Commentary: Arctic Research in Russia

Abstract

The Russian Republic has an arctic zone of 2.5 million sq. km, including vast territories to the north of the Arctic Circle, the seas of the Arctic Ocean and many archipelagoes. Russian arctic research dates back to the 18th century and today is more important than ever, covering a broad spectrum of activities in the physical and biological sciences, economics, political science, defense and external affairs and involving the participation of many institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Their primary immediate concerns are 1) the existence of rich natural resources and their importance in the developing market economy; 2) ecological problems; 3) national security; and 4) establishing domestic legislation and international agreements to regulate development in the Arctic. ... The Russian Academy of Sciences has created a special program to study the economic and social problems of all of Russian, and within this program there is a focus on the arctic and northern regions. ... In 1991 a joint interagency program called "the Arctic" was started. This program, involving the participation of 140 different research bodies in 17 departments, covers the priority directions in basic and applied sciences. The Arctic Research Center leads the research on economic and social problems within this "Arctic" program, collaborating with more than 35 institutes in working on the concept of arctic development. I would like to stress that practically all research is done in the framework of academic, regional, republic, federal and international programs. ... It is obvious that Russian cooperation with other countries should not be confined to bilateral government agreements, but should also involve researchers, institutes and universities in each country. Such cooperation will promote scientific links and joint research projects on the problems related to the Arctic and the North. To further such international cooperation, it is useful to have exchanges of information, publications and experts themselves and to engage in concrete joint projects. Among the areas of mutual interest are: 1) monitoring the environment, ecology and meteorology of the Arctic, including dealing with the problem of radioactive waste; 2) studying the dynamics of the ecosystems and forecasting the course of natural processes near islands and the coastal arctic shelf; 3) studying the geology of the Arctic Ocean basin and its environs, as well as the geology of particular arctic regions, doing a comparative study of their mineral resources; 4) developing facilities, hardware and expertise suitable for arctic research; 5) developing technology and expertise for geophysical exploration in an ice-covered environment; 6) undertaking economic development and rational management of natural resources; 7) analyzing the socio-economic implications of arctic exploration; 8) facilitating the socio-economic development of native peoples; and 9) conducting comprehensive medical and ecological studies of human adaptation to arctic conditions. Russian scientists hope that through international cooperation we will strengthen our mutual interests in arctic research and development.