In the course of the Arctic expedition, researchers from the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet made over 20 geographic discoveries, including the discovery of nine new islands.
On board the hydrographic ship, Senezh, the researchers explored the western part of Severny Island as well as the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Barents Sea.
Novaya Zemlya consists of two major islands, separated by the narrow Matochkin Strait and some smaller islands. The two main islands are Severny (Northern) and Yuzhny (Southern). Novaya Zemlya separates the Barents Sea from the Kara Sea. The total area is about 90,650 square kilometers (35,000 square miles).
The team discovered six islands, three small islands, as well as seven Capes and four Straits, that are new to maps. The discoveries will get its confirmation after camera data processing.
There were two vessels involved in the expedition. One is “Senezh” and the other one is “Vizier”. “Vizier” clarify the boundaries of the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in the Russian Arctic, examine the bottom relief in the Arctic regions, will gather relevant information to make updates to the navigation charts.
Hydrographic ship of the Northern Fleet (NF) “Vizir”, published on Sunday in the Barents Sea, will hold a range of oceanographic research in the area of the islands Wiese, Ushakov, Schmidt and the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, navy spokesman Vadim Serga.
“Before the hydrographic expedition is the most important state task – to clarify the coordinates of points defining the geographical position of the baselines for reference breadth of the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of the Russian Federation in the Arctic Ocean,” – he said.
Source: Ministry of Defense for Russian Federation
