Sergei Aleksandrovich Gorbarenko's Anniversary
On August 11, 2026, Sergei Aleksandrovich Gorbarenko, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences and Chief Researcher at the Laboratory of Paleooceanology and Paleoclimatology, turned 85.
Sergei Aleksandrovich graduated from the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute and completed his postgraduate studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University, specializing in isotope separation and application. In 1972, he defended his PhD dissertation, "Application of the Oxygen Isotope Method for Paleogeographic Research (using the Caspian Sea as an example)." He joined the Pacific Oceanological Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1979 as a senior research fellow, and in 1993, he became the head of the paleoceanology laboratory, establishing a new field within the Institute: paleoceanology of marginal seas and oceans as the basis for understanding the mechanisms of past climate change on Earth.
Under his leadership, the laboratory team grew significantly, became stronger, and was replenished with talented young people — students and postgraduate students. Over the years of the laboratory’s existence, its staff have achieved major successes in studying the paleooceanology of the Northwestern Pacific and the Far Eastern seas. During his tenure, Sergei Alexandrovich trained five highly qualified candidates of geological‑mineralogical and geographical sciences.
In 2004, he defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic “Paleooceanology of the Far Eastern Seas and the Northwestern Part of the Pacific Ocean in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene.” Sergei Alexandrovich is the author of more than 200 scientific papers in the field of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment; of these, 113 are indexed in WoS, 125 in Scopus, and 215 in RSCI; the Hirsch index is as follows: RSCI — 27, WoS and Scopus — 22 each.
Since 2009, within the framework of the Russian‑Chinese agreement on cooperation in the study of the World Ocean, Sergei Alexandrovich has organized joint research by scientists from the POI FEB RAS and their Chinese colleagues. Between 2010 and 2025, 12 large‑scale marine expeditions were conducted to the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean and to the Arctic Ocean; results unique for planetary science were obtained and published in leading international journals and monographs.
Long‑term fruitful cooperation led to the establishment of the Joint Russian-Chinese Center for Ocean and Climate Research on the basis of the POI FEB RAS in 2017, which was headed by Sergey Alexandrovich. The center continues its active work, organizing complex expeditions, scientific symposia and joint publications.
Sergei Alexandrovich’s scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous awards: a Certificate of Merit from the Russian Academy of Sciences and the trade union of the RAS employees (1999), a Certificate of Merit from the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2007), and a diploma as a laureate of the Far Eastern Branch of the RAS award named after Academician V. I. Ilyichev (2016). In 2023, Sergei Alexandrovich was awarded the medal of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia “For Impeccable Work and Distinction”.
We sincerely congratulate Sergei Alexandrovich on his 85th birthday! We wish him good health, inexhaustible creative energy, brilliant scientific ideas, new discoveries, and successful expeditions. May every day bring joy and satisfaction from his beloved work!
