Here we are! 

1. Location / Where you can find us!

Our station is a round-the-year field station for scientists and students, set in the heart of Khibiny Mountains, Kola Peninsula (NW Russian Arctic, 67º38'14"N, 33º43'31"E).  

1. Some words about history and Facilities

This April our station celebrated the 60^th anniversary. It is one of the oldest stations at the Faculty of Geography (MSU) and, perhaps, the unique one. The station was founded in 1948 by professor and the best known expert on avalanches George Kazimirovich Tushinsky. Khibiny with the original relief, snow, snowstorms, snow slips and long Polar winter, always attracted him not only as the expert, but also as romantic. He initiated the foundation of Khibiny geographical station to carry out the distant researches and practices for students. It is published more than 100 scientific articles, the large number of course and degree works, more than 10 dissertations were done by means of the data collected for years at the station.Every year the station hosts summer field courses and winter scientific expeditions for students, as well as researches who come for specific field projects (with an annual total of over 200 visitors). Most of the visiting scientists and students are Russian, but we also welcome researches and student groups from abroad every year. Facilities include a student accommodation building with dormitories, a lecture room, a lab room and a dining room, as well as the stuff accommodation building with a few flats available for visiting researches. A minibus and a 4 WD truck with drivers may be available. 

1. Our scientific interests

The scientific staff of our station consists of 4 research scientists. The main fields of research are as follows:

GIS – mapping (GIS “Khibiny Mountains” is created)

Avalanche data base compellation (GIS)

Avalanche mapping (GIS)

Estimation of avalanche activity

Estimation of avalanche hazard and avalanche risk

Observations on snow cover

Modeling of snow cover (GIS and SnowPack Software)

Meteorological observations

Observations of small glaciers of Khibiny

Investigation of Khibiny nival processes

Post-graduate students and scientists carry out researches on glaciology, soil science, biogeography, landscape science, meteorology and geomorphology in here.

An automatic weather station has been installed in autumn 2007 to enhance the long-term meteorological observations which are carried.

Cooperation 

Khibiny educational - scientific station cooperates with the Centre of Avalanche Protection of JSC “Apatit” (town-planning enterprise) and Laboratory of Snow avalanches and Mudflows of MSU. The research work carried out at the station is fully cooperative and researches work in collaboration with various units of the Faculty of Geography (MSU) and other research organizations in Russia.  

1. Contact details

Khibiny educational-scientific station of MSU
Zheleznodorozhnaja str., 10
Kirovsk 184250

Murmansk Region

Russia
Phone/Fax: + 7 815 31 9 66 15
Director: Sergey Konjaev
Marina Vikulina – Chief of Science Department, e-mail: masanna2003@mail.ru

Yulia Zaika – Research Assistant, e-mail: sunny_bunny84@inbox.ru