Home – Home – Jornals – Earth’s Cryosphere 2025 number 6

Systematic scientific and technical support is an integral part of engineering surveys, design, and construction of various objects in the permafrost zone. Geotechnical monitoring is a continuation of the scientific and technical support provided to construction projects during the operational period. In this study, we examine the systematic scientific and technical support at all stages of project implementation and argue that the methods of scientific and technical support require refinement. Problematic issues and potential ways to improve scientific and technical support for projects under complex geocryological conditions are considered.

This study aimed to establish patterns of heat flow changes under the impact of snow tamping. To achieve this goal, a criterion for the efficiency of snow tamping has been introduced as the ratio of heat fluxes from the ground to the air before and after tamping the snow cover. If the convective component in the heat transfer coefficient is not taken into account, then the criterion is a simple quadratic dependence on the snow cover compaction coefficient. A quantitative and qualitative assessment of the accepted assumption has been performed and demonstrated that the error in determining the efficiency criterion does not exceed the values allowed in engineering practice. Thus, it has been found that the increase in the initial heat flux during snow tamping is proportional to the square of the degree of snow cover compaction and does not depend on its thermophysical properties. The formulated provisions are presented in the form of 3D graphs, which makes it possible to visually verify the validity of the assumptions made and the conclusions drawn.

Further deepening of the Yubileinaya kimberlite pipe open-pit mine and bringing its upper part to the maximum surface contour required a series of studies aimed at improving the stability of the pit’s upper slopes. This necessitated an investigation of local mining-geological and cryohydrogeological conditions, such as the presence of substantial talik zones beneath Protochnoye and Travyanistoye lakes, which affect not only the deposit’s water inflow but also slope stability, particularly in areas of talik water discharge. It was found that the talik zones had undergone changes during the deposit development expanding from their original dimensions both in plan and in section. Calculations were performed to assess potential shifts in the position of the 0 °C isotherm in the cross-section due to thawing caused by convective water flow. This flow intensified due to increased movement of groundwater and surface water from upland ditches through the talik body toward discharge points on the pit slopes. The predicted thawing extent generally aligns with the actual recorded changes in the depth of talik zones. The hydrogeological modeling helped determine the optimum operating regime for drainage wells with elimination of water discharge areas from talik zones after implementing the proposed solutions.

The prospects and relevance of the application of an all-season soil thermal stabilization system and the principles of its operation are considered. Data on soil temperature changes under the impact of the all-season thermal stabilization system and seasonal cooling devices on a test polygon and their comparative analysis are presented. The results obtained attest to a higher efficiency of the all-season soil thermal stabilization system for cooling and freezing soils in comparison with seasonal cooling devices.

The problem of the development of bypass filtration and static stability of waterworks in the permafrost zone continues to be relevant, especially in the current period of climate change on Earth. In conditions of western Yakutia, the main reason for the loss of filtration stability of hydraulic structures has been identified: the presence of ancient aeration zones in their base; these zones formed during the Holocene optimum and then were frozen under conditions of incomplete water saturation with the formation of ice jams and air cavities. Geophysical methods have been applied to study filtration processes. As a result, we have identified geocryological conditions favoring the development of bypass filtration processes and suggested a set of methods to detect and control them, which is an important challenge of permafrost engineering.

On August 23, 2025, Mikhail Nikolaevich Grigoriev, Deputy Director for Science at the Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Honored Scientist of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), celebrated his 70th birthday. This article presents his key scientific achievements and biographical information.