Barentsburg
The research facilities in Barentsburg have been upgraded in recent years. Notable additions to the infrastructure include a satellite ground station and chemical laboratories.
Barentsburg, owned and run by the Russian coal mining company Trust Arktikugol, is also the hub for Russian research in Svalbard. An estimated total of 80-100 Russian researchers visit Barentsburg for field work during summer season (April-October). The vast majority stays at the Kola Science Center's research station "Barentsburg" through at least parts of their stay, usually for two-four weeks. A total of 8-14 researchers stay in Barentsburg during the winter.
The Kola Science Center, which is a regional center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), provides accommodation and logistical support to researchers affiliated with RAS institutes, including the Polar Geophysical Institute (PGI), the Kola Regional Center for Seismological Services (KRCS), the Institute of Archeology, The Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (MMBI), and Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden-Institute.
PGI runs research and monitoring programs from a dedicated geophysical observatory above Heerodden as well as with instruments inside Barentsburg. KRCS has established two digital seismic stations in the area. MMBI disposes of two small buildings in Barentsburg, a laboratory and a depot, as well as the research vessel "Dalnie Zelentsy". Researchers from the Moscow-based Institute of Archeology excavated thousands of artefacts in Svalbard during the 20th century, and some of these are displayed at the Pomor Museum in Barentsburg.
Roshydromet agencies
Three agencies affiliated with the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring in Russia (Roshydromet) also have a presence in Barentsburg: The St. Petersburg-based Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), the Murmansk branch of Roshydromet (MUGMS), and the northwestern branch of the Research and Production Association "Typhoon".
AARI runs the newly established Russian Research Center in Svalbard (RRCS), which includes a satellite ground station that taps data from American, European and Chinese satellites in polar orbit, state-of-the art chemical laboratories, offices and storage rooms.
MUGMS operates the Zonal Hydrometeorological Observatory (ZHMO), which is collocated with RRCS and has logged observations in Barentsburg for decades.
RPA "Typhoon" runs local pollution monitoring programs in and around Barentsburg.
The Polar Marine Geological Research Expedition (PMGRE) has been present in Barentsburg since 1962. The agency is affiliated with the Ministry of Natural Resources, and its primary objective is to estimate deposits of hydrocarbons and coal in Svalbard.
Messages at time of print 4 December 2024, 10:10 CET