Scientists in Kamchatka provide complex investigations of space and geospheres in the Far Eastern region of Russia

The Head of the Ministry of Education and Science, Falkov Valeriy, visited the Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Radio Wave Propagation FEB RAS (IKIR FEB RAS), which is a part of the Heliogeophysical complex of Russia.

Four observatories carry out their investigations on the basis of IKIR FEB RAS. They form a unique network of complex research of the atmosphere and the ionosphere in the Far East and in the eastern part of the Arctic Region.

Observation data are necessary both for fundamental and for applied investigations, for example, for ground support of space programs, reliability of operation of communication and navigation systems in the region, for hydrocarbon survey and extraction in the shelf area and for seismic forecasting tasks.

The Minister was informed of the work of the “Paratunka” complex geophysical observatory. Here the researchers make regular long-term observations of the Earth’s magnetic field, provide meterorological characteristics of the obtained data.

The Institute has unique scientific equipment, a lidar facility for diagnostics of ionospheric plasma at the heights of 200-300 km to determine its component content and spatial structure. Investigation results provide satellite flight safety.

Today, more than 100 employees, including young researchers, work at IKIR FEB RAS. The Institute is the leader in the number of scientific publication in the Far Eastern region.

Activities within the framework of 11 international projects with the organizations from Belarus, China, Uzbekistan, Hungary, India, Japan and a number of other countries are carried out here to investigate space weather and its impact on the Earth’s magnetic field.

The scientific Institute is famous for its strong school in the fields of mathematics and IT. Most of the researchers give lessons at Kamchatka higher educational institutions.