Russia has created the Khiona intelligent system, which predicts ice conditions and weather in the Arctic. This development makes it possible to build accurate forecasts for up to 72 hours, which is critical for safe navigation along the Northern Sea Route.
The new Russian forecasting system “Khiona” was officially presented on November 26, 2025 in Moscow. The development belongs to the Center’s specialists artificial intelligence Skoltech and the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences named after Shirshov. The system was named after the ancient Greek goddess of snow.
The uniqueness of Khione lies in the combination of three physical models describing the behavior of the World Ocean and sea ice caps with advanced artificial intelligence technologies. This engineering approach can simultaneously improve the accuracy of forecasts and significantly increase the speed of calculations.
The system monitors key parameters of the ice situation: ice concentration and thickness, its drift and compression. Khiona also analyzes meteorological and oceanological conditions. To build forecasts, model calculations, reanalysis data and satellite observations are used.
Skoltech professor E. Burnaev explained that the integration of rigorous physical models with machine learning methods provides a fast and reproducible forecast. This reduces uncertainty in route planning and helps make decisions in real time.
RAS Academician S. Gulev noted that the joint development combines hydrodynamic modeling from the Institute of Oceanology and machine learning technology at Skoltech. These technologies help to assimilate data and detail the picture of hydrodynamic processes.
The introduction of the Khiona system opens up new opportunities for the safe and effective development of the Arctic region. Accurate and timely forecasts make it possible to switch risk management to a proactive mode, which is especially important for the growing cargo flow along the Northern Sea Route.
The material was prepared with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science as part of the Decade of Science and Technology.
Source: neftegaz.ru
Image generated by a neural network
