MMBI RAS Researchers Svetlana Kolbeeva (Cand. Sc. in Biology), Pavel Vashchenko, Anastasia Gurbа, and Konstantin Moskvin actively participated in a complex expedition to the Rybachy and Sredny Peninsulas on June 24-25. The event was organized by JSC "Rosatom Energosbyt" together with the Murmansk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society.
During the expedition, the scientists conducted a monitoring research in a hard-to-reach section of the Murmansk coast. The team carried out a set of tasks, including measuring the salinity and density of seawater; mapping marine litter accumulations; monitoring landscapes using drones; observing avifauna; studying algae and mollusks in the littoral zone during low tide; and general landscape monitoring using drones. Volunteers were also involved in the work, whom the specialists trained on-site. Particular attention was paid to collecting algae samples and recording the condition of flowering plants, perennials, and berry shrubs. In total, expedition participants took over a hundred scientific photographs.
MMBI RAS Deputy Director for Science, MRB RGS Chairman Denis Moiseev noted:
This project is an important step in developing scientific volunteering and strengthening partnership ties. This synergy will help in the future to find solutions to current tasks in the fields of geography, biology, and ecology with the participation of citizen science.
In addition to the scientific program, participants honored the memory of the defenders of the Arctic by visiting military memorials and sites of military glory on the peninsulas. The data obtained during the expedition will replenish the scientific database and will be used to develop recommendations for the rational use and protection of the Kola Peninsula unique natural complexes.
Фото: Павел Ващенко
