A national scientific and practical conference, Permafrost Soils in the Anthropocene, will take place in Salekhard on August 20-26. It will be attended by over 150 scientists, students and postgraduates of Russia’s leading education and research institutions.

The participants will take part in an intensive scientific and education programme that includes a series of discussions. Experts will review results of studying permafrost soils in the polar areas. They will focus on the processes and phenomena that may have an adverse effect on the operation of utilities and communications infrastructure.

The participants will go on a special two-day excursion. They will visit the eastern foothills of the Polar Urals, valleys of the Ob River floodplain and agricultural areas of Salekhard. This format of the event will allow them to get a full picture of the land cover in the landscape monitoring regions.

The conference is organised with the participation of the regional government, the Arctic Research Center, the Russian Arctic Exploration Center, the RAS Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science and St. Petersburg State University.

Permafrost studies are particularly important on Yamal. The region has a geotechnical soil monitoring system in the urban and natural environment. Yamal scientists have equipped 40 field wells. Fuel-and-energy companies are also taking part in this work. The regional network has over 600 observation points.

In August 2021, scientists created Russia’s first laboratory of Earth cryology and geotechnical safety. Large-scale research makes it possible to prevent permafrost degradation and draft new building solutions for the Russian Arctic. This work promotes the implementation of the Science and Universities national project.