First Arctic Carbon Test Site To Be Opened In Western Siberia - Russian Official

First Arctic Carbon Test Site to Be Opened in Western Siberia - Russian Official

YEKATERINBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2021) The first carbon test site in the Arctic will be opened in the Russian region of Yamalo-Nenets in western Siberia, the regional governor's press service said on Friday.

"The project was supported by unanimous decision at the meeting of the expert council chaired by the minister of science and higher education of Russia, Valery Falkov. The participants discussed the further expansion of the network of carbon test sites - a pilot project ... to establish a unified system that takes account of the movement of greenhouse gases in Russia. The first carbon test site in the Arctic will be located on the section adjacent to a radar tower with a height of 198.6 meters (651 feet) near the town of Labytnangi and the Obskaya station," the statement said.

Governor Dmitry Artyukhov noted that the matter of protecting the climate, in particular reducing our carbon footprint, has now taken center-stage around the world.

"Decisions in this area determine the vector of further development not only of our country. A national system for monitoring greenhouse gases is being created in Russia. I appreciate the decision to locate a carbon test site in (Yamalo-Nenets). The unique characteristics of our territory will offer scientists significant opportunities to undertake climate research," Artyukhov stated.

The coverage area of observations will include ecosystems of the forest-tundra, northern taiga, floodplain and marsh lands of the lower Ob River, according to the statement. The equipment of such a high tower and the creation of a carbonic test site around it will help to determine carbon flows over the vast territory, including those from urbanized areas.

"The location of the test site ... opens up great opportunities for managing ecosystem flows of greenhouse gases, including deforestation of tundra areas, regulation of water levels in peatlands, limiting territorial violations as a result of the passage of off-road machinery and reindeer grazing, and managing permafrost conditions," a leading member of the Yamal-Nenets Center of Arctic Research and the project manager, Gleb Kraev, said.

The project of carbon test sites is being undertaken in Russia on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Carbon test sites represent territories with a unique ecosystem, created with the participation of scientists for monitoring climate-active gases. According to the decision of the expert council, the network of carbon test sites will be expanded to 14 regions.