Arctic Floating University to Use New Methods for Wave and Current Measurement in 2026 Expedition

ARKHANGELSK, June 26. /TASS/

Participants in the 2026 Arctic Floating University expedition will use new approaches to measure waves and currents in the Arctic seas, the expedition team's leader Alexander Saburov told TASS. Studying ocean surface dynamics, which is determined by the interaction of waves and currents, is important for the navigation hydrometeorology support and for understanding of climate change in the Arctic.

"This is a new study for the Arctic Floating University. The study on remote contact methods for measuring waves and currents off a ship will be conducted by specialists of the Marine Hydrophysical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. As for the current state of knowledge about wave and hydrodynamic processes in the Arctic, it has a high level of theoretical models development, while there are still significant gaps in available field data, especially in areas affected by ice," the scientist said.

So far, it is impossible to obtain high-resolution data from satellites, thus research conducted off ships remains crucial for understanding changes in wave and hydrodynamic processes in the Arctic Ocean. For example, the ice cover area, shrinking in the Arctic, leads to the increasingly important role of surface waves in shaping the general regime of the Arctic seas. An increase in wave acceleration leads to an increase in wave height and length, which, in its turn, accelerates the ice destruction through mechanical fragmentation, increased vertical mixing, and thermal effects.

To study these processes, it is necessary to develop an observation network that includes both remote and contact methods. In temperate latitudes, wave-measuring buoys based on navigation principles are the standard. In high latitudes, the accuracy of measurements is affected by high magnetic inclination, and it is not yet absolutely clear how the high-latitude conditions' specific features affect reliability of obtained data, which is another question that scientists need to answer.

During the voyage, specialists will use different methods to measure waves and will compare obtained results.

"On one hand, the research will be conducted using wave-measuring buoys. On the other hand, we plan to collect data using a drone, and a radar that will be fixed on the direction-finding deck, and it will also record the data," the expedition's leader added.

Ocean studies

The Arctic Floating University is the only expedition that works every year on the Franz Josef Land archipelago and the north of Novaya Zemlya in June and July, and this allows specialists to accumulate unique data series. During the voyage between Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land, the expedition will conduct three oceanographic sections - studies at a number of points located along a strictly defined line. This way, specialists will be able to clarify the distribution and transformation of the warm Atlantic water mass in the northeastern part of the Barents Sea and the northern part of the Kara Sea.

"Last year, was published a big article featuring AARI (the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute) specialists, who regularly participate in our voyages, where they analyzed data from 1977 to 2024, including data from the Arctic Floating University. This article confirmed the hypotheses about the significant warming of the Atlantic waters' Barents Sea branch, especially after 2000 in the Barents Sea's northeastern part, and the article authors clarified mechanisms of this process," the scientist said.

This year, the expedition will continue studying the marine carbonate system and the carbon dioxide fluxes in the water-atmosphere system. The rapid ice cover shrinking, the increased Atlantic influence, and the growing cyclonic activity in the Arctic Ocean are leading to a restructuring of hydrology and biogeochemical processes. The carbonate system regulates the ocean's pH, and studying it is essential for understanding and predicting ocean acidification, which poses a threat to marine ecosystems.

About the expedition

The 20th voyage of the Arctic Floating University scientific and educational expedition will run from July 1 to July 22, 2026 on board the Professor Molchanov scientific research vessel. The expedition organizers are: the Lomonosov Northern Arctic Federal University and the Northern Department for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Sevhydromet). The project's official sponsors and partners are: the Russian Federation's Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Russian Geographical Society, general sponsor - VTB, the Norilsk Nickel Company, and the Floating University Coordination Center based at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT).