Ninth International Conference on Permafrost ... - IARC Research

More documents

Recommendations

Info

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
Page 1:
NICOP 2008 Ninth <
Page 6 and 7:
ContentsPreface ...................
Page 8 and 9:
Mapping and Modeling the Distributi
Page 10 and 11:
Satellite Observations of Frozen Gr
Page 13 and 14:
xiiIce Wedge Thermal Regime in Nort
Page 15 and 16:
xivPermafrost Response to Dynamics
Page 17 and 18:
xvi
Page 19 and 20:
NICOP SponsorsUniversitiesUniversit
Page 22 and 23:
Deep Permafrost Studies at the Lupi
Page 24 and 25:
Effect of Fire on Pond Dynamics in
Page 26 and 27:
Cryological Status of Russian Soils
Page 28 and 29:
Acoustical Surveys of Methane Plume
Page 30 and 31:
Permafrost Delineation Near Fairban
Page 32 and 33:
Preparatory Work for a Permanent Ge
Page 34 and 35:
A Provisional Soil Map of the Trans
Page 36 and 37:
Martian Permafrost Depths from Orbi
Page 38 and 39:
Time Series Analyses of Active Micr
Page 40 and 41:
Impact of Permafrost Degradation on
Page 42 and 43:
DC Resistivity Soundings Across a P
Page 44 and 45:
Modeling Thermal and Moisture Regim
Page 46 and 47:
A Provisional Permafrost Map of the
Page 48 and 49:
Alpine Permafrost Distribution at M
Page 50 and 51:
Cryogenic Formations of the Caucasu
Page 52 and 53:
Modeling Potential Climatic Change
Page 54 and 55:
A Hypothesis: A Condition of Growth
Page 56 and 57:
Modeled Continual Surface Water Sto
Page 58 and 59:
Freeze/Thaw Properties of Tundra So
Page 60 and 61:
Discontinuous Permafrost Distributi
Page 62 and 63:
Thermal Regime Within an Arctic Was
Page 64 and 65:
Seasonal and Interannual Variabilit
Page 66 and 67:
Twelve-Year Thaw Progression Data f
Page 68 and 69:
Continued Permafrost Warming in Nor
Page 70 and 71:
Landsliding Following Forest Fire o
Page 72 and 73:
A Permafrost Model Incorporating Dy
Page 74 and 75:
Seasonal Sources of Soil Respiratio
Page 76 and 77:
Greenland Permafrost Temperature Si
Page 78 and 79:
The Importance of Snow Cover Evolut
Page 80 and 81:
The Account of Long-Term Air Temper
Page 82 and 83:
The Combined Isotopic Analysis of L
Page 84 and 85:
Adaptating and Managing Nunavik’s
Page 86 and 87:
Human Experience of Cryospheric Cha
Page 88 and 89:
HiRISE Observations of Fractured Mo
Page 90 and 91:
A Soil Freeze-Thaw Model Through th
Page 92 and 93:
Mapping and Modeling the Distributi
Page 94 and 95:
First Results of Ground Surface Tem
Page 96 and 97:
Historical Changes in the Seasonall
Page 98 and 99:
Rock Glaciers in the Kåfjord Area,
Page 100 and 101:
Snowpack Evolution on Permafrost, N
Page 102 and 103:
Climate Change in Permafrost Region
Page 104 and 105:
Maximizing Construction Season in a
Page 106 and 107:
Pleistocene Sand-Wedge, Composite-W
Page 109 and 110: Ni n t h In t e r n at i o n a l Co
Page 159: Ni N t h iN t e r N at i o N a l Co
Page 211 and 212:
Ni n t h In t e r n at i o n a l Co
Page 213 and 214:
Page 215 and 216:
Page 217 and 218:
Ni N t h iN t e r N at i o N a l Co
Page 219 and 220:
Page 221 and 222:
Page 223 and 224:
Page 225 and 226:
Page 227 and 228:
Page 229 and 230:
Page 231 and 232:
Page 233 and 234:
Page 235 and 236:
Page 237 and 238:
Page 239 and 240:
Page 241 and 242:
Page 243 and 244:
Page 245 and 246:
Page 247 and 248:
Page 249 and 250:
Page 251 and 252:
Page 253:
Page 257 and 258:
Page 259 and 260:
Page 261 and 262:
Page 263 and 264:
Page 265 and 266:
Page 267 and 268:
Page 269 and 270:
Page 271 and 272:
Page 273 and 274:
Page 275 and 276:
Page 277 and 278:
Page 279 and 280:
Page 281 and 282:
Page 283 and 284:
Page 285 and 286:
Page 287 and 288:
Page 289 and 290:
Page 291 and 292:
Page 293 and 294:
Page 295 and 296:
Page 297 and 298:
Page 299 and 300:
Page 301 and 302:
Page 303 and 304:
Page 305 and 306:
Page 307 and 308:
Page 309 and 310:
Page 311 and 312:
Page 313 and 314:
Page 315 and 316:
Page 317 and 318:
Page 319 and 320:
Page 321 and 322:
Page 323 and 324:
Page 325 and 326:
Page 327 and 328:
Page 329 and 330:
Page 331 and 332:
Page 333 and 334:
Page 335 and 336:
Page 337 and 338:
Page 339 and 340:
Page 341 and 342:
Page 343 and 344:
Page 345 and 346:
Page 347 and 348:
Page 349 and 350:
Page 351 and 352:
Page 353 and 354:
Page 355 and 356:
Page 357 and 358:
Page 359 and 360:
Page 361 and 362:
Page 363 and 364:
Page 365 and 366:
Page 367 and 368:
Page 369 and 370:
Page 371 and 372:
Page 373 and 374:
Page 375 and 376:
Page 377 and 378:
Page 379 and 380:
Page 381 and 382:
Page 383 and 384:
Page 385 and 386:
Page 387 and 388:
Page 389 and 390:
Page 391 and 392:
370Huang, B. 339Hugelius, G. 105, 1
Page 393:
372
show all

Ninth International Conference on Permafrost ... - IARC Research

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?