To the history of Antarctica: from discovery to research

Systematic study of Antarctica began only a century and a half after its discovery by the Russian expedition of F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev on the sloops “Vostok” and “Mirny” on January 16 (20), 1820. Since the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1956, regular studies of ice cover, subglacial topography, geomorphology of the surrounding seas and bottom sediments, as well as marine and continental biological communities have begun on the continent and coastal waters. Scientists from the Institute of Oceanology took part in the first Russian Antarctic expeditions. Their work gave new knowledge about the nature of Antarctica and largely determined the scientific direction of its future research.