Impact of hazardous cryogenic processes on urban infrastructure in the Arctic

The article summarizes long-term comprehensive studies of the impact of hazardous cryogenic processes on the infrastructure of settlements in the Russian Arctic with the assessment of the degree of deformation of the engineering objects. The percentage of deformed engineering infrastructure varies from 20–25 to 75–80%, often as a result of the development of dangerous cryogenic processes.

The negative impact of the most destructive processes was assessed for 37 settlements of the Russian Arctic. Suggested methodology includes three main indicators of cryogenic processes, i.e. degree of damage, duration and frequency. The processes associated with additional warming of the surface are the most dangerous. A new cycle of thaw slumps activation, associated with the thawing of ground ice and ice-bearing permafrost is observed. The rate of thermal denudation could be up to 15 m/year. The important feature in the gully development is block collapse of permafrost grounds during the snowmelt period. The possibility of frost cracking under natural conditions was estimated.

The impact of waste disposal on the Arctic infrastructure was also analyzed. All wastes were classified into 8 groups based on the degree of their impact on frozen basements. Special emphasis was made on how the mechanized redistribution of snow in urban areas influences frozen basements.

The formation of large snow dumps affects permafrost and activates hazardous cryogenic processes. Information on the temperature regime dynamics was obtained for frozen basements of buildings in urban areas: permafrost degradation was detected in 60% of basements; permafrost temperature decrease in 20% of basements; and the stable state of permafrost in 20%.

It was revealed that specific natural and geotechnical geocryological complexes are formed within economically developed territories in the permafrost zone. Special combinations of cryogenic processes for each complex were found and different stability could be a feature of even similar engineering objects. Effectiveness of the principal methods of permafrost management to ensure the stability of infrastructure was estimated. 

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