Third Forum for Young Permafrost Scientists 

24 June – 13 July 2013 Yakutsk, Russia

The Third Forum for Young Permafrost Scientists organized by the Melnikov Permafrost Institute (MPI) consisted of a geocryological conference and a field workshop. The Forum commemorated the 140th birthday of the founder of geocryology, Mikhail Sumgin (1873-1942).

The geocryological conference was held at the Melnikov Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk, Russia, from 24 to 27 June 2013. It was attended by 76 participants, including school, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as early career scientists, from Lomonosov Moscow State University, North-Eastern Federal University (Yakutsk), Tyumen State Oil and Gas University, Tomsk Oil and Gas Research and Design Institute (TomskNIPIneft), Chita State University, Tomsk State University, Research Institute for Engineering Site Investigations (Moscow), Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics (Novosibirsk), State Hydrological Institute (St. Petersburg) and Institute of Geography, Mongolian Academy of Sciences (Ulaanbaatar). In total, 35 oral and 5 poster papers were presented at three sessions: (1) Regional and Historical Geocryology, (2) Climate, Hydrogeology, Geochemistry, Geothermics and Thermal Physics of the Permafrost Zone, and (3) Engineering Geocryology.

01 Conference group photo

Conference participants

02 Welcome from Grigoriev

Welcome from Dr. Mikhail Grigoriev, MPI Vice-Director

03 Plenary presentation by Prof Tanaka

Plenary session: Prof. Yukiya Tanaka of Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

04 Oral presentation by Dmitry Ayunov

Oral session: Dmitry Ayunov, Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics SB RAS, Novosibirsk

05 Oral presentation by Ivan Misailov

Oral session: Ivan Misailov, Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Yakutsk

06 Above the permafrost

Local excursion: Above the permafrost (CALM site near MPI)

07 In the permafrost

Local excursion: In the permafrost (MPI underground laboratory)

The GEOCRYOLOGICAL FIELD WORKSHOP from 29 June to 13 July 2013 was based at the Tompo field camp of the North-Eastern Federal University in the southern Verkhoyansk Mountains and focused on mountain permafrost with five main topics: (1) Paleogeography and glaciation; (2) Periglacial processes and forms (slope processes, solifluction, patterned ground, thermokarst, frost cracking, frost heaving); (3) Hydrology and hydrogeology (mountain streams, springs, icings); (4) Ground temperature regime; and (5) Roads on permafrost. The Field Workshop had 34 participants. Activities included field trips guided by leading specialists on workshop topics; discussions on a proposed international geocryological monitoring network in the Tompo field camp area; and establishment and instrumentation of observation sites to monitor microclimate, ground temperatures and cryogenic processes.

08 Yakutsk to Tompo route

Route from Yakutsk to Tompo camp

09 Tompo area routes

Field routes, Tompo camp area 

10 Observing thermokarst

Examining thermokarst features exposed the most vividly in Central Yakutia

11 Cave on Lena River terrace slope

A cave in the LenaRiver high terrace slope

12 Nice summer day on icing

A nice summer day on the ice, Ulakhan-Taryn groundwater icing

13 Really beautiful day

Yeah, really beautiful…

14 Climbing Mt Baranya

Climbing Mt.Baranya

15 Baranya summit photo

Mt.Baranya summit photo 

16 Small waterfall

Waterfalls – small

17 risky waterfall

and risky to cross 

18 Chow time

Chow time

19 Anorther day Another walk

Another day, another walk

20 Up and up we go

Up and up we go

21 Wow

Wow!!!

22 Frost blister

A frost blister

23 Icing in Dolgochan Creek valley

and an icing in the Dolgochan Creek valley

24 Prof Sheinkman

Stories from experienced field researchers: Prof. Sheinkman shares his in-depth knowledge of the geology of VerkhoyanskMountains 

25 Prof Zhizhin

Prof. Zhizhin: “You need to read this amount of books on mountain permafrost” or is it: “I once caught a fish this big in this creek”?

26 Downloading data logger

Downloading permafrost temperature data

27 Weather station

A remote weather station

28 Long walk

Long walk over rocky trail

29 Stop for rest

for pleasant moments of rest

30 Refreshing water

Truly refreshing water from an ice-covered mountain creek

31 Lonely bridge

One of the very few man-made structures in the area

32 Measuring the challenge

Measuring the challenge

33 They made it

They made it!

34 Farewell campfire
Farewell campfire