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Clean Arctic—Vostok 77 reveals number of hazardous abandoned sites in the Arctic

The expedition's press service reported that 400 such sites need to be cleared across seven regions.

1 August 2024

The mapping of Soviet-era economic heritage sites in the Arctic has been completed. Nearly 400 sites across seven regions require clean-up, with Chukotka and Yakutia leading the efforts, according to the Clean Arctic—Vostok 77 expedition's press service.

'The map highlights abandoned sites that could potentially cause environmental pollution. These include inactive mines, airfields and port facilities where machinery, fuel containers and various chemical reagents have been left behind. The map identifies 393 sites requiring disposal across seven Arctic regions, along with 311 sites where disposal work has already been carried out by regional or federal ministries,' stated Stanislav Lachininsky, head of the expedition's mapping group.

The Clean Arctic—Vostok 77 expedition, involving Russian Academy of Sciences institutes, began in August 2023 from Murmansk. It conducts research for several scientific teams along its route through the Arctic, Northern Siberia and the Far East. TASS serves as the expedition's general information partner.

Image attribution: Shutterstock

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