- 1Water, Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- 2Civil Engineering, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- 3Oulanka Research Station, University of Oulu, Kuusamo, Finland
- 4Intelligent Machines and Systems, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- 5The Unit of Measurement technology, University of Oulu, Kajaani, Finland
- 6Finnish Environment Institute, Finland
- 7Geological Survey of Finland, Finland
- 8Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland
The CRYO-RI project establishes a comprehensive research infrastructure to investigate and monitor the rapid transformations in snow, ice, and frozen ground in Northern Finland. Recognizing the need to reassess historical projections and governance frameworks related to cryospheric systems, the project focuses on documenting these changes with high-quality, dynamic monitoring systems. CRYO-RI addresses this pressing challenge through a regionally focused, interdisciplinary snow and ice research infrastructure cluster. The consortium comprises the University of Oulu, the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), and the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK).
This presentation highlights the advancements in snow and ice monitoring infrastructure achieved within the CRYO-RI project. Key developments include: (i) innovative temperature-based approaches for monitoring snow, permafrost, and river ice conditions using low-cost IoT sensors, distributed temperature sensing with optical cables, and Simba equipment, (ii) updated snow field monitoring stations at the Oulanka and Sodankylä Research Stations, (iii) in-situ stable water isotope analysis of seasonal snowpacks, (iv) a river ice monitoring program, (v) GNSS-R-based snow and ice monitoring, (vi) advanced soil laboratory equipment for assessing frozen soil properties, and (vii) UAV-based measurements using LiDAR, ground penetrating radar (GPR), and synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) sensors.
The collective efforts of the CRYO-RI consortium aim to generate novel insights, innovative measurement methodologies, and cutting-edge research at the intersection of cross-disciplinary science and cryosphere-related resource management. Additionally, the CRYO-RI platform provides open-access data and measurement infrastructure, inviting collaboration with partners from academic, public, and private sectors
How to cite: Ala-aho, P., Marttila, H., Torabi Haghighi, A., Tuomela, A., Paavola, R., Liedes, T., Sutinen, V., Anttila, K., Okkonen, J., and Kontu, A.: CRYO-RI: snow and ice monitoring and research infrastructure for Northern Finland, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-15704, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-15704, 2025.