Doctor of Geology and Mineralogy,
Professor,
Academician of RAS

Laboratory of Physico-Geological Studies
Marine Geology

Geologist, doctor of geological-mineralogical Sciences (1966), Professor (1974), full member of RAEN (1991), corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1974), academician (1994).

In 1950 he graduated from Moscow geological prospecting Institute. Since 1949 he has worked at the Institute of Oceanology.

He is a specialist in lithology and geochemistry of sediments of seas and oceans. The main researches are devoted to studying of regularities of sediment formation, the mechanism of sedimentary process, the lithology of water, air and ice suspension, hydrothermal processes at the bottom of the ocean. He developed the new directions in science: the doctrine of the suspended matter in the ocean, biodifferentiation of the substances in the ocean, the regularities of sedimentary process of avalanche and ice sedimentation; the decisive importance of bios is established at all stages of sedimentation.

He performed a detailed study of the contribution of endogenous substances in the ocean sedimentation; observed in the course of 30 personal dives in the ocean in underwater vehicles "Pisis" and "Mir".

He developed new research areas and techniques in geological mapping of sediments, including using deep-sea submersibles. He participated in the preparation of 8 atlases, including "Atlas of Antarctica", "Marine Atlas". On the basis of new factual data he formulated basic laws of the sedimentary process in the ocean – the theory of the zoning of ocean sedimentation. He has identified and described the global types of sedimentary process in the ocean: ice, temperate, humid, arid and Equatorial humid. The doctrine of zoning is confirmed by numerous new data and is now widely known. He paid the great attention to the development of the doctrine of fast and super fast (avalanche) sedimentation in the ocean and about the associated interruptions in sedimentation.

Starting with the 1st trip of the research vessel "Vityaz" in the sea of Okhotsk, he participated in more than 25 expeditions to all parts of the World ocean.

In 1968 the first of Soviet scientists was invited to participate in the trip of deepwater drilling on the "Glomar Challenger", for many years he was a member of various expert groups on deep ocean drilling. Together with a team of laboratory staff he was engaged in processing the core of many drilling voyages. This gave the opportunity for the first time in the country to develop a new direction in marine science – paleooceanology, or geological history of the oceans.

Since 1972 he supervised the first works on hydrotherms and ores at the bottom of the ocean. Since 1980 these studies are carried out first with the help of inhabited vehicles "Pisis" and then for the first time for these works in 1988, was used submersibles "Mir".

In 1978 he headed the environmental-geochemical expedition of RV "Akademik Kurchatov" on the study of anthropogenic stress in the Baltic sea - the first large-scale specialized trip in our country on such an issue. The results of this flight are set out in the three-volume collective monograph.

In recent years, he is conducting research in the Arctic – in the Laptev sea, Kara, Barents and White seas with the use of a fundamentally new set of works for the study of processes at the barrier river–sea region and the continental slope. On the basis of these and earlier studies he has formulated the concept of marginal filter of the oceans. A model of marginal filters of different climatic zones has been developed, their role in protecting the ocean from pollution, including radioactive contamination.

He has supervised more than 20 PhD theses. Among his students are 6 doctors of Sciences. He is the head of the International school on marine Geology, a member of the Scientific Committee on problems of the World ocean, National Committee of Russian geologists, a member of the editorial boards of several journals of the RAS, two international journals, the national coordinator of Russia's international program "Global material flows in the ocean", a member of the Lithological Committee of the RAS.

He is a laureate of State prizes (1971, 1977), a laureate of international F.Shepard prize.

He is the author of over 500 scientific works, including 31 monographs (including 12 personal), 6 monographs in English and Japanese.