October 11, 2021

Mikhail Grigoriev Receives Germany’s Order of Merit

Dr. Mikhail Grigoriev, MPI Deputy Director, was honoured with the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in recognition of his significant contributions to research cooperation between Germany and Russia. The award was presented by the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Novosibirsk, Bernd Finke, at a ceremony in the MPI’s conference hall on October 6, 2021. The Federal President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeir awarded Dr. Grigoriev on September 3, 2020, but the ceremony of bestowal was postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Order of Merit was also conferred to Prof. Hans-Wolfgang Hubberten, former Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute’s Potsdam Unit, who regretfully was unable to attend the ceremony in Yakutsk. In his welcoming speech, Mr. Finke pointed out Dr. Grigoriev’s role in the initiation and implementation of joint Russian–German research programs, including the annual Lena Expedition which marked its 25th anniversary last year, as well as many international Arctic research projects based on the Samoylov Island station. This long-standing cooperation, he noted, has enhanced academic exchange between the two countries and contributed appreciably to the international awareness of climate change issues.

The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany was instituted in 1951 by Federal President Theodor Heuss. It is the only honour that may be awarded in all fields of endeavour and is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation. Previous recipients from Russia include Daniil Granin, Mikhail Piotrovsky and Academician Vladimir Fortov.

27 September 2021

Session on Permafrost Monitoring at the III Northern Sustainable Development Forum

The III Northern Sustainable Development Forum begins its work in Yakutsk today with several concurrent events taking place online or offline. Sessions, roundtables and panel discussions held during four days from September 27 to 30, 2021 will center around climate change impacts on permafrost, ecosystems and livelihoods in northern regions. The program will also include a two-day roundtable, “CRYOLITHOZONE MONITORING AND MEASURES TO SECURE SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN THE ARCTIC” on September 28 (Tue) and 29 (Wed) to discuss infrastructure stability issues in permafrost terrain, advanced adaptation and mitigation technologies, and permafrost monitoring programs. This event is co-organized by NSDF and MPI with Dr. Mikhail Zhelezniak as its moderator. Speakers will include Academician Vladimir Melnikov (Institute of Earth’s Cryosphere, Tyumen), Vladimir Romanovsky (Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks), Oleg Tregubov (North-East Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Institute FEB RAS, Anadyr), Huijun Jin (Institute of Cold Regions Science & Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin), Iosif A. Makarov, Geolan OOO, Moscow), Go Iwahana (International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska), to name a few. The full program is available at https://nsdf.ru/en/1-2/.

This roundtable discussion can be joined via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88417256994?pwd=N2g5cjBkVU43MG85L0Z4dEJJL0J3UT09
Meeting ID: 884 1725 6994
Access code: nsdf
or YouTube
https://youtu.be/g4FCA0Hk1d4

15 July 2021

Sixth FYPS Completed Successfully

For the sixth time, MPI hosted the Forum for Young Permafrost Scientists (FYPS) which was first held in 2008 to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Academician Pavel Melnikov, the founder of Siberian geocryology, first president of the International Permafrost Association and first director of MPI. The Forum was then held in 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2018 attended by young researchers from across Russia and abroad (CIS, USA, China, Japan, and France). The FYPS–2021 included a four-day conference from 29 June to 2 July with online and offline presentations by early career scientists from research institutes and universities of Yakutsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tomsk, Tyumen, Sheffield and Potsdam. The conference was followed by a field trip to periglacial sand dunes in the Vilyui River basin with lectures on cryostratigraphy, periglacial landscapes, and groundwater, river and lake systems in permafrost terrain.