The Fourth Arctic Climatic Station
Launched In Yakutia

International climatic observatory has been opened in the transpolar settlement of Tiksi in Yakutia on November 28, 2006.

The station (also called as an atmospheric monitoring observatory) is open on the basis of the local hydrometeorological station, which works since 1932.

At present the observatory is the joint project of Russia, the USA and Finland . Norway and Canada have already expressed their interest in the project as well. The Russian Federation is represented by the Federal Services of Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, and the Polar Foundation.

Arthur Chilingarov, president of the Polar Foundation, says Tiksi observatory is the fourth in the Arctic and the only one in Russia .

The station's opening is dedicated to the International Polar Year that will start in 2007. The observatory will be collecting climatic data for next two years. In 2009 the data will be processed and compiled into the database for climatologists all around the world to use for upcoming decades.

“The Arctic is like a mirror that immediately reflects climate changes on the planet,” says Yuri Sychev, executive director of the Polar Foundation. To him, it is very important that Tiksi observatory made the circle vicious. Now existing four stations can afford climatic monitoring of the whole Arctic.

By now a new observatory building has been opened and it acquired the first equipment – a gas-measuring unit. The rest equipments will be delivered in February. Since March Tiksi station is supposed to start climatic monitoring at its full capacity.

The new observatory building was constructed at the expense of the Polar Foundation in the framework of its Arctic Station Restoration Program. “One of foundation's objectives is to support the state in such a vital field,” says A. Chilingarov, PF President.

To launch the Arctic climatic station in Tiksi, the Polar Foundation fundraised $400,000 in the USA . The building that may stand for 20 years will be carry over to the Russian Federation ownership. After the end the International Polar Year, the observatory is expected to work on.

The international climatic observatory has been opened by President of Yakutia Vyacheslav Shtyrov and Mr. Arthur Chilingarov.

// 29.11.2006

Written by Irina Vasilieva.
Translated by YakutiaToday.Com

Resource: Yakutia-Sakha News Agency .