Marine research at leading academic institutions in Crimea: a historical essay
Marine research at leading academic institutions in Crimea: a historical essay

Summary/Abstract: The article highlights some research activities carried out in the second half of the twentieth century at the leading Ukrainian academic institutes of the Crimean Scientific Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. It presents the historical background of these institutes and the main outcomes of their work. The primary research areas of the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas (IBSS) and the Marine Hydrophysical Institute (MHI) are analyzed, along with the impact of their activities on society in the second half of the twentieth century. Additionally, the article explores the contributions of individual scientists to the development of the research areas during the specified period and presents an overview of the international cooperation of the institutes. The first scientific achievements of the Marine Hydrophysical Institute were related to studies on thermal phenomena in the ocean, thermal interactions between the oceans, atmosphere and continents and the influence of the World Ocean on climate and weather. Direct observations of storm waves at the Black Sea Hydrophysical Station and their modeling in the storm basin laid the physical foundation for the theory of sea waves. The MHI engaged in extensive joint research with research institutes and organizations in foreign countries, preparing scientific publications and conducting expeditionary research. The O.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas assessed the current state of biodiversity in the Black Sea ecosystems based on environmental factors during the mentioned period. A new concept of the zonation of life in the Black Sea was introduced based on the discovery of unique fauna in the deep anaerobic zone. The institute formulated the concept of alternative metabolic strategies that ensure the biological progress of animals, substantiated the concept of ecological capacity of the marine environment in terms of radioactive and chemical inorganic pollution and developed a methodology for its assessment.

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