Ninth International Conference on Permafrost ... - IARC Research

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Impacts of Climate Warming and Facilities on Rock Temperatures at a Tunnelin High Alpine Continuous Permafrost: Results of Long-Term Monitoring atKleinmatterhorn, Swiss AlpsLorenz KingJustus-Liebig-University Giessen, GermanyClemens Constantin MaagJustus-Liebig-University Giessen, GermanyChristen BaumannCEO Zermatt Bergbahnen AG, SwitzerlandIntroductionZermatt is a most popular tourist center in the Swiss Alps,located at approximately 1620 m a.s.l. As the surroundinghigh mountain ranges often reach above 4000 m a.s.l., thedry and sunny climate generates a high glacier equilibriumline and thus vast unglaciated permafrost areas. Occurrencesof sporadic permafrost appear above 2600 m; continuouspermafrost exists above 3400 m.The facilities built on permafrost include hotels, restaurants,mountain huts, railways, funiculars, elevators, orculverts for artificial snow production. In view of climatewarming, the subsurface thermal regime requires particularobservations, as degradation of permafrost may endangerthe proper functioning of these constructions. An appropriatedesign is crucial and depends on the characteristics ofthe permafrost occurrences. At present, new constructionsand recordings in the continuous permafrost region at Kleinmatterhorn(3820 m) and the previous long-term monitoringat this location enable the study of human influence on thispermafrost environment.KleinmatterhornThe mountain peak of Kleinmatterhorn with an altitudeof 3883 m a.s.l. is the highest place in the Alps that canconveniently be reached by a cable car and an elevator. Themountain top is located within the continuous permafrostzone. A 176 m long tunnel through the mountain at an altitudeof 3820 m and an elevator shaft leading to 3860 m a.s.l. (Fig.1) present an exceptionally interesting object for permafrostresearch. Long-term temperature monitoring started in 1998due to problems caused by refreezing of meltwater in theelevator shaft during a very warm summer. In order to recordthe bedrock temperatures of the mountain top and the effectsof tourist installations, temperature loggers were installed atselected sites of the tunnel.The permafrost distribution in the Zermatt Valley is quitewell known through several studies (cf. references in Philippiet al. 2003). Numerous rock glaciers were the focus of otherresearch projects (Hof et al. 2003, King & Kalisch 1998).Drilling 100 m in depth was carried out on nearby Stockhornduring the EU-project PACE (Harris et al. 2003), indicatinga permafrost thickness of 170 m.At the research site Kleinmatterhorn, air and rocktemperatures are monitored at 10 different sites, theFigure 1. Location of UTL-Loggers (1, 3, 5, 10) at the tunnel systemof Kleinmatterhorn mountain peak.10,005,000,00-5,00-10,00-15,00-20,00-25,00-30,0001.01.200101.04.200101.07.200101.10.200101.01.200201.04.200201.07.2002UTL-1-Logger Kleinmatterhornelevator shaft air temperature north first storeroom, right01.10.200201.01.200301.04.200301.07.200301.10.200301.01.2004Figure 2. Air, bedrock, and elevator shaft temperatures atKleinmatterhorn (3820 m) from Jan. 2001 to Aug. 2007.location of significant loggers are shown in Figure 1. Theair temperature (#1) is taken at an undisturbed site near thecable car entrance. Mean annual air temperatures (MAAT)were -8.0°C in 1998 and 1999, attaining -5.7°C in 2006.The mean air temperature in the summer months of Julyand August 2002 was -0.58°C; it reached +1.98°C in 2003.However, the mean winter temperatures (Dec., Jan., Feb.)also vary considerably with -12.6°C in 2001/02 compared to-15.2°C in 2004/05 and -10.3°C in 2006/07.Loggers #3 and #5 (located in storerooms that are separatedfrom the passenger tunnel) show small seasonal differencesof -2°C and -3°C, with a slightly increasing temperaturetrend. The elevator shaft temperatures (#10) vary seasonallybetween -4° and -2°C, however, reaching near zerotemperatures in the extremely warm summer of 2003, wherealso the accumulated positive degree-days are considerablyhigher than in any other year. Natural ventilation with coldair is a necessary countermeasure to prevent negative effectsof heat created by the installations.01.04.2004Date01.07.200401.10.200401.01.200501.04.200501.07.200501.10.200501.01.200601.04.200601.07.200601.10.200601.01.200701.04.200701.07.2007139
Ni n t h In t e r n at i o n a l Co n f e r e n c e o n Pe r m a f r o s tBedrock temperatures around -12°C were reported byKeusen & Haeberli (1983) during the construction phase.The results of the monitoring with 10 loggers since 1998have proven to be an essential aid for supervising sensitivepermafrost areas, thus allowing for preventive measuresagainst the consequences of climate warming and the effectsof human activities (heating, inhibited ventilation of cold airetc.) at an early stage.Actual Construction ActivitiesOne consequence of climate warming in the Alps is thatskiing activities tend to concentrate and increase in higherand safer regions. In addition, exceptional attractions helpguarantee the success of a tourist resort. The Kleinmatterhorncable car, constructed from 1976 to 1979, reaches up to 3820m a.s.l. and arrives at a tunnel cut in the northern wall of themountain peak. At its southern exit, the ski run starts downto Zermatt.Currently, three major infrastructure projects are beingcarried out at the mountain top in order to increase itsattractiveness. A new guest house with a larger restaurantwill be built at the southern exit of the existing tunnel. Thesupporting structure will be anchored in the frozen bedrock.From there, two elevators and an ice gallery (cf. Fig. 3) willform a subsurface access to a new “glacier palace” about 15m below the glacier surface.The current constructions visualize many engineeringand environmental aspects in a sensitive permafrost setting.Future research projects will study the effects on such anintense use of construction and installation for tourism onfrozen bedrock and glacier ice, respectively. The mountainguest house accommodating 60 beds will open in latesummer of 2008.At the northern entrance of the tunnel, the constructionof a spectacular tower reaching 117 m above the naturalmountain top and a viewing platform at an altitude of 4000m a.s.l. is planned, but has to be approved, consequentlyproviding to the Zermatt resort a sovereign viewpoint.Figure 3. Cross section through guest house, old tunnel (3820 m)and elevator shafts with access to the glacier palace.Current Research and Future ProjectsIn February 2008, additional scientific drilling will becarried out in the glacier ice close to the new constructionsand at the glacier palace. The mean annual ice temperaturewill be measured at about 15 m depth. Undisturbed bedrocktemperatures near the new construction sites will enableus to establish a good scientific base for new long-termtemperature monitoring and 3D modeling of this exceptionalmountain peak.Degradation of permafrost due to both climatic changeand an increase in human activity creates a serious challengefor tourist installations, as safety has to be prioritized andensured in the concerned area. Continuous monitoring willguarantee the required safety.AcknowledgmentsWe would like to express our gratitude to Stephan Gruber andThomas Herz who gave valuable suggestions for fieldwork.The studies were financially supported by the project KI261/14-1 of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.ReferencesHarris, C., Vonder Mühll, D., Isaksen, K., Haeberli, W., Sollid,J.