In the coming years, exploration drilling in the geological structures in the Kara Sea is planned. It will be carried out during the ice-free period using floating drilling facilities of a different ice class. The aim of the work is analysis of the interannual variability of duration of the ice-free period in the area of the geological structures the results of which are necessary for planning operational activity of the drilling platforms and optimization of expenses for exploration drilling on the Arctic shelf. For an assessment of interannual variability of the ice-free period duration in the area of the geological structures there were used data on the dates of water area clearance from ice and beginning of ice formation in the southwestern part of the Kara Sea for the period of 30 years on the basis of the AARI weekly ice charts. An analysis of interannual variability of the ice-free period duration showed that a 20-year summer (1989–2008) and a 10-year (2009–2018) intervals could be identified. It is shown that in the last decade as a result of combination of favorable hydrometeorological conditions the ice-free period duration has increased by more than 1 month. An analysis of the main hydrometeorological factors determining the ice-free period duration indicated that it is possible to perform an assessment of duration of exploration drilling operations in the water area of the East-Prinovozemelsky license blocks with a period in advance of several months. Drilling with the use of ice-resistant drilling platform allows us to extend the operation period, as drilling could be started after disappearance of close ice and finished after the ice thickness growth up to 30 cm.

Preliminary results of the Transarktika-2019 winter expedition in the Arctic Ocean on the R/V “Akademik Tryoshnikov” are presented. The expedition program included studies on meteorology, hydrology, hydrochemistry, hydrobiology, geology, geophysics and an extensive complex of ice measurements in the Northern Barents Sea from the drifting ice and from the ship. During the expedition, it was possible to complete a wide range of tasks. The data obtained comprise a unique material for a comprehensive study of the current state of the environmental conditions in the Barents Sea. This paper highlights the most significant preliminary results of multidisciplinary observations in various environments, which will be further comprehensively analyzed and published in separate thematic articles.

The paper includes a short review of advantages of the PC index which is a characteristic of the magnetic activity in the polar caps in the northern (PCN) and southern (PCS) hemispheres. It is demonstrated that the PC index properly responds to variations of the geoeffective interplanetary electric field E coupling with the magnetosphere, on the one side, and predetermined the development of magnetospheric disturbances (magnetic storms and substorms), on the other side. These experimental results formed the physical backgrounds for concept that the ground-based PC index characterizes the solar wind energy input into the magnetosphere. It is shown that problem of random discordances in behavior and value of the PCN and PCS indices during the summer/winter seasons is easily solved by choosing the PC index in the winter polar cap (PCwinter) as the best characteristic of the polar cap magnetic activity. At present the PC index is successfully applied to validate the utility of SW data presented at OMNI website (i.e. to verify whether or not the solar wind, measured in the Lagrange point, encountered the magnetosphere in reality). A special procedure agreed by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (responsible for production of PCS index) and DTU Space (responsible for production of PCN index) ensures the calculation of the 1-min PC indices in quasi-real time based on data of magnetic observations at the polar cap stations Vostok (Antarctic) and Qaanaaq (Greenland).

A continuous flow analysis (CFA) is a relatively new ice core analysis method deployed worldwide nowadays. This method allows measuring geochemical and gas concentrations in the ice core samples with ultra-high resolution in depth (age) domain. Different modifications of the CFA experimental setups were built in many research centers dealing with the ice cores and paleoclimate studies. Here we provide a brief history of the method, a description of a typical CFA setup. We analyze the advantages and disadvantages of a setup and propose some ways to solve current technical issues. We show the main principle of the first Russian CFA setup, which is to be built at the Climate and Environmental Research Laboratory, AARI, in order to measure a concentration of atmospheric dust particles and methane in the old atmospheric Vostok ice core.

