Transcript Technology is the technical means people use to

Environmental Technology
under cold-Arctic conditions
Development and challenges with focus on
climate change scenarios
Roland Kallenborn The University Centre in Svalbard, Norway
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Technology
Technology is the technical means
people use to improve their
surroundings. It is also a knowledge of
using tools and machines to do tasks
efficiently.
We use technology to control the world
in which we live. Technology is people
using knowledge, tools, and systems to
make their lives easier and better.
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Climate change?
ACIA`s estimate of global warming in this century
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Environmental scenario
 Climate change scenarios are described altering Arctic
environmental condition
 Changes in sea ice coverage, glaciers and erosion expected.
 Increase of melt water during spring melt events.
 Consequences for accessibility and exploitation of natural
resources?
 Human activities (off-shore installation, new settlements,
mining etc.)
 Transport routes of goods, petroleum, gas etc. across the
Arctic ocean and on-land
 Social structures, housing and infrastructures.
 How to meet the future?
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Rockfalls, rockslides and snow avalanches are the
most common natural hazard threatening the
transport routes on land
Registration of slides, avalanches and floods on highways and
main roads 1975- 2005
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Frequent wind and storm events
Increasing problems with
regularity on high mountain
roads/ railways, and some windexposed coastal roads
• Restriction on sea transport
• Difficult access to wind exposed
harbors
• Reduced regularity in air
transport
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Frost heave and thawing (melt water flooding) make roads and
railways vulnerable to temperature fluctuations around 0C
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Development of communications
and pipelines in permafrost areas
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Ships traffic in the Arctic Ocean
Attractive shipping routes through the North East/
North West passage
Increased chances for
accidents!
Environmental pollution: Prevention/
remediation
procedures needed
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Development of hydrocarbon deposits and mineral resourses
Земля
Франца-Иосифа
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1 - Dudinka – Murmansk – nickel carriage ~1.2 mln. t/year
- options of North-Eastern Sea Root
Natural resourses:
- gas, - oil
- poly-metals and manganites
- timbers, - rare earth metals and apatites
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Oil pollution issues
Remediation
Safety requirements
Development of technologies for prevention and
remediation of oil pollution in Arctic waters is urgently needed
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Infrastructures and installations
Landscape erosion
Damages on buildings
Permasfrost regime will change
Implication on Waste water treatment, sanitation,
housing, foundations of infrastructures, mining, pipelines,
water and power supply etc.
Consequences: Occurence and spreading of diseases, reduced
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living qualityGlobal POP, Longyearbyen: 06-07.07.08
Arctic offshore constructions and ice loads
~20 m
~120
m
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Climate change in Norwegian Arctic
(RegClim 2002)
•
•
•
•
Temperature increases 0.2C – 0.5C pr. decade.
Precipitation increases 5 % - 35 % this century
Increasing storm frequency and magnitude
More rain at lower and snow at higher altitudes/
latitudes (increased variability).
• Increasing sea level and higher waves and storm
floods
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How to meet the future
• Better understanding of climate change on local bases
• Systematic registration of events and consequences
• Improve design of protection measures for all types of human
activities
• New design of ditches and culverts
• More extensive erosion protection
• Reconstruction or improved maintenance of available
infrastructures including roads and harbors
• Evaluate functionality of exposed infrastructures like housing,
mining installations, off-shore facilities, pipelines, airports and
harbors
• New guidelines and technologies for industrial facilities,
settlements, road-, railway- airport- and harbor-constructions are
needed
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Aknowledgement
Lars Grande (NTNU Trondheim) has helped
shaping the presentation.
All scientific members of the UNIS Arctic
Technology department have contributed
with open-minded discussion and comments
to the here presented ideas.
 ICPP, ACIA and AMAP have contributed
with figures, pictures and expertise
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Thank you for your attention!
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