All news

Expert: Permafrost monitoring can improve road conditions forecasts

It is stated that Rosavtodor has adopted measures to monitor federal roads, which cross the permafrost areas

MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/. The system to monitor the perennially grounds can improve forecasts of the roads’ conditions in the northern regions, an ecologist at the Arctic Project Development Office, Polina Cheplyayeva, told TASS.

"Speaking about the geo-cryology monitoring (the permafrost’s complex monitoring - TASS), I would like to mention the problem related to the follow-up and forecasts of roads’ conditions," she said. "The present technical approaches cannot use the geo-cryology conditions or forecast their dynamics."

According to the expert, the national road authority, Rosavtodor, has adopted measures to monitor federal roads, which cross the permafrost areas. "The new approach here is a parallel implementation of the geo-cryology monitoring and of forecasts of unfavorable processes," she said. "Specialists will combine the terrestrial and remote monitoring methods to control roads on the perennially frozen grounds."

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Sergey Anopriyenko announced earlier the first Arctic climate studies using the national permafrost monitoring system are due in 2023. The system will be equipped fully in 2024.

Earlier, Minister of Natural Resources Alexander Kozlov has suggested the monitoring system would be organized at the Russian hydrometeorology service, Roshydromet.