Geoecology of the North
History
The Laboratory of Geoecology of the North (original name – Problem Laboratoryfor the Development of the North) was established at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University in 1969 The organizer and first head of the laboratory was engineer rear admiral V.F. Burkhanov. The scientific problems of the laboratory of that period were distinguished by their breadth and diversity: optimization of the economic development of the North, its socio-demographic problems, transport infrastructure, natural resources and many other aspects and problems of the development of the Far North.
In 1972, I.D. Danilov, Doctor in Geographical Sciences, was appointed head of the laboratory. In the 1970s the laboratory's profile shifted to the study of permafrost and geomorphological factors that determine the specifics of the natural environment and the conditions for the development of the resources of the North. Fr om 1979 to 2019 the head of the laboratory was Doctor of Geological Sciences Vladimir I. Solomatin. By that time, economic activity in the North of Russia had acquired significant scope and came into increasingly dangerous conflict with the fragile natural environment. Some areas were at the verge of environmental disaster due to influence of intense technogenic pressure. As a result, a new scientific direction was formed in the laboratory - the geoecology of the permafrost areas (geocryoecology), which includes the assessment and forecast of the stability of the relief, lithogenic base and frozen rocks in connection with the dynamics of cryogenic geosystems of the developed territories of the North of Russia. The theoretical and methodological research of the laboratory is of practical importance and is widely used by departments of the oil and gas complex. The laboratory’s recommendations serve to increase the sustainability of the functioning of various technical structures of the oil and gas complex: industrial buildings, transport highways, oil and gas pipelines.
Since 2020, Doctor in Geographical Sciences, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences S.A. Ogorodov has become the head of the laboratory.
Current activity
In recent years, the laboratory has been actively introducing new methods for studying the permafrost zone, based on the use of remote Earth sensing technologies, including the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). New directions of research are being actively developed — remote methods for studying the permafrost zone, primarily the analysis of multi-temporal aerospace images. Laboratory staffs actively participate in the educational process at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University, supervise practical training and coursework of students, contributing to their scientific activities. The laboratory defended 3 doctoral and more than 12 PhD candidate dissertations, published textbooks, teaching aids, numerous monographs and collections of articles. The laboratory takes part in a number of international organizations and projects, including the international associations on permafrost science “International Permafrost Association and the dynamics of the Arctic coasts “Arctic Coastal Dynamics”, actively cooperates with the “Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Germany)” and "International Arctic Research Center", University of Alaska (USA). General Research Directions The specialization of the laboratory staff covers a wide range of scientific areas related to various
aspects of interaction between nature and humans in the North.
Fundamental studies
• Assessment and forecast of stability of the relief, lithogenic base and frozen rocks in connection with the dynamics of cryogenic processes within the developed territories of the North of Russia.
• Dynamics of the coastal zone of the Arctic seas in natural and technogenically transformed conditions, the impact of ice on the shores and bottom.
• Remote methods of geoecological monitoring of techno-geosystems of the North using geoinformation technologies.
• History of the development of natural complexes of the North.
Applied studies
• Analysis of land use in the Far North of Russia: monitoring of hazardous natural phenomena, development of practical recommendations for the prevention of destructive processes, reclamation of disturbed lands.
• Assessment of the state of natural and technical systems in the permafrost zone and remote monitoring based on interpretation of satellite and aerial photographs.
• Creation of multifunctional GIS for specific promising areas of oil and gas development.
• Forecasting the dynamics of Arctic coasts and underwater slope deformations in areas where linear hydraulic structures, underwater pipelines and communication cables are laid.
• Assessment of the intensity of the impact of sea ice on the shores and bottom of freezing seas.
Web-resources:
Publications of the Lab’s team:
https://istina.msu.ru/organizations/department/275552/
Website of the working group “Dynamics of the coasts and bottom of the Arctic seas” (in Russian): https://arcticcoast.ru/
Solar radiation and Earth's climate
http://www.solar-climate.com
Database of references on massive ice beds in permafrost zone
http://mice.nextgis.com/resource/1/display?panel=layers
