Svyatoslav Ponasenko, a graduate of the NSU Department of Geology and Geophysics, joined a team of 37 students and geologists, lithologists, hydrogeologists, geophysicists, microbiologists, and other specialists on the TTR-21 Floating University expedition to study the northeastern part of the Kara Sea.
Reporting from the “Akademik Boris Petrov” ship, Ponasenko spoke about the team's achievements and impressions from his first weeks on the high seas as a member of the seismoacoutisic team,
On the Floating University, I wanted to apply the knowledge I gained during 4 years of study at the University to practical experience. It was quite interesting to go beyond land-based geophysical surveys and look at my profession from the perspective of a marine geophysicist. At the Floating University, I became more confident in my knowledge and skills. However, the expedition continues, and I still have a lot to learn.
At the first stage of the expedition, scientists using a multibeam echo sounder obtained a detailed digital model of a major depression. It has great depth and its shape resembles a depression formed as a result of a massive object pushing through the surface, possibly a glacier. Seismic and hydroacoustic observations carried out over a territory of more than 200 kilometers made it possible to determine places for geological sampling. The collected samples were studied by geologists, microbiologists, and other specialists right on the ship. This made it possible to continue the genetic interpretation of numerous Kara Sea paleo-incisions, including the extraction of DNA to study the diversity of microorganisms, some of which may be indicators of oil and gas.
The Floating University TTR-21 expedition will last until August 23, the end of the fiftieth anniversary voyage of the R/V Akademik Boris Petrov. The team of scientists will continue to collect the necessary data to identify zones with focused hydrocarbon discharge to the seabed surface, map the marginal glacial formations, and locate zones with hazardous geological processes.
Mikhail Fedoruk, Rector of Novosibirsk State University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, explained,
Scientists at our University have extensive experience in the Arctic zone. Thanks to NSU's partnership with the Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics SB RAS, Master's students who study the Arctic have a permanent base of practice at a research station on Samoilovsky Island in the Lena River Delta. Of course, participation on the Floating University expedition significantly expands the opportunities for those who have already been in the Arctic as well as those who were experiencing for the first time this promising region for a researcher.
