Hydrographic Society Russia

News
Captain of the 1st. rank Oleg Churkin, a member of the HSR, recently submitted to the Council of the Society information on the participation of the State Research Navigational and Hydrographic Institute, Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (GNINGI), in the international co-operation in the Arctic Region. On March 22-23, 2004 in the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) in St. Petersburg a Group of Experts for Co-operation in Research on the Arctic Ocean held a business meeting within the framework of the joint US/Russian project NABOS/AWLAP (NABOS - Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System, AWLAP - Atlantic Waters in the Laptev Sea).

The main purpose of this project is to assess the influence of transformations of Atlantic waters occurring on the continental slope in the Laptev Sea upon climate change in the Arctic Region. The project opens a long-term programme of research into the structure and variability of waters of the Eurasian Basin as a part of the Arctic Ocean and a key component of the Arctic climatic system. In 2002 and 2003 the project included two expeditions on the icebreaker Capitan Dranitsyn operated by the Murmansk Sea Shipping Company and these proved to be successful. The expeditions were co-headed by Dr A. Dmitrijenko from the International Arctic Research Center (IARC), from the American side, and Dr L. Timokhov (AARI), from the Russian side.

At the business meeting the reports of the heads and participants of the expeditions were considered. The lecturers analysed the results of the research so far conducted, discussed the tasks of the expedition planned for 2004 and considered the programme of future research and the composition and equipment of the expedition. One of the greatest difficulties encountered by the expedition was a technical task of installation of semi-submersible buoy stations (SBS) in the water areas with depths greater than 2000m. Bathymetric charts covering the areas of installation had been compiled on the basis of data acquired through hydrographic surveys over past years carried out with survey-line spacing from 5km up to 15km. In addition, the sea bottom relief is quite rough on the continental shelf.

This problem was touched upon in the report submitted to the business meeting by Captain of the 1st rank O. Churkin (GNINGI), a member of the team of the expedition NABOS/AWLAPÐ2002. The report discussed the sea bottom topography in the area of the investigations and provided information on hydrographic support for the installation of the SBS. Participants in the business meeting welcomed the report with quite understandable interest.

The next expedition under the NABOS/AWLAP project is planned for September 2004.

Visit To Monument
On the 7th May a small group of the HSR members once more visited a monument dedicated to hydrographers drowned in Ladoga Lake on the 17th September 1941, during the evacuation from blockaded Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). On that day a tugboat towed a wooden barge from lighthouse Osinovets across Ladoga Lake to the 'big earth' carrying a few hundreds of people. Between them there were more than two hundred hydrographers: officers and employees of the Hydrographic Department, teachers and cadets of the Hydrographic Naval School. During this trip a heavy gale arose and the old wooden barge was destroyed. Most of the passengers onboard the barge were lost in the waters of Ladoga Lake, among them 79 officers and employees of the Hydrographic Department and 136 teachers and cadets of the Hydrographic Naval School.
Unfortunately, this year there were no longer veterans present who had been saved from the barge.
The HSR members, accompanied by their wives and children, placed flowers on the monument.

Professor Neronov 75
A few weeks ago, HSR members received an opportunity to demonstrate pride in their president, Dr Professor Nikolay N. Neronov. By decree of the President of the Russian Federation he, on the occasion of his 75th birthday, was awarded an honorary title of ‘Honoured Worker of Science of the Russian Federation’. On 14th May the appropriate badge and certificate were presented to the recipient during a ceremonial meeting at the State Research Navigational and Hydrographic Institute, Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (GNINGI). HSR members heartily congratulated their President and presented him with bouquets of flowers.


Contact
Hydrographic Society Russia (HSR)
Att. Viktor Rybine
Kozhevennaja linija 41
Saint-Petersburg 199106
Russia
T/F: +7 812 350 5026