Work onboard the research vessel will continue until July 28
Photo credit: NatsONIF
The Research Fleet National Operator of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (NatsONIF) says that its RV Akademik Oparin has departed the Port of Vladivostok and embarked on a 40-day research expedition.
The scientists aboard the vessel will carry out a large-scale scientific program in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea commissioned by the G.B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (PIBOC FEB RAS).
According to the program approved by the Institute’s Academic Council, work aboard the vessel will last 40 days, through July 28, 2026.
The current voyage is intended to fill existing research gaps. Scientists will not only conduct an inventory of biodiversity and assess the spatial structure of benthic and pelagic communities, but also monitor how ecosystems respond to natural and anthropogenic challenges, NatsONIF said.
The team of scientists includes 21 researchers representing different Russian research institutes of the Russian Academy of Science (RAS).They will work across several areas, including biochemical screening and microbiology to hydrobiology and planktonology.
The research vessel’s technical capabilities allow it to tackle the most complex problems. The RV Akademik Oparin is equipped with laboratory systems for chemical, biochemical, and hydrological analysis, spectrophotometers, gas-liquid chromatographs, a microbiological cabinet, and a vivarium.
