About

History

Scope of Research Activities

MMBI Structure

Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (MMBI) is the oldest institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the North of Russia. Since 1935 the Institute has been pursuing complex research of northern seas consistently expanding geography of activities from Dalnie Zelentsy Bay (Kola Peninsula coast) to the Greenland Sea in the west and the Laptev Sea in the east. In 1996 the Institute has included the southern seas of Russia into the scope of its interests, and since then both the Barents Sea and the Sea of Azov have always been the focus of MMBI research activities.

MMBI fundamental and applied studies deal with actual problems of climate, marine periglacial, biologic productivity, quaternary and modern geology, aquaculture, bioresources and environmental safety. Primary tasks include investigations of ecosystem processes, and monitoring of the Northern Sea Route, nuclear fleet bases, offshore oil and gas deposits and other areas of the Arctic which are subject to man-caused influence. MMBI also develops marine biotechnologies, works out simulation models of oceanologic processes, and makes environmental assessments of coastal and marine industrial projects.

MMBI possesses three research vessels Dalnie Zelentsy, Pomor, and Prof. Panov . More than 20 sea and coastal expeditions are carried out annually. This systematic work enables us to:

• Create and replenish unique oceanographic and biologic databases
• Reconstruct the evolution of the Arctic nature
• Evaluate the status of the flora and fauna of the Russian seas
• Investigate adaptation features of living organisms to environmental conditions (climatic change, man-caused impacts)
• Take part in solution of ocean and coastal management problems and conservation of biological diversity

MMBI publishes 5-6 books every year and conducts annually 2-4 international conferences and seminars, which are acknowledged by the wide scientific community both in Russia and abroad. Highly skilled marine biologists, oceanologists, geologists, physicists and chemists, and technical specialists work in the Institute.

MMBI’s 75-year history and experience in complex marine research, old traditions, and up-to-date scientific potential and reasonable strategy for further research activities give the Institute optimism and confidence in the future.