MOSCOW, August 8 (RIA Novosti) - An expedition of Far Eastern oceanologists making a voyage in the East Siberian Sea aboard the Ivan Kireyev discovered extremely high concentration of carbon dioxide in seawater and the atmosphere which, probably, had been caused by forest fires in Siberia this year. They also found places with high methane emission rates, and methane is a gas which may cause great changes in global climate. This information is presented by the "Novosti Prirody" site.

According to Igor Semiletov, a researcher at the Pacific Institute of Oceanology and the expedition's leader, participants in the second Russian-American expedition intend to conduct researches along the route from Tiksi to Wrangel Island. The ice situation is difficult there this year which may lead to changes in the programme of the expedition and its timeframe. The oceanologists hope to obtain data which must shed fresh light on the processes changing the global climate.

Fifteen Russian scientists take part in the expedition. The American side, which provided it with the necessary equipment, will take part in processing the data obtained. It is worth noting that this expedition was funded mostly by Russians. The first Russian-American expedition to the Arctic took place in August-September 2003.