-L., King, L., Holmlund, P., Dramis, F., Guglielmin,M. & Palacios, D. 2003. Warming permafrost inEuropean mountains. Global and Planetary Change39: 215-225.Hof, R., King, L. & Gruber, S. 2003. Influence of humanactivities and climatic change on permafrost atconstruc tion sites in Zermatt, Swiss Alps. Proceedingof the Eighth <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Permafrost,Zurich, Switzerland, July 20–25, 2003: 65-66.Keusen, H.R. & Haeberli, W. 1983. Site investigation andfoundation design aspects of cable car constructionin alpine permafrost at the ‘Chli Matterhorn’, Wallis,Swiss Alps. Proceedings of the Fourth <strong>International</strong><strong>Conference</strong> on Permafrost, Fairbanks, Alaska, July17–22, 1983: 601-605.King, L. & Kalisch, A. 1998. Permafrost distribution andimplications for construction in the Zermatt area,Swiss Alps. Proceedings of the Seventh <strong>International</strong><strong>Conference</strong> on Permafrost, Yellowknife, Canada,June 23–27, 1998: 569-574.King, L. 1996. Dauerfrostboden im Gebiet Zermatt-Gornergrat-Stockhorn Verbreitung und permafrostbezogeneErschließungsarbeiten. Zeitschrift fürGeomorphologie N.F., Suppl.-Band 104: 73-93.Philippi, S., Herz. T. & King, L. 2003. Near-surfaceground temperature measurements and permafrostdistribution at Gornergrat, Matter valley, Swiss Alps.Proceedings of the Eighth <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong>on Permafrost, Zürich, Switzerland, July 19–25,2003: 129-130.140
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NICOP 2008 Ninth <
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ContentsPreface ...................
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Mapping and Modeling the Distributi
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Satellite Observations of Frozen Gr
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xiiIce Wedge Thermal Regime in Nort
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xivPermafrost Response to Dynamics
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NICOP SponsorsUniversitiesUniversit
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Deep Permafrost Studies at the Lupi
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Effect of Fire on Pond Dynamics in
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Cryological Status of Russian Soils
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Acoustical Surveys of Methane Plume
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Permafrost Delineation Near Fairban
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Preparatory Work for a Permanent Ge
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A Provisional Soil Map of the Trans
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Martian Permafrost Depths from Orbi
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Time Series Analyses of Active Micr
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Impact of Permafrost Degradation on
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DC Resistivity Soundings Across a P
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Modeling Thermal and Moisture Regim
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A Provisional Permafrost Map of the
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Alpine Permafrost Distribution at M
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Cryogenic Formations of the Caucasu
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Modeling Potential Climatic Change
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A Hypothesis: A Condition of Growth
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Modeled Continual Surface Water Sto
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Freeze/Thaw Properties of Tundra So
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Discontinuous Permafrost Distributi
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Thermal Regime Within an Arctic Was
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Seasonal and Interannual Variabilit
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Twelve-Year Thaw Progression Data f
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Continued Permafrost Warming in Nor
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Landsliding Following Forest Fire o
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A Permafrost Model Incorporating Dy
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Seasonal Sources of Soil Respiratio
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Greenland Permafrost Temperature Si
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The Importance of Snow Cover Evolut
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The Account of Long-Term Air Temper
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The Combined Isotopic Analysis of L
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Adaptating and Managing Nunavik’s
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Human Experience of Cryospheric Cha
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HiRISE Observations of Fractured Mo
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A Soil Freeze-Thaw Model Through th
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Mapping and Modeling the Distributi
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First Results of Ground Surface Tem
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Historical Changes in the Seasonall
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Rock Glaciers in the Kåfjord Area,
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Snowpack Evolution on Permafrost, N
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Climate Change in Permafrost Region
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Maximizing Construction Season in a
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Pleistocene Sand-Wedge, Composite-W
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