TASS, May 11. /TASS/. A concept for gradual adaptation of the infrastructures in the Russian Federation’s Arctic Zone to the permafrost’s thawing will be helpful in control of risks related to the climate changes, experts of the Vostokgosplan federal autonomous scientific institution said.
It is important to control consequences of the climate changes’ impacts, and related emergency situations, they said. "The work on a concept for the gradual adaptation is a priority task," the organization’s website reads.
The experts have listed adaptation measures, which may include the use of heat stabilizers to ensure the stability of buildings and engineering structures on the permafrost, the construction of flood dams, making forest protection strips, as well as fire prevention measures and others.
Infrastructure safety
In the Russian Arctic Zone there are cities with a population of more than 100,000 people, large river ports, developed urban, transport and industrial infrastructures. More than 30% of explored and more than 90% of potential hydrocarbon reserves are located there, as well as a significant part of gold, tin, nickel, copper, coal deposits, forest resources and fresh water, as well as hydropower infrastructures. "Reliable and trouble-free work of the oil and gas complex’s infrastructures and other industrial facilities is an important factor of this country’s economic security," the experts said.
Due to the combined influence of the climate warming and the inevitable man-made impacts on the permafrost in the course of economic activities, a cumulative effect arises, and its consequences will continue affect the foundations’ stability, will threaten the trouble-free operation of infrastructure facilities and may cause their complete destruction, the analysts said.
Impact on transport
No less significant is the impact from changes in the permafrost conditions on the transport infrastructures. Particularly hazardous is the situation at railway transport facilities. "About 46% of the Baikal-Amur railway embankment is subject to deformations due to uneven thawing of frozen bases. On the Seida - Vorkuta highway, the roadbed has lowered by an average of 10-15 cm to 50 cm over recent ten years, because the permafrost’s annual average temperature has grown from -6 - -7 degrees to -3 degrees Celsius," the experts explained.
They pointed to the critical conditions of railway lines near Norilsk, in the Nadym - Pur-Taz area due to the seasonal soil lowering, which deforms the ground bases. "Though all Arctic countries face similar transport problems, in Russia they are likely to cause the strongest negative consequences, because, unlike Alaska or Northern Canada, we have poorly developed local air transport," the experts said in conclusion.