Permafrost thaw that has occurred in the recent decades due to climate change puts infrastructures in the Northern Hemisphere at high risk. Permafrost cover in the Northern Hemisphere accounts for a quarter of the land area.
These infrastructures are found in Canada, the Tibetan plateau, and Russia. Russia contains the highest concentration of infrastructures at risk, particularly railways oil and natural gas pipelines.
According to a study led by Jan Hjort published in Nature Reviews and Earth & Environment, the cost of maintenance and infrastructure repairs are estimated to reach 30 billion Euros in the Arctic region by 2060. Aside from infrastructures, about 500 Arctic villages and cities are also in the areas where permafrost is expected to thaw by 2050 (Thaw of permafrost, 2022).
A Tibetan highway, Qinghai-Tibet highway, is yet another infrastructure damaged by permafrost thaw. The sagging terrain distorts and warps the road, causing large cracks to appear in some stretches of the highways. As the permafrost melt increases, so too is the rate of damage in the highways and other infrastructures, posing significant engineering challenges (Baraniuk, 2021).
Engineers constructing these lengthy highways in the mid-20th century has already anticipated permafrost thawing. Before they built these roads, they would spread gravel on these ice-rich grounds to insulate it.
This technique has worked so far, but this buffer is no longer effective in areas with so much thawing of ice. Engineers will have to find better and innovative solutions to combat the continuous permafrost degradation, which is expected to worsen.
The BBC article presents some solutions to mitigate the impacts of permafrost melt in infrastructures and buildings that have been applied in the past and even more recently.
In buildings, using sturdier foundations and improving ventilation under the structure can slow down the impact of permafrost loss. However, according to the article, these damages could also have been prevented with better maintenance.
With climate change accelerating permafrost melt, structures like the igloo-shaped church, Our Lady of Victory Church, in northern Canada, were built on a strong concrete slab shaped like a saucer with a layer of gravel beneath protect the building from warping. But lately, permafrost thaw has caused cracks on its foundational saucer and has also affected other parts of the building.
To prevent further damage, the church has begun replacing wooden posts with adjustable steel ones and increasing ventilation beneath the building’s flood above the concrete foundation. Local researchers are monitoring the progress of these interventions.
Oil companies with huge budgets use costly technology to keep the ground frozen and stable. Installing thermosiphon tubes will allow heat to escape from the ground and keep it cold, protecting the pipes from getting damaged.
For instance, the 1,300-kilometer Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System uses a similar device that uses fluid to circulate passively to let the heat escape from the ground.
Other approaches to keeping the ground cool in climate change include building road embankments using large stones with significant gaps in-between that act as pores, allowing heat to escape.
Light-coloured road materials and shielding the road embankment under a wooden shed can also alleviate warming effects – a strategy applied to protect the Alaska Highway between 2008 to 2011.
According to Guy Dore, the problem with permafrost melts is that it happens slowly and will continue to do so in the next 30 years, presenting engineering problems in the next 100 years. For years, Dore studied the effects on built infrastructure at Laval University in Canada (Thaw of permafrost, 2022).
Infrastructure supports modern society and the economy – the significant cost and time invested in it are enough for governments and asset owners to seek the strategy to manage these infrastructures.
A limited budget for the upkeep or rehabilitation of infrastructure is a common problem among governments. Implementing infrastructure asset management (IAM) can help manage these assets to continue to provide services within their expected life or even beyond it in the most cost-effective way.
The key to asset management is the creation of a comprehensive infrastructure inventory, which in turn guides strategic investment decisions.
Local authorities and asset owners can better prioritize essential repairs and replacement projects and inform long-term budget planning through this inventory.
Sources:
Thaw of permafrost has vast impacts on built environment. (2022, January 12). Science Daily. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220112105653.
Baranuik, C. (2021, March 5). The fragile future of roads and buildings built on permafrost. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210303-the-unsure-future-of-roads-and-buildings-on-melting-ground
Heinineva, M. (2019, May 28). Permafrost inspired to ponder the interaction between Arctic nature and humans. University of Oulu. Retrieved from https://www.oulu.fi/university/permafrost%20inspired%20me%20to%20ponder%20the%20interaction%20between%20arctic%20nature%20and%20humans
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