Results of the expedition to the North Pole on the icebreaker “50 let pobedy”

Abstract

The article presents the results of the expeditionary investigations carried out from the 50 Let Pobedy nuclear icebreaker to research the present physiographic conditions of the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean and estimations of the main features that may reflect the global climatic variability of the seas and oceans of the Arctic. The observations of the ice lanes, hummocks, puddles, icebergs, the thickness and closeness of ice allowed us to make a real picture of the ice cover in the second half of August 2017. The zonal distribution of drifting ice, air temperature, temperature and salinity of seawater is shown. The results of observations and conclusions presented in the article reflect the simultaneous situation of the most western part of the Central Arctic adjacent to the Norwegian-Greenland basin. The analysis of new data of the structure and distribution of sea ice and icebergs gives a reason to present a number of general conclusions about the variability of ice thickness and closeness, relative age, the ratio of the area covered with ice and pure water. Recommendations about the development of new satellite systems for a reliable assessment of the seasonal and inter-annual dynamics of the area and thickness of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean are presented.