Expedition on the R/B Papanin on August 1-6, 2026

On August 1-6, 2026, within the State Assignmet “Influence of abiotic factors of Lake Baikal and adjacent territories of Eastern Siberia on the adaptation and biodiversity of aquatic organisms at the level of ecological, biochemical, and molecular-genetic characteristics,”expeditionary studies were conducted on the research vessel Papanin.

The aim of the study was to redeploy temperature data loggers in the littoral zone of Northern Baikal. Since in 2026 the timing of ice breakup in Northern Baikal shifted by 7–10 days, the spring expedition was unable to reach the northern tip of the lake. This delay was reflected in the temperature dynamics of the “warming” of Baikal waters. The northernmost temperature logger, installed at Cape Turali (near the Khakusy tourist base), showed that the depth of 30 meters warmed to 2 °C by June 9, 2026, whereas in 2025 this had already occurred by May 4. During the expedition, samples of phytoplankton and zooplankton were also collected, and water samples were taken for isotopic analysis.