and the Russian taiga.”

They try to install the weather tower away from the "residential area" and especially from the diesel power plant in order to exclude the influence of extraneous factors on the readings of sensitive sensors.

Why study currents? “By comparing with the data accumulated in previous years, we can find out climate trends,” Sergei replies. “Such an analysis will make it possible to understand, for example, the behavior of ice in the Arctic Ocean, which is extremely important not only in a fundamental sense, but also in a purely applied one, for example, in the development natural resources Arctic".

Snow

The program of special meteorological research included several sections. The structure of the snow-ice cover, its thermophysical and radiation properties, that is, how it reflects and absorbs solar radiation, was studied. “The fact is that snow has a high reflectivity, and according to this characteristic, for example, on satellite images, it is very similar to a cloud layer,” explains meteorologist Sergey Shutilin. - Especially in winter, when the temperature here and there is several tens of degrees below zero. I studied the thermophysical properties of snow as a function of temperature, wind, cloud cover and solar radiation.” The penetration of solar radiation (of course, during the polar day) through snow and ice to various depths (including water) was also measured. The morphology of snow and its thermophysical properties—temperature at various depths, density, porosity, and fractional composition of crystals in different layers—were also studied. These data, together with radiation characteristics, will help refine the description of snow and ice cover in models different levels- both in global climatic and regional ones.

Left: weather data is taken from the weather station remotely, but meteorologists rarely manage to sit in the warmth - the mast often freezes over, the anemometers stop rotating and they have to be cleaned of frost. Right: Ice thickness is measured using measuring rods, which are lowered into holes drilled by a power drill on a special ice range.

During the polar day, measurements were made of ultraviolet reaching the Earth's surface, and on the polar night, gas analyzers were used to study the concentrations of carbon dioxide, ground-level ozone, and methane, whose emissions in the Arctic are apparently associated with geological processes. With the help of a special gas analyzer, it was also possible to obtain, according to Sergei Shutilin, unique data on the fluxes of carbon dioxide and water vapor through the surface of snow and ice: “Previously, there was a model according to which melt water from the coast fell into the ocean, the ocean anaerobic processes took place. And after the surface was freed from ice, a stream of carbon dioxide went into the atmosphere. We found that the flow is going to reverse side: when there is no ice, then into the ocean, and when there is - into the atmosphere! However, this may also depend on the area - for example, measurements on the SP-35, which drifted closer to the south and to the shelf seas in the Eastern Hemisphere, are consistent with the above hypothesis. So more research is needed."

The crack that went through the ice floe, fortunately, bypassed the station camp. Such cracks are one of the most serious dangers for people on a drifting station.

Ice

The ice is now attracted to the most close attention, because it is a clear indicator of the processes taking place in the Arctic. Therefore, its study is extremely important. First of all, this is an assessment of the mass balance of ice. It melts in summer and grows in winter, so regular measurements of its thickness using measuring rods at a designated site make it possible to estimate the rate of ice floe melting or growth, and these data can then be used to refine various formation models perennial ice. “At SP-36, the landfill occupied an area of ​​80x100 m, and from October to May, 8,400 tons of ice accumulated on it,” says Vladimir Churun. “Can you imagine how much ice has grown on the entire ice floe measuring 5x6 km!”

“We also took several cores of young and old ice, which will be studied at the AARI - chemical composition, mechanical properties, morphology,” says SP-36 ice explorer Nikita Kuznetsov. “This information can be used to refine various climate models, as well as, for example, for engineering purposes, including for the construction of icebreakers.”

The activity of polar stations in the Arctic is the basis for monitoring natural processes in environment: in the ocean and on land. These results are needed not only for direct use in current human activities in the Arctic, but also for the accumulation and improvement of the base of long-term observations, which are necessary to study natural processes that affect the climate, and hence the prospects for human life around the globe.

Back in the 1870s, it became clear that the study of territories in the Arctic by the forces of scattered expeditions could not give results that would allow fundamental research in the Arctic Ocean zone. In a word, the idea of ​​creating some kind of permanent polar stations, systematically taking readings, was in the air.

Considering the Arctic the key to many mysteries of nature, the Austrian researcher Karl Weyprecht proposed the idea of ​​complex observations carried out year-round with a single instrument and at the same time. This idea formed the basis for the creation of polar scientific stations in the Arctic. True, it took 7 years to implement the idea.

IN Soviet time such stations ensured the operation of the Northern sea ​​route, research of the territory and water area of ​​the Soviet Arctic. All this contributed to the development of shipping and aviation in the Arctic.

Such stations are now increasingly active in Russia, providing systematic research in the field of meteorology, hydrology, aerology, geophysics, actinometry, and others. Scientists also conduct research related to the problems of preserving the biological diversity of the region.

Speaking about the Russian polar stations in the Arctic, most often they recall their rapid development in Soviet period. However, Russia began to use them much earlier. During the First International Polar Year (1882-83), two Russian stations participated in the research - Small Karamakuly on Novaya Zemlya and Sagastyr in the Lena delta. In 1913-1915, 4 more polar stations began to work - Yugorsky Shar, about. Vaigach, Marre-Sale station on the Yamal Peninsula and on about. Dixon.

Polar stations in the Arctic were further developed already in the USSR, where the development of the North was one of the most important areas of economic and defense activities, new polar Arctic stations appeared during this period almost every year:

• 1920 - at the mouth of the Yenisei,
• 1922 - in the Matochkin Shar Strait,
• 1924 - on the Gulf of Ob,
• 1928 - on Bolshoi Lyakhovsky Island,
• 1929 - in Franz Josef Land,
• 1930 - Russia declared itself on Severnaya Zemlya,
• 1932 - on Rudolf Island,
• 1933 - in the village of Amderma on the coast of the Kara Sea,
• 1934 - at Cape Sterligov.

In the 1930s, Russia was actively developing the eastern region - in addition to the stations operating at that time on Wrangel Island and Cape Shalaurov, many stations were added, both on the mainland (the settlements of Uelen, Tiksi) and on the islands (Four-Stolbovoy, Bear, Kotelny, De- Long and others).

In 1937, Russia's first drifting polar platform, the North Pole-1, was opened.

By the 1940s, the network consisted of 75 stations, and by 1985 Russia was already operating 110 main stations, not counting drifting, expeditionary ships, etc.
The number of polar stations in the Arctic was significantly reduced in the 90s of the last century. Lack of funding and lack of interest in this sector in Russia has led to the closure of up to 50% of stations.

In the 2000s, the situation began to improve, Russia began to strengthen its positions, and interest in the Arctic region increased. If in 2006 there were only 52 polar stations in the Arctic, by 2016 there were already 68 of them, today it is planned to increase their number to 75, as well as to increase the number of automatic stations.