TOMSK, Oct 31 – RIA Tomsk. The underwater robots created with the assistance of scientists of the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) successfully passed tests in the Arctic where they were used for studying of underwater permafrost, the deputy director for development of TPU Institute of Cybernetics Dmitry Sonkin reported.
Earlier it was reported that TPU realizes the megaproject "Telecommunication monitoring and control systems for autonomous underwater robots". Scientists create the hardware and software for new generation of the independent unmanned submersible (IUS). Scopes of IUS – are from search of the sunk submarines to neutralization of sea min.
"Tests were successful. The vessel at the beginning of November has to be in Vladivostok. The device was used in the study of underwater permafrost degradation", – Sonkin told.
According to him, during tests the functionality of the device was checked: systems of technical sight, reserve communication and another. The case for it was developed by scientists of Institute of problems of sea technologies of RAS, and "stuffing" – by polytechnicians.
He specified that at this stage the device conducted video filming of the emissions of methane and carbon dioxide happening because of thawing of underwater permafrost on the East Siberian shelf and also fixed an arrangement of emissions and their sizes."We will train more expanded structure of payload for the next year to participate comprehensively in researches and to approve them in actual practice. Further we plan to equip, in particular, with complexes for measurement of numerical indicators of the dissolved gas", – Sonkin added.
Earlier it was also reported that TPU scientists participate in the international researches of the processes happening in the shelf of the polar seas of Eastern Siberia where there are more than 90% of underwater permafrost and a large amount of hydrocarbons. They found out that underwater permafrost is unstable and from under it there are methane emissions which accelerate global warming and can lead to accident.