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To the bottom of Baikal in the legendary Mir
Published: 12 July, 2010, 06:54
Edited: 12 July, 2010, 11:33
MIR submesible prepares to dive to the bottom of the Baikal Lake (RIA Novosti / Mark Agnor)
(9.9Mb) embed videoTAGS: Ecology, Russia, SciTech, Biology
The captain of Russia's most durable scientific submarine Mir says his team is ready and willing to help end the oil spill disaster that ravages the Gulf of Mexico, but that requires a political decision.
Until it is made, the Russian scientists are diving to the bottom of one of the oldest, surely largest and deepest freshwater bodies in the world, the pearl of Siberia – Lake Baikal.
Mir’s captain Yevgeniy Chernyaev knows for sure that Baikal is unlike any other place on Earth.
“Its bed is very interesting, and so is its structure, its tectonic characteristics and its biosphere,” he said. “There are many creatures unique to this place. You even think sometimes, how lucky the locals are to live here.”
For years researchers have been studying the lake from the surface with limited access to what lies beneath, but now the Russian Academy of Sciences is taking a new look with the help of the new tools at their disposal – the cutting edge technology of the two Mir submersibles, famous for their expeditions at the Titanic wreck site and the North Pole.
Currently there are only four vehicles in existence capable of working at such depths.
“So here onboard this ship you can see 50% of the world's reserve of 6,000-meter craft,” scientist Sergey Smolensky said about the Mir. “Six thousand is a very important depth. It means the craft is capable of operating in 98.5% of the territory of the world’s oceans, while just 1.5 % of the total area falls below this.”
The Mir submarines can work in the extreme depths of Lake Baikal for up to 8 hours, and scientists are hoping that these machines can help them learn more about Baikal’s unique environment.
“This time, we were carrying out some finer studies in order to create maps of the chemical composition of the water and bottom sediments and to make some conclusions regarding the geology of Baikal and oil occurrences there,” explained businessman and scientist Mihail Slipenchuk.
In addition to the scientific portion, a main part of the mission is to help draw attention to the Baikal region in general and to conduct historical research to find out if there is any truth to one of Russia's most notorious legends – the missing Tsar’s gold of the White Army.
“This year we are going to find the final answer to the question of whether there is Admiral Kolchak's gold here or not,” Slipenchuk declared.
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14 comments
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With the amount of Corexit BP has sprayed in the area, volunteering to go there is the desire to commit suicide. Plus they are happy with skimming the oil for profit. Who says they want it fixed? BP is having anyone arrested who so much sneezes in the direction of the oil spill. Aren't they high and mighty?