A discussion on the importance of scientific research in Antarctica for the formation of new knowledge in this area took place in the city on the Neva.
In friday, January 28, a famous British scientist, glaciologist, co-director of the Institute of Climate Change and Environment of Imperial College London Martin Siegert visited St. Petersburg Mining University with a working visit. He is the author of many books and scientific articles dedicated to the study of Antarctica, including physical, chemical, and biological processes taking place in Lake Vostok and other subglacial bodies of water on the continent.
Rector Vladimir Litvinenko introduced the guest to the collections of the Mining Museum, as well as the infrastructure of the university. In particular, he demonstrated a laboratory for three-dimensional visualization of oil and gas field facilities, a simulator complex for managing mining processes and Caterpillar equipment, the Schneider Electric training and research center for intelligent control and power supply.
Martin Siegert took part in the discussion of St. Petersburg scientists, who talked over such an urgent today topic as global warming and the need to reduce the carbon footprint. He called extremely important the research which representatives of Mining University are conducting now in Antarctica. And he recalled that it was ice cores obtained during the drilling of a well above Lake Vostok that allowed to graph the content of CO2 in the atmosphere of the Earth over the past half a million years, as well as make predictions about climate change in the future.
According to the glaciologist, decarbonization is the only way to prevent the catastrophe associated with the temperature rise on the planet. At the same time, he noted that “each country must choose its way in this area,” since there are no uniform recipes for building a green economy.
“Natural gas, bioenergy, wind turbines, solar panels, and peaceful nuclear are all components of the decarbonization process. The United Kingdom, for example, has bet on offshore wind generation, and France has bet on nuclear power plants. Almost three-quarters of all electricity produced there is generated by nuclear power plants. Thanks to this, the trains that run through France emit only 9 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. This is a perfect indicator,” said Mr. Siegert.
He called partnership in science, including the implementation of joint projects in the Arctic and Antarctic, one more necessary condition for reduction of emissions. Vladimir Litvinenko responded that Russian scientists are open for cooperation and invited the British glaciologist to join next December the glacial-drilling team, which will once again go to the Vostok station (this season it includes a Korean specialist).
The Rector of Mining University also emphasized that today’s climate policy is based not only on knowledge but also on uncertainty associated with oversimplification or distortion of scientific information. No one, for example, can intelligibly explain what equipment was used to measure CO2 levels in the air 20, 30, or more years ago, or how reliable is the data that scientists operate today.
In addition, such an important factor as the impact on the environment of tectonic processes taking place inside the Earth is rarely taken into account in the discussions on climate change. Another problem is the dramatic increase in the popularity of social networks, where unverified and even outright false information is often published, which is nevertheless perceived by readers as the ultimate truth.
“The uncertainties on which climate forecasts are based are a serious challenge to the authority of scientific knowledge. They should not be taken for granted. Scientists are obliged to minimize their number and reassure society by providing it with as objective information as possible. This is necessary, among other things, in order to understand how much investment humanity will need for the development of traditional energy and how much for the development of alternative energy. This is the only way to ensure global energy security and create prerequisites for sustained socio-economic progress of mankind,” Vladimir Litvinenko emphasized.
He also reminded those present that the key to eliminating the uncertainties mentioned above lies in Antarctica. There, while studying the ecosphere of the subglacial Lake Vostok and the underlying phenomena, about which science still has a very vague idea, we can and must obtain new knowledge about the influence of the carbon cycle on the Earth’s temperature. They are needed to make the most accurate predictions of climate transformation.
Let us note that in 1996, Martin Siegert was part of a group of scientists who, based on satellite observations and geophysical measurements, estimated the depth of the subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica - more than 500 meters. It is planned to confirm this hypothesis in the next few years. According to St. Petersburg Mining University, its scientists soon plan to open the reservoir for the third time and conduct more extensive scientific research than in previous years, including those related to clarification of the geometry of the lake.
