Drifting long-lived. To the 50ʰᵗ anniversary of the opening of the “North Pole-22” station

Abstract

The national drifting station “North Pole-22” (NP-22 or SP-22) had been opened on September 13, 1973 in the Arctic on the big ice island and operated for 3130 days. Now it is the longest operating observational station in the history of Arctic studies of the USSR and the Russian Federation. For eight and a half years, its total drift amounted 17,069 km. During that period a wide complex of scientific programs in oceanography, geophysics, meteorology, glaciology, hydrography, hydrobiology was carried out here. In addition, field tests and implementation of new types of scientific instruments and introduction of new expeditionary polar equipment into the observation practice were performed. For the first time in the practice of the drifting NP/SP stations, oblique sounding of the ionosphere, observations of fine thermohaline structure of waters of the active layer of the Arctic Ocean were carried out. Geographical coordinates of the station drift were determined using Soviet satellite navigation systems; a complex for recording satellite images of the ice cover was deployed; investigations of the arctic ecosystems were made. Specific experiments were conducted aimed at the natural decomposition of heavy hydrocarbons by the ultraviolet solar radiation. The ice airfield of this station received 1,511 flights of aircraft and helicopters, delivering 2,961 tons of expedition cargos. Landings on this airfield were provided by flight teams of the High-Latitude Air Expedition “Sever” of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute and the Hydrographic Service of the Northern Fleet. Foreign specialists repeatedly visited the station. For the nine rotations of polar explorers who worked at the NP/SP-22, its personnel amounted to 249 people, many of them several times worked at this drifting station in different years. The work of the NP/SP-22 team was appreciated by the government authorities of the USSR.