When one is carrying out logistic operations at Russian Antarctic stations, organization and safe operation of snow-runways play an important role. Nowadays six of the seven existing stations and field bases of the Russian Antarctic expedition (RAE) are provided with air communication, however, the Bunger Oasis field base is still outside the air transportation structure. The aim of the investigations described in this paper was to find a safe site for organizing a snow-runway in the area of the Bunger Oasis field base. Taking into account the location of the infrastructure objects of RAE within the Bunger Oasis, the central part of the epishelf Transcription Gulf, situated 7 km away from the base, was chosen as the most appropriate site. During the summer field season of the 64th RAE (2018/2019), a geophysical survey using the GPR (Ground-penetrating radar) method was carried out within the area to obtain data on the thickness of the bay ice. The GPR survey conducted shows that the sea ice thickness varies from 2.9 to 3.1 m. Moreover, no signs of discontinuities in the ice layer were found. The area investigated was identified as a safe site suitable for the landing of light and medium aircraft. However, due to the specificity of the relief of the oasis adjacent to the Bay, the weathering products of the rocks composing the hills migrated to the surface of the ice layer. The effect of solar radiation caused the thawing in the areas of such particles to increase, and this, in turn, led to the formation of cavities on the surface, the dimensions of which do not meet the requirements for runway coatings. As a result, in the area under study, the boundaries of the sites were determined that are suitable for the organization of runways for medium and small aircraft without preliminary rolling of the landing site.

The paper discusses the methodology and results of electronic ice charts processing. The charts taken from AARI archive. The Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi seas Ice maps reflect ice conditions for the period from 1997 to 2018 for the April-May inter-annual interval. The total stage lengths of «Sabetta – the Kara Gate –Murmansk» and «Sabetta – the Vilkitski Strait – the Bering Strait» standard routes were calculated at certain conditions of ice navigation. The route “Sabetta – the Bering Strait” was divided into sections within the Kara sea, Laptev Sea, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas for analysis. The purpose of the study is to obtain the values of the length of the routes in different categories of ice and to analyze changes trend of navigation in ice conditions for the period 1997-2018. The series were checked for the presence of trends using the integral curves method. The homogeneity of the series was checked using Wilcoxon - Mann-Whitney and Siegel - Tukey rank non-parametric criteria. Most of the series proved to be non-homogeneous. The following conclusions were made: there was some improvement of ice navigation conditions along the route Sabetta ‒ the Kara Gate – Murmansk due to the decrease of the route length in hard ice conditions. The ice navigation conditions along the Sabetta ‒ the Bering Strait route changed little, if at all, the navigation conditions along the route within the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea have changed for the worse, and within the East Siberian Sea ice conditions scarcely changed. Some slight improvement of the navigation conditions was noted within the Chukchi Sea. In general, the decrease of the route Sabetta – the Bering Strait length in compact drift ice with total concentration equal to 9 tenths or more and in the presence of old ice is partially compensated by increase of the route length in compact ice in the presence of thick first-year ice. The decrease and the increase are relatively equal.

The aim of the present paper is to introduce to the reader a new project “Arctic Connectivity: People and Infrastructures” (Russian Fund for Fundamental Research grant № 18-05-60108, received within the programme “Fundamental problems of research in the Russian Arctic: natural and social environment”). The three-year research project described in the article began in 2018 and is done by the Centre for Arctic Social Studies  (European University, St Petersburg). The approach is based on the central concept of connectivity. The main aim of the research is to study different kinds of connections that make possible movement of people, objects, and information both within the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) and between AZRF and other parts of the country. The research uses holistic approach with its simultaneous and integrated attention to both social ties of the people who live and work in the AZRF and the physical infrastructure (roads and railroads, air and water transport, telecommunication etc.) that supports these ties. Despite the common stereotype, AZRF is not separated from the rest of the country. Multiple ties, both infrastructural and symbolic, unite the region by providing exchange of people, objects, and information between its parts, and link AZRF to the southern parts of the country. The target group of the ongoing research includes both indigenous and non-indigenous population. From the theoretical perspective, the research will help validate a working hypothesis of special importance of connectivity for the Arctic region. The research will help fill gaps in our fragmentary knowledge of the social life of the Arctic. From a practical viewpoint, the project will help plan the development of AZRF more rationally.