The Russian government has approved a creation of a state-owned system to monitor permafrost. The document was signed by the head of the Cabinet of Ministers Mikhail Mishustin.
The monitoring system will provide a more complete picture of how permafrost is changing due to global climate change, and estimate the amount of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere when permafrost melts.
This information will be used for modeling and scenario forecasting of climate change, and it will help to prevent the negative impact of such changes on economic sectors and the quality of life of citizens.
"The cryolithozone occupies two thirds of the territory of our country, so its study is a national priority. Changes in frozen soils are recorded everywhere: they submerge at large amplitudes in some regions. We need to understand what is happening with permafrost. Planning of any economic activity directly depends on this, including the construction of housing, engineering infrastructure: oil and gas pipelines, roads and water pipes," commented the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources Alexander Kozlov.
Roshydromet will be responsible for the creation and operation of this new subsystem, b-port.com reports.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
