October 5, 2020

Field Observations of Wildfire Impacts Conducted in Batagai, NE Yakutia

From September 11 to 15, Alexander Fedorov, Alexey Desyatkin and Nikolay Fedorov visited the Batagai area in north-eastern Yakutia to carry out observations at wildfire burn sites. Field work included measurements of active-layer thickness, moisture content and temperature; sampling and description of soil horizons; surface leveling along the previously established profile; drilling and instrumentation of thermal boreholes; and UAV surveys at key sites to develop digital elevation models. The team also visited the Batagaika Crater for visual inspection and documentation of geocryological processes. This research is part of a RFBR-funded project in cooperation with the Institute of Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone aimed at assessing the effects of wildfire on the permafrost thermal regime, surface processes and landforms in the Verhkoyansk Upland.


Photographs below:
Gully development along a firebreak, 2018 burn (Photo by N. Fedorov)
Batagaika Crater (Photo by A. Desyatkin)
Measuring active-layer depth at a 2018 burn site (Photo by N. Fedorov)