The expedition organised by Rosneft Oil Company’s Arctic Research Institute and Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences is departing from Arkhangelsk to the northern part of the Arctic Ocean. The research vessel is carrying aboard a team of scientists to monitor the polar bear population and the Atlantic subspecies of walrus in waters of the Kara and Barents Seas, as well as Franz Josef Land, for a month. Scientists will repeat their 2020 route in order to confirm the data on the number of animals and obtain new information on the genetic traits and migration routes of mammals listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Environmental protection is one of the key priorities for Rosneft Oil Company in its operations. The Company implements a number of initiatives designed to preserve and restore natural resources, as well as to study arctic animals – the most important bioindicators of the state of the environmental.

The expedition programme includes comprehensive research, which will be conducted on land (the territory of the Russian Arctic National Park), at sea, and from air. Aerial survey of animals using small, silent drones is the safest and most accurate way to determine population size today. The installation of trail cameras to track life on the Arctic islands at different times of the year is also planned. In addition, scientists will assess the state of the food supply of mammals with the help of unmanned underwater vehicles. The Marine Research Centre of the Moscow State University will carry out work on the study of benthos communities.

Rosneft
Information Division
August 12, 2021

Keywords: Environmental News 2021