Laboratory for Biogeochemical and Remote Techniques for Environmental Monitoring (BIO-GEO-CLIM)

• We have found factors affecting transport of dissoluble component in rivers of Western Siberia. We have also determined changes in hydrochemical composition of rivers and factors controlling composition of mosses in the region
• We were the first to study mechanisms and features of transformation of chemical composition of thermokarst lakes in winter
• Our team has determined natural and anthropogenic sources of    atmospheric precipitation contamination
• We have found movement of forests towards tundra and proved reduction of power of permafrost in Western Siberia, draining of large lakes and formation of smaller ones that play highly important role in carbon exchange cycles
• We have obtained new critical information concerning transmission of substances in high latitude regions in the light of climate warming. This information will allow to adapt society and infrastructure of high latitude regions to new climate.
• Main components of sub-Arctic landscapes have been studied over several years using multi-disciplinary approach in conjunction with laboratory and theoretical modeling
• A full-scale experiment in landscape modeling has been conducted. It included directed manipulation of minor natural objects and high-precision laboratory experiments to determine quantitative response of the environment to climate changes and increased anthropogenic load

Implemented results of research:

We have enhanced the flotation technology and developed a mobile complex for cleaning sea floor sediment and water in lake and swamp landscapes from oil and oil products. Technological solutions allow remove oil from floor in shallow thermokarst lakes in the most economically efficient way as well as to clean contaminated water and swamp landscape in Arctic and sub-Arctic zone of Russia.

Education and career development:

• 10 doctoral dissertations have been defended (5 defendants were were younger than 35 years old), 23 candidate dissertations, 16 masters dissertations, 6 bachelors dissertations, 1 specialist dissertations.
• 25 employees of the Laboratory – undergraduates, postgraduate students and young scientists – have completed internships in leading foreign scientific centers in USA, Canada, Japan, China, France, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Poland, and Spain.
• 8 employees of the Laboratory have completed internships in academic institutes of Moscow and St. Petersburg
• 26 young professionals from other Russian institutions have completed internship in the Laboratory
• 113 young scientists, professionals and tutors from other organizations have completed professional re-training and career enhancement in the Laboratory
• We have conducted 44 scientific and educational events of Russian and international scale (seminars, scientific schools, conferences). 56 world-class scientists have been invited for participation in these events
• Our team has developed and implemented masters programs in English: «Siberian and Arctic Studies», «Biodiversity», as well as 9 short-term career development programs, 1 additional professional training program, 20 programs for various subjects for masters programs and 2 for bachelors programs.

Organizational and structural changes:

• We have created a network of scientific stations on medial Western Siberian profile as a part of the «Mega-profile» Center for Joint Unitilzation
• A new direction of research and professional training has been created in the field of ecological and engineering surveillance for oil and gas industries, a new research laboratory for engineering surveillance has been created in Tomsk State University
• We have organized joint international research and field expeditions to the Siberian Arctic
• We have initiated creation of major networking projects for studies of the Arctic and climate change

Other results:

166 project tasks have been completed:

• 91 works within research grant agreements/contracts – 91 tasks with overall cost of 210 million rubles
• 75 works were part of agreements/contracts with commercial organizations with overall cost of 45 million rubles
• We have participated in 20 international collaborations and networking projects

Collaborations:

• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), Midi-Pyrénées Observatory (France), UMR 5563 Laboratory (France), Paul Sabatier University Toulouse (France): joint reach and scientific events
• N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia): joint research
• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), Midi-Pyrénées Observatory (France), UMR 5563 Laboratory (France): student exchange