What do you know about self-isolation? Polar explorers are stuck in the Arctic because of the coronavirus

Two polar explorers are keeping watch on the territory of Russian Arctic National Park: state inspectors Denis Mennikov and Dmitry Ryumin. They are on the year-round field research station “Omega” on Alexandra Land Island on the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

As reported in the national park, Denis has been in the Arctic for five months, Dmitry - even longer - since June 2019. Scientists of the national park and partners from the Severtsov Institute of ecology and evolution should have arrived to release them from the watch. But due to the current situation, the shift is not able to arrive.

While the transport issue is being resolved, the polar explorers are solving the scientific task, in addition to the main ones such as patrolling of the territory, maintaining of life support of the base. The inspectors are monitoring how polar she-bears will leave their dens. Also they are conducting annual monitoring of the species’ population on the island. Till the scientists arrive, someone has to do the job.

“We are missing home, of course, but here there is a lot of work to do, it is distracting”, said Denis Mennikov, the state inspector of the Russian Arctic National Park. – “The weather in the Arctic is changeable now. In good weather we fulfill the plan for inspections of the territory, search and registration of polar bears and their birth dens. If the weather does not allow going out into the open air, we switch to economic matters: we are busy with arrangement, repair and modernization at the field base, we conduct working and technical documentation and prepare reports. In spite of the circumstances, the completion of the winter field season is felt in the air! The remaining days will be spent in completion of unfinished work, and we look forward to seeing our comrades!”

The polar explorers have already been able to register several she-bears with cubs. Work on monitoring of the polar bear in the Russian Arctic is continued, in spite of anything. (Photos by Denis Mennikov and Dmitry Ryumin can be found here: https://sever-press.ru/2020/04/15/chto-vy-znaete-o-samoizoljacii-v-arktike-iz-za-koronavirusa-zastrjali-poljarniki/