Scientists will evaluate depth of seasonal thawing of soil in Yamal tundra

Scientists and postgraduates of the Institute of the Earth Cryosphere at the Siberian branch of the RAS together with a colleague from the Vienna University of Technology conducted field researches on the research station “Vaskiny Dachi” situated in the district of the route “Obskaya-Bovanenkovo” in the central part of the Yamal peninsula.

Every year during 28 years the scientists-cryologists measure depth of seasonal thawing of soil and temperature of rocks here, study cryogenic processes. Conclusions on state of ecological systems of Yamal tundra, their influence on industrial objects and transport infrastructure are made on the basis of the received data. This information was given to a correspondent of IA “Sever-Press” in the department on science and innovations of Yamal. According to the words of an employee of the Institute of the Earth Cryosphere at the Siberian branch of the RAS, doctor of geological-mineralogical sciences Marina Leibman, the depth of seasonal thawing of soil will be assessed after cameral treatment of materials collected in field conditions. But it is already clear that the data of the current expedition will exceed considerably the average index of the previous year. Within the field work the scientists were busy with problems of formation of lakes, started studying liquefaction landslides. These are cryogenic processes also as funnels of gas emissions, which appeared in tundra recently due to climate warming. Landslides are formed at thawing of ice-covered permafrost rocks, flowing into rivers and lakes, changing landscape of Yamal tundra, disturbing integrity of infrastructure. Soil filling of a damaged section of the railway on the route Obskaya - Bovanenkovo was made because of liquefaction landslides in 2013, as Marina Leibman says. The expedition took place at support of the department of science and innovations of Yamal and the interregional expedition center “Arctic”. This year the scientists received a TREKOL (an amphibious all-terrain vehicle on large low-pressure tires) for their work, what allowed optimizing the work of the expedition and covering a bigger part of the territory of the experimental area in the central Yamal with researches.