TOMSK, Oct 23 –
RIA Tomsk. Employees of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU)
and their Russian and foreign colleagues during a comprehensive expedition to
the seas of the Eastern Arctic investigated the processes of underwater
permafrost melting and found out that it has melted twice as fast over the past
30 years, the TPU press service said on Wednesday.
Earlier it was
reported that on September 16 Russian and foreign scientists went on an
expedition on the "Akademik Mstislav Keldysh" research vessel. The
expedition's route, designed for 40 days, runs through the Arctic seas – Kara,
Laptev and East Siberian. Scientists studied the degradation of underwater
permafrost and the destabilization of methane hydrates on the shelf of the East
Siberian Sea.
According to the
press service of TPU, 65 researchers from Russia, Sweden, Norway, the USA, the
Netherlands, Italy and Great Britain took part in the expedition organized by
the Peter Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of Russian Academy of Sciences. The
work takes place in two stages. First, scientists studied the state of
underwater permafrost, the ecological state of water and bottom sediments along
the Northern Sea Route, and the flow of greenhouse gases.
"The
unexpectedly high rates of degradation of the permafrost were documented, which
in some areas has already led to the deepening of its roof to horizons of
stability of gas hydrates ... In the last 30 years, the rates of vertical
degradation of the permafrost have doubled compared to previous centuries and
reached 18 centimeters per year", – the chief of the expedition, TPU
professor Igor Semiletov is quoted.
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It is added that
this result forces us to reconsider the postulate that underwater permafrost is
stable and can melt a maximum of several meters by the end of the XXI century.
It is extremely important to study and evaluate the annual changes in the size
and structure of through thawing zones of underwater permafrost. Thus, the
results of 12 previous expeditions showed a significant increase in thawing
zones: up to three to five times in the last five to seven years.
"These
studies are necessary for a scientifically based forecast for the degradation
of underwater permafrost and methane emissions in the near future", – Semiletov
noted.
It is also
reported that the second phase of the research will start on October 23 and
will take place along the route: Arkhangelsk – North Atlantic – North Sea – Baltic
Sea – Kaliningrad.
For reference
On the basis of
TPU a large-scale scientific project "The Siberian Arctic shelf as a
source of greenhouse gases of planetary importance: quantitative assessment of
flows and identification of possible environmental and climatic consequences”
is being implemented, polytechnics received grants from the government of the
Russian Federation (under the supervision of professor Igor Semiletov) and the
Russian Science Foundation (under the guidance of professor Natalia Shakhova).
Tomsk
Polytechnic University – is the leading technical university of the country.
It's founded in 1896 as Tomsk Technological Institute of Practical Engineers of
Emperor Nicholas II. It became the first engineering university in the Asian
part of the country. Today TPU – is the largest technical university beyond the
Urals; enters the top 10 universities of Russia and the top 400 universities of
the world. Since 2013 participates in the "5-100" program to increase
competitiveness in the world.