Arctic Floating University to Measure Waves Using Drone and Radar for the First Time
Participants in the Arctic Floating University 2026 expedition will deploy a drone and radar to test new methods for measuring waves and ocean currents in Arctic seas.
The expedition aboard the research vessel Professor Molchanov will run from July 1 to July 22, 2026. Researchers will conduct oceanographic transects between Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land, continue studying the ocean's carbonate system and carbon dioxide fluxes, and investigate how shrinking sea ice is changing Arctic waters. As ice cover declines, surface waves are becoming an increasingly important force in the region, with larger waves accelerating ice breakup and intensifying vertical mixing of the water column.
The expedition is organized by Northern (Arctic) Federal University and Sevgidromet with support from Russia's Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Russian Geographical Society.
