IN MEMORY OF IRINA CHUBARENKO (August 28, 1961 – December 13, 2025)

Abstract

On December 13, 2025, Irina Chubarenko, an oceanographer, hydrophysicist, chief researcher at the Atlantic Branch of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and head of the Marine Physics Laboratory, passed away at the age of 64. She left a lasting impression on those who were fortunate enough to work with and interact closely with this extraordinary individual. Irina was a leading scientist and a remarkable person who dedicated her entire life to oceanography. Her work yielded important scientific results, which allowed to propose a new concept for the formation of a cold intermediate layer in the Baltic Sea. Irina Chubarenko was a bright, extraordinary individual with pronounced leadership qualities and a gifted manager – she created a new scientific field and formed the first Russian research group to study the dynamics of microplastics in the marine environment. Under her leadership, a team of young researchers achieved significant results and earned recognition in the international community. This section includes two articles that present a brief biography of Irina Chubarenko, her scientific achievements, and memories of her as a scientist and person: B. V. Chubarenko, E. E. Yesyukova, N. B. Stepanova, “Irina Chubarenko – oceanologist, person, teacher,” and A. G. Zatsepin, “A scientist, who determined the path of the development of a new field of research”.