Earth’s Cryosphere, 2021, vol. XXV, No. 1, pp. 3–30

THE MELNIKOV PERMAFROST INSTITUTE,
SIBERIAN BRANCH, RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
AT THE TURN OF ITS 60th ANNIVERSARY

M.N. Zheleznyak, R.V. Zhang, V.V. Shepelev, M.N. Grigoriev, A.N. Fedorov, O.I. Alekseeva

Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
Merzlotnaya str. 36, Yakutsk, 677010, Russia; [nospam]o.i.alekseeva@mpi.ysn.ru[/nospam]

2020 marked the 60th anniversary of the Melnikov Permafrost Institute SB RAS. This paper presents a brief history of its foundation and describes the major research achievements and outputs over the last decade. Promising avenues and projects for further geocryological research are outlined. In view of intensive industrial development of the permafrost regions, the authors believe that the Melnikov Permafrost Institute should be accorded a National Research Institute status with relevant government support.

Key words: permafrost, geocryology, permafrost engineering, buildings and structures, cryogenic processes, climate change, frozen ground