A new network of marine weather stations will appear in the Arctic zone of Russia

It will significantly improve the accuracy of forecasts for safe navigation along the Northern Sea Route and open up new opportunities for scientific research.

The press service of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute reported that by 2024 the institute plans to deploy a new high-precision hydrometeorological network in the marine and coastal parts of the Russian Arctic based on drifting buoys.

"According to the plan, by 2024, modern drifting and stationary measuring instruments of domestic production will be installed in the waters of all the seas of the Russian Arctic, including the routes of the Northern Sea Route. Further improvement of the hydrometeorological network is provided for by the development plan of the Northern Sea Route and will continue until 2035," the report says.

Particular attention is planned to be paid to the modernization of meteorological observation points in the Eastern sector of the Arctic, including the most remote parts of the seas and island points from the mainland. This direction is the most important in terms of increasing the scale of year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route.

At the moment, 7 drifting weather stations have already been installed, and 42 more will be installed in 2023.

Covering the entire zone of the Northern Sea Route and the adjacent part of the Arctic Basin with drifting and stationary weather stations will make it possible to obtain hourly direct observations of ice and meteorological parameters in the region. Prompt receipt of information on water and air temperature, atmospheric pressure, heat transfer processes, estimates of snow and ice cover thicknesses and ice drift makes it possible to correct model weather calculations and ship routes, taking into account data on wind and wave intensification, as well as the possibility of ships icing.