Permafrost is ground that remains permanently frozen for a period of two or more consecutive years. In cold regions, such as the Arctic, permafrost is at least 11,000 years old and can be more than 1,500 meters deep. Climate warming is causing permafrost to thaw, impacting structures in Arctic regions that are built on it. This thawing results in differential settlement and lateral spreading that threatens infrastructure stability. For regions like Nunavik, the northern third of the province of Quebec, that rely on sea and air transportation to stay connected with the rest of Canada, maintaining the transportation network is essential. Permafrost stability is a major concern here.
In “Case Study of the Thermal Regime and Application of Engineering Solutions to Preserve the Road Embankment near Ungava Bay Coast, Canada” for the Journal of Cold Regions Engineering, the authors, Xiangbing Kong and Guy Doré, use the village of Tasiujaq as their base to investigate the ground thermal regime underneath the access road connecting the village with the local airstrip. Their research sought to characterize the permafrost conditions, evaluate the impact of climate warming in the area, and identify adaptation solutions to improve thermal stability. Learn more about their proposed method and how it can help with developing solutions that will stabilize unstable permafrost at https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/JCRGEI.CRENG-863. The abstract is below.
Abstract
This paper investigates a case study of ground thermal conditions underneath the access road embankment at Tasiujaq, Nunavik, Canada. A two-dimensional finite-element model was developed to analyze the heat transfer process and predict its long-term thermal regimes, considering a climate warming rate of 0.9°C per decade. The simulation results indicate that the side slopes are thermally unstable, and climate warming is exacerbating the unstable condition. Two engineering solutions have been proposed, and a preliminary design has been suggested to mitigate this unstable condition caused by climate warming effects over a 20-year design period. The method described in this paper is a sound approach for assessing the stability of road embankments using a geothermal model, and it proposes a viable design process for adaptation solutions to preserve permafrost underneath road embankments in Canada's North.
Explore how this Arctic community contended with permafrost instability, predicted to become a major challenge, in the ASCE Library: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/JCRGEI.CRENG-863.
