On 20 August, a press conference on the preliminary results of the first season of the International Swiss-Russian research expedition “Trans-Eurasia flight: Leman – Baikal”, during which there was conducted the study of water bodies using ultralight motorized trikes (ULM), took place at the press center of the Publishing House “Inform Polis” (Ulan-Ude).
Chairman of the Trustee Board of the FPLB, Professor Mikhail Slipenchuk and Vice President of the FPLB Bair Tsyrenov made a speech before the representatives of the Buryat Media.
Mikhail Slipenchuk reported that the scientific program of the season has been fully implemented. In particular, he said: “the technique of studying the surface of water bodies using equipment for multispectral remote sensing data set on ULMs has been worked off. In parallel with ULM we collected data of water of Lake Baikal and the Selenga delta from the boat. This technique was used for the first time to study the unique objects of the Baikal natural territory and in the future this will allow to estimate the level and composition of water pollution on the basis of survey, without the need for sampling and analysis of samples.
A preliminary preparation for the study of the reflectivity capacity of the forest environment using a nanosecond radar (with the Institute of Physical Materials) has been conducted.
Especially Mikhail Slipenchuk mentioned sensational pictures taken while photographing from the air one of the sections of the Selenga River delta. The photographs clearly show a number of dark objects right round, located on the same line. The diameter of each object – is 7-8 meters, the distance between them - 15-20 meters. Explanation of this fact is not yet available. As the speaker said, if these objects are of anthropogenic origin, it is a question of the unauthorized business activities, responsible of this should be identified and punished. If the objects have a natural genesis, this is another interesting research topic for the future work of the expedition.
Bair Tsyrenov described the use of the ULM for the study from the air historical and sacred objects on the territory of Buryatia – datsans, suburgans, etc. Similar work has been carried out in Tarbagatai and Mukhorshibirsk regions of Buryatia. In the future we plan to continue them in other parts of the Republic. On the basis of these studies we will established for the first time “Atlas of Buryat sacred places”. The studies have been supported by the head of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia Pandido Hambo Lama Damba Ayusheev. For the joint work on the Atlas we are going to attract Institute of Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies SB RAS, as well as Buddhist University “Dashi Choynhorlin”. We don’t exclude studies of Lake Gusinskiy to search for the legendary Atsayskiy datsan that had gone into the water as a result of the earthquake.
Bair Tsyrenov also noted the advantage of the ULM use in economic purposes. Already this year, together with the Buryat State Agricultural Academy the shooting from the air of rural settlements in the Kabansky region of Buryatia was held to produce cadastral plans.
Bair Tsyrenov said: “A large number of flights dictated the need to strengthen the technology park of the expedition and attract not only additional aircraft produced in Russia, but also experienced Siberian pilots. It was therefore decided to establish ULM club of the Fund for Protection of Lake Baikal which already helped conducting the festival “Baikal troposphere” and “Day of the Russian Air Force”.
Answering journalists’ questions, Mikhail Slipenchuk mentioned the contribution to the work of the expedition of scientists of the Baikal Institute of Nature Management SB RAS, the Faculty of Geography of Moscow Lomonossov Sate University, Limnological Institute and the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne (Switzerland), etc. He expressed special thanks to the Russian Geographical Society for help in organizing the expedition.
The FPLB executives said that in the future they plan to expand the range of studies of water bodies using ULMs in Russia and probably in other countries. Mikhail Slipenchuk stressed that the expedition is aimed not only at research but also at strengthening international scientific relations and attract global attention to the preservation of Lake Baikal.
