«Khatanga-Winter 2017» expedition completes field studies in the Arctic Region
Ice-exploration expedition «Khatanga-Winter 2017» organized by Rosneft together with the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute and Arctic Research Centre completed field studies in the Khatanga Bay and the southern part of the Laptev Sea. A comprehensive study of the Arctic region was conducted for the first time at the newest year-round scientific and research base of Rosneft located on the shore of the Khara-Tumus Peninsula in the Khatanga Bay of the Laptev Sea.
During the expedition, which lasted about two months, the scientists studied in detail and determined the morphometric parameters of the ice cover and the internal structure of hummocks and stamukhas, as well as the dynamic characteristics of the ice cover (the speed and direction of ice drift) and the physical and mechanical properties of the ice, the nature of weather and water masses.
The Company's experts assessed the positional relation of ice formations and described the ice cover. 40 drifting buoys were set upon the ice.
The research was conducted at 40 ice bases. Within the expedition framework 23 hummocks and 17 stamukhas were explored, over a thousand assessments of ice structural behavior were performed, 80 core samples of ice were taken in order to determine its physical properties.
The researchers used a helicopter Mi-8МТВ, as well as unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles.
«Khatanga-Winter 2017» is the third ice-exploration expedition of the Company to the Ust-Olenek and Ust-Lensk licence areas and the first one to the Khatanga licence area.
All the works conducted were carried out taking into account strict requirements for environmental and industrial safety.
Note for Editors:
Rosneft has organized sixteen scientific research expeditions to the Arctic. Since then the Company has accumulated a huge amount of unique scientific data of particular importance for the global science.
In Autumn 2016 Rosneft opened the scientific and research base in the Arctic Region located on the shore of the Khara-Tumus Peninsula in the Khatanga Bay of the Laptev Sea.
The field camp was created in order to solve tasks of conducting winter research expeditions within the Company's licenced areas in the Laptev Sea, as well as to serve as a scientific ground for testing new Arctic technologies and materials, in particular ice conditions control technologies.
The year-round monitoring of meteorological, actinometric, hydrological and ice conditions of the Khatanga Bay is being carried out at the base. There is a functioning weather station in the region, one of eight stations installed within the framework of Rosneft research expeditions.
The equipped base allows receiving natural environment and climatic data in the Khatanga Bay region throughout the year to ensure safe development of the licensed areas.
Rosneft
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June 9, 2017