site.btaBulgaria's 35th Antarctic Expedition to Include Geology, Underwater Archaeology Projects
The Bulgarian Antarctic Institute is already preparing its 35th polar expedition, its Chair Prof. Christo Pimpirev told BTA on Thursday. It will once again include numerous scientific projects. One of the key ones is related to geology and provides for research in the area of the Bulgarian base on Livingston Island and the South Shetland Islands. There will also be specialists in underwater archaeology, who will explore one of the bays for which there is evidence of sunken ships.
During the recently completed 34th Antarctic mission, 35 scientific projects were carried out, Pimpirev recalled. Their results are currently being processed. Interesting data are expected from studies of ocean currents conducted jointly with German scientists from the University of Hamburg, as well as on rising sea levels and microplastic pollution.
This year, particular attention has been paid to mineral resources around the Bulgarian base and in the South Shetland Islands area, as there are many rare metals that are currently extremely important for the development of modern technology and space technologies, the researcher added. He stressed that decisions on the exploitation of these resources are also taken by Bulgaria, which participates as a full member among the 29 Antarctic nations.
Pimpirev emphasised that there is no place on the Antarctic Peninsula and the islands that Bulgarian scientists cannot reach, thanks to the Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421), on whose board four penguins have already been painted, symbolising the fourth voyage to the Ice Continent.
“The most important aspect of the polar expeditions, according to the professor, is the very serious scientific programme that the team is able to develop, as the logistics and construction have already been completed and the Bulgarian base is ready. We can be proud of an extremely modern scientific laboratory, which last year won the ‘Building of the Year’ award. Scientists from all over the world are already working there and want to rent it, as they do not have such facilities. We also have excellent service premises. The laboratory is fully equipped and scientific work is carried out there,” Pimpirev further pointed out. He added that this year a small laboratory for meteorological research has also been established jointly with the United Arab Emirates, which is the first scientific infrastructure of the countries from across the entire Persian Gulf.
/NZ/
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