24 July 2024

Scientists of the Scientific Research Center “Yenisei Siberia” have created a regional system of background monitoring of permafrost

Scientists of the N.M. Fedorovsky Polar State University (ZSU), a participant in the world-class scientific and educational center (REC) “Yenisei Siberia”, have created a regional system of background monitoring of permafrost. Monitoring the state of permafrost will become part of the state environmental monitoring of the environment. Roshydromet will conduct it and publish its results on its official website. The work was carried out within the framework of one of the priority areas of activity of the REC “Yenisei Siberia” – global climate initiatives.

The developed system takes into account all regional peculiarities and covers various geocryological conditions, that is, the distribution of frozen rocks over an area, their conditions of occurrence in the section, composition, average annual temperature of rocks, seasonal thawing. Based on mathematical models, scientists will predict changes in soil temperatures until 2050.

To install the system, specialists carried out a complex of drilling operations at eight permafrost landfills. The network of wells with a depth of 10 to 20 m is equipped with specialized thermometric equipment: thermal mowers – temperature meters and loggers – system elements designed for autonomous recording of temperature values of the measured medium with a specified frequency and remote data transmission to the server of the Polar University.

“The created background monitoring system is the first step to solve the problem of predicting the impact of climatic factors on permafrost soils in the territory from the Norilsk Industrial District to Dudinka,” said Pavel Kotov, Director of the Research Center for Construction Technologies and Monitoring of Buildings and Structures of the Arctic at the N.M. Fedorovsky State University. “As a result of the operation of the background monitoring system, empirical material will accumulate on climatic characteristics, soil temperature regime, composition, structure and properties of soils, thermal resistance of vegetation cover, which is necessary for predicting the impact of climate change in the region on permafrost soils.”

The development of the monitoring system will continue: it is planned to equip deep 200-meter wells located in settlements and natural landscapes with thermometric equipment.

Cover photo: ZSU named after N.M. Fedorovsky