TRANSDRIFT IV

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The TRANSDRIFT IV expedition took place from May 14 to June 17, 1996. The International Biological Station "Lena-Nordenskiold" in the Lena Delta served as base camp for the 17 German and Russian scientists who took part in the expedition. Research areas were the region off the northern and eastern Lena Delta, the Lena Delta itself and the Laptev Sea polynya. To reach the research area off the Lena Delta, a helicopter MI 8-2 took the scientists onto the ice where they carried out their stations. The research focused on the period of the most rapid environmental change during the spring breakup of the Lena River. The main scientific objectives were:

  • the influence of the river breakup on the environment
  • the influence of river discharge on sediment entrainment into sea ice
  • sediment transport of the Lena River before breakup, during breakup and after breakup
  • the quality and quantity of terrigenous organic carbon flux from the Lena River into the Laptev Sea and its importance for the carbon budget
  • trace element patterns within the suspended and dissolved load of the Lena River during the first phase of the spring flood

The weekly reports of the TRANSDRIFT IV expedition can be found here.

 

The participants of the expedition:

Chief scientists

  • Vladimir Churun, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
  • Heidemarie Kassens, GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences

Biology

  • Ekaterina Abramova, Lena Delta Reserve
  • Alexandr Gukov, Lena Delta Reserve

Marine chemistry

  • Nikolay Formichev, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
  • Sergey Pivovarov, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
  • Sven Utschakowski, Institute for Marine Sciences

Oceanography

  • Vladimir Churun, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
  • Igor Dmitrenko, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute

Geochemistry

  • Jens Hoelemann, GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences
  • Martina Schirmacher, GKSS Research Center Geesthacht GmbH
  • Christopher Strobl, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences

Hydrooptics

  • Andrey Anoshkin, Krylov Shipbuilding Research Institute

Sedimentology

  • Martin Antonow, Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg
  • Bernhard Fuerst, Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg
  • Veit Haase, GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences

Paleontology

  • Heidemarie Kassens, GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences
  • Joern Thiede, GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences

Ice pilot

  • Alexey Visnevskiy, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute

Physician

  • Emanuil Antonow

Interpreter

  • Bettina Rohr, GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences