Cosmonaut Vagner to take part in expedition along Arkhangelsk Region's only canyon river

ARKHANGELSK, May 15. /TASS/. Scientists will conduct a comprehensive study of the Sotka River in the Arkhangelsk Region's Pinezhsky Nature Reserve in late May. It is the only canyon-type river in the region, the Russian Arctic National Park told TASS. Cosmonaut Ivan Vagner will take part in the expedition. "A rafting expedition along the Sotka River in the Pinezhsky Nature Reserve will begin in late May. The scientific project 'North – the Territory of Discoveries', conducted by the Russian Arctic National Park, features cosmonaut, Hero of Russia Ivan Vagner. The Sotka is the only canyon-type river in the Arkhangelsk Region. It has a pronounced seasonal water regime," the national park said. During the expedition, the Russian Arctic's team and speleologists of the St. Petersburg branch of the Sergeev Institute of Geoecology will go into karst caves along the Sotka River. Scientists of the Papanin Institute of Biology of Inland Waters (the Russian Academy of Sciences) will conduct several hydrology studies. The expedition will also feature specialists of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Geography, the Federal Research Center for Integrated Arctic Studies (the Russian Academy of Sciences' Urals Branch), the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), and the Russian Academy of Sciences' Space Research Institute. "Rafting along the Sotka River's protected area will give start to a series of expeditions in the Pinezhsky Nature Reserve involving scientific volunteers," the Russian Arctic National Park's Director Alexander Kirilov said. "In addition to scientific research, the nature reserve's medium-term plan covers the development of civil science – this is a niche that may be taken by our compatriots who are interested in Russia's nature and who want to make their contribution to its study. All the studies are comprehensive, and this is now we may learn ecosystem conditions of a most beautiful and closed river in the Arkhangelsk Region." The rafting will be on kayaks. It will continue for about a week. The Sotka is the Pinezhsky Nature Reserve's pearl. The river runs across the specially protected natural area for 40 km. The best time to get to know the river is late May or late September to early October.