Geologists from NSU have participated in an expedition of the Arctic Floating University and spent almost one month on board the research vessel « Professor Molchanov ». The researcher in paleomagnetism and expedition member Nikolaï Mikhaltsov has told us about the challenges of working on Novaya Zemlya and about the future plans of cooperation with the Floating University.

The Arctic Floating University is a research and educational project aimed at studying the Arctic territories by carrying out sea expeditions. The research vessel "Professor Molchanov" becomes the floating university for the duration of the project. Both the M.V. Lomonosov Northern (Arctic) Federal University (NArFU) and the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Northern Department of Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Agency" organize the project. The first expedition of the "Arctic Floating University" was held in 2012.

This year, the expedition was conducted under the motto "Solving Novaya Zemlya Mysteries" and lasted from the 7th to the 27th of June. Overall, 55 researchers coming from Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Canada and Brazil composed this year's international team.

From NSU, Nikolaï Mikhaltsov, researcher in paleomagnetism and researcher at the Laboratory of geodynamics and paleomagnetism of the Central and Eastern Arctic, Viktor Abashev and Denis Avdeev, respectively PhD and master students at the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics of NSU, have all taken part to the expedition in the Arctic on board the vessel « Professor Molchanov ». – "NSU and NArFU study the Arctic from very different sides. In the present case, our universities complement each other very well and make this cooperation beneficial to both parties,"- considers Nikolaï Mikhaltsov.