Results of ecological studies of the Russian arctic seas

Environmental studies of the Russian seas of the polar zone do not lose their relevance due to the threatening impact of negative factors on their ecosystem. The ships of the Russian Academy of Sciences regularly carry out programs for a comprehensive study of the ecological state of the Russian Arctic seas. Institute of Oceanology named after P.P. Shirshov RAS, together with co-executing organizations in 2004-2020, carried out systematic expeditionary work in the seas of the Russian Arctic, aimed at studying regional ecosystems. At the same time, the features of environmental studies are associated with the presence of burials of radioactive underwater objects and waste from the operation of nuclear power plants in the water area of Novaya Zemlya, as well as a comprehensive study of ecosystems in the water areas of other Arctic seas. The expeditionary work carried out was aimed at clarifying the location and condition of potentially dangerous underwater objects, as well as the degree of impact of dumped radioactive objects on the aquatic environment. As practice has shown, the complex use of hydroacoustic, magnetometric and video systems, technical means of sampling and radiation analysis of samples of surface and bottom water, as well as bottom sediments, is very effective for the detection and examination of such underwater objects. The article also reflects the results of expeditionary ecological work in the Barents, Kara, Laptev and East Siberian seas.