Scientists of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) together with colleagues from the Harbin Engineering University (China) are developing the world’s first technology of subglacial communication for exploration and production of oil and gas in the Arctic region, the FEFU reports.
“In order to master the Arctic, we must first gain a foothold in shallow areas … The spread of elastic waves in the shallow sea is a problem for scientists around the world.” By combining the physical methods of Russian researchers with information processing technologies of Chinese colleagues, we will be able to achieve a breakthrough in the development of the Arctic zone, ” Professor Vladimir Korochentsev, Head of the Instrument Engineering Department at the Engineering School of the Far Eastern Federal University.
In Novik Bay on the Russian island in Vladivostok, a unique experiment was conducted to study the new Arctic technology. It used the developed by scientists FEFU pneumatic sonar radiator, sound waves which propagate in water and on ice, as well as lens receiving antennas. Harbin researchers brought high-precision seismic receivers to measure the vibration of ice.
According to Korochentsev, preliminary observations showed that ice absorbs about 95% of sound and is the main conductor of hydroacoustic signals. The data obtained in the course of the joint experiment is used for further scientific work on the development of ice-making technologies.
