ASSESSMENT OF PERMAFROST CONDITIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE REHABILITATION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE OF THE IQALUIT AIRPORT, NUNAVUT, CANADA.
Valérie Mathon-Dufour, Michel Allard, Anne-Marie LeBlanc
In the proceedings of: GeoQuébec 2015: 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference & 7th Canadian Permafrost ConferenceSession: In Situ Testing, Instrumentation, and Monitoring in Cold Regions / Essais insitu et instrumentation en milieu nordique
ABSTRACT: Iqaluit, the territorial capital of Nunavut and hub for air transport in the eastern Canadian Arctic, had an airport in poor condition and not adapted to the expected increase in air traffic in the coming years. In fact, the runway, taxiways and aprons are affected by permafrost degradation. This study aims to contribute to the development of an integrated geoscientific approach to make up for lack of adequate characterization of permafrost during construction in order to support rehabilitation work now in progress at the Iqaluit airport and adapt the infrastructures to new climatic conditions. The results confirm that the initial conditions (e.g. drainage, cryostratigraphy) of the terrain have a considerable impact on the current stability of the infrastructure. In addition, the presence of the infrastructure itself modify the surface conditions (e.g. albedo, drainage) which have an impact on the thermal regime of permafrost.
RÉSUMÉ: Iqaluit, capitale territoriale et plaque tournante du transport aérien dans l™est de l™Arctique canadien, possèdait jusqu™à récemment un aéroport en mauvais état et mal adapté à l™augmentation prévue du trafic aérien pour les prochaines années. En effet, la piste, les voies d™accès et le tarmac sont endommagés par divers processus de dégradation du pergélisol. La présente étude vise à contribuer à la mise au point d™une approche géoscientifique intégrée permettant de compenser l™absence de caractérisation adéquate du pergélisol lors de la construction dans le but d™appuyer les travaux de réfection nécessaires à l™aéroport d™Iqaluit et d™adapter les infrastructures aux nouvelles conditions climatiques. Les résultats obtenus confirment que les conditions initiales (p.ex. drainage, cryostratigraphie) du terrain ont un impact considérable sur la stabilité actuelle des infrastructures. De plus, la présence de l™infrastructure elle-même a pour effet de modifier les conditions de surface (p.ex. albédo, drainage) entraînant un ajustement du régime thermique du pergélisol à ces nouvelles conditions.
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Valérie Mathon-Dufour; Michel Allard; Anne-Marie LeBlanc (2015) ASSESSMENT OF PERMAFROST CONDITIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE REHABILITATION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE OF THE IQALUIT AIRPORT, NUNAVUT, CANADA. in GEO2015. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.
@article{146,author = Valérie Mathon-Dufour; Michel Allard; Anne-Marie LeBlanc,title = ASSESSMENT OF PERMAFROST CONDITIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE REHABILITATION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE OF THE IQALUIT AIRPORT, NUNAVUT, CANADA.,year = 2015}