Ecotourism in Crimea aims to preserve the environment
Researchers from the Arctic Research Center and Moscow State University have set off on an expedition to remote glaciers in the Yamal Peninsula to conduct comprehensive glaciological studies. This was announced on the website of the government of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YNAO).
Over ten days, the specialists plan to visit six glaciers: Shchuchiy, Troonova, Markova, Karsky, MSU, and IGAN. Some of them have not been visited for over a decade.
“Using geodetic methods and glaciological research, scientists will determine the area and thickness of the glaciers, which are necessary for calculating their mass balance. The largest glacier that the expedition will work on, IGAN, is a reference point. Its condition allows us to assess the overall situation of glaciers in the Polar Urals,” the message says.
As noted in the regional government, IGAN has been studied by scientists annually since 2017 after a long break.
Expedition participants will also take readings from glaciological stakes that were drilled into the ice last year to a depth of four to six meters. Based on the protruding part of the stakes, they will be able to accurately determine how much the glacier has decreased in 2024 at the studied points.
“This winter, we analyzed the data from geodetic surveys of the IGAN glacier from 2018 to 2023. By comparing them with the results of previous studies, we came to the conclusion that the rate of mass loss of the glacier is increasing, which corresponds to global trends. The data obtained from remote glaciers will allow us to refine the trends and update the catalog of glaciers in the Polar Urals,” says Alexander Shein, leading research fellow of the cryosphere sector.
The Arctic Research Center has been monitoring glaciers in the Polar Urals since 2017. This allows tracking the melting process under changing climate conditions and predicting the possible occurrence of dangerous natural phenomena.Scientists have developed a catalog of points on the surface of the IGAN glacier that have been surveyed from 2017 to 2023. The document visually reflects the dynamics of changes.
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