Ninth International Conference on Permafrost ... - IARC Research

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Preliminary Analysis of Anthropogenic Landscape Fragmentation:Tazovsky Peninsula, RussiaJesse S. WallaceDepartment of Geography, University of Montana, Missoula, 59812, USAAnna E. KleneDepartment of Geography, University of Montana, Missoula, 59812, USAIntroductionAs part of the IPA 2007 <strong>International</strong> Polar Year activities,Moscow State University offered a “Technogenic andEnvironmental Permafrost Observatories” field course inwest Siberia. During this course, students were grantedaccess to three natural gas fields owned by regionalsubsidiaries of the Russian energy company, Gazprom. Thefieldwork addressed the impact of industrial development inpermafrost regions, with an emphasis on the evolution oftechnologies designed to mitigate the problems associatedwith engineering in arctic environments.The fragmentation analysis performed as a result of thisfield course examines these issues by quantifying the degree towhich recent industrial development has affected the tundra.Anthropogenic impacts on this region have been discussedat length with regard to ecological consequences (Vilchek &Bykova 1992, Kryuchkov 1993). Ramifications of climatechange on both the tundra and an ageing infrastructurehave also been examined (Mazhitova et al. 2004). Thisfragmentation analysis provides additional quantitativeinformation for future environmental assessments of theregion.Study AreaThe Tazovsky Peninsula occupies the central north of theTyumen oblast, surrounded by the Gulf of Ob’ as it enters theKara Sea (Fig. 1). This region lies within the West SiberianBasin, the largest petroleum and natural gas basin in the world(Ulmishek 1998). Underlain by continuous permafrost, thelandscape is primarily peat tundra, characterized by mosses,lichens, grasses, and shrub-level bushes (sphagnum balticum,ledum palustre, carex, betula nana, larix siberica). Treegrowth is restricted to river banks, where increased activelayer depths allow more substantial root systems. Averagetemperatures range from -22°C to -26°C in January, and 4°Cto 15°C in July (Russian Climate Server 2007).History of industrializationThe Yamburg gas-oil condensate field is the largest provenfield in the world, accounting for 15% of Russia’s totalnatural gas and condensate reserves (Yamburggazdobycha2007). Natural gas deposits on the Tazovsky Peninsulawere discovered in 1969. In 1982, construction on thesettlement of Yamburg began in order to house workers forthe developing gas field. Located on the west coast of thepeninsula, Yamburg is currently the only urban area in theregion. Though there are no permanent residents, the townFigure 1. A detail map of the Tazovsky Peninsula shows the townsof Yamburg and Novvy Urengoy. The area to the southeast ofYamburg shows the approximate location of the Yamburg gascondensatefield.is capable of housing up to 10,000 workers. The natural gasfield and related industrial complex spreads to the south andeast of the town, covering an approximate area of 8,500 km².In 2007, the estimated annual output of the Yamburg gasfield was 10 bln m³, with a maximum capacity of 40 bln m³(Yamburggazdobycha 2007).MethodologySatellite imagery of the study area was collected across a23-year period corresponding to the inception and growthof the Yamburg natural gas field. Imagery from 1984, 1987,and 1999 were collected by the LANDSAT MSS, TM, andETM+ sensors respectively. Imagery of 2007 is from theTERRA ASTER sensor.The imagery was classified according to land-cover,with an emphasis on identifying all areas of anthropogenicimpact, including drill pads, processing complexes, roads,337
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 tand pipelines. Data collected in the field were used as avalidation set for the resulting classification. The areasclassified as “industrial” were then used as the basis for thefragmentation analysis.The FRAGSTATS statistical program has the ability tocalculate over 200 fragmentation metrics (McGarrigal &Marks 1995). Each of the classified images of the studyregion was analyzed within this program to determinequantitative changes as measured by a set of establishedmetrics. Of these, patch count, mean patch size, and edgedensity are the most efficient in evaluating fragmentationof a region over time (Ritters et al. 1995). While thesemetrics provide discrete values for each image, it is thechange in these values over time that provides the basis forcomprehensive fragmentation understanding. In order to putthese changes in perspective, the results will be comparedto other areas that have undergone similar development.Recent technological advances employed in the constructionof the natural gas complex at Zapalyrnoe, to the southeast ofthe study area, have allowed similar production levels withsignificantly less infrastructure (Yamburggazdobycha 2007).Correlating fragmentation metrics to production levels ateach site provides one avenue of comparative analysis.DiscussionThe ability to trace quantified changes across the studyarea, from the introduction of industrialization to the presentday, offers a unique opportunity to assess the comprehensiveimpact of anthropogenic development in permafrost regions.Increases in patch count, and decreases in mean patch size,nearest neighbor, and diversity indices at each temporalanalysis point provide quantitative evidence of the degree towhich the region has been affected. Extension of the analysispotentially allows investigation of a correlation betweenannual natural gas production at the Yamburg field and keyfragmentation metrics. Verification of this correlation offersthe possibility of predicting the impacts that future resourcedevelopment will have on other areas of west Siberia thathave yet to be developed. The fragmentation correlationtemplate additionally introduces a vehicle for analyzing themediating effects of new extraction technologies on regionallandscape fragmentation.ReferencesKryuchkov, V. 1993. Anthropogenic loads and the northernecosystem condition. Ecological Applications 3(4):622-630.Li, X., Cheng, G. & Xiao, H. 2001. Quantifying landscapestructure of the Heihe River basin, northwest Chinausing FRAGSTATS. Journal of Arid Environments48: 521-535.Mazhitova, G., Karstkarel, N., Oberman, N., Romanovsky,V. & Kuhry, P. 2004. Permafrost and Infrastructure inthe Usa Basin: Possible impacts of global warming.Ambio 33(6): 289-294.McGarigal, K. & Marks, B. 1995. FRAGSTATS: SpatialPattern Analysis Program for Quantifying LandscapeStructure. Reference manual. Forest ScienceDepartment, Oregon State University, Corvallis,Oregon.North, R. 1972. Soviet northern development: The case ofNW Siberia. Soviet Studies 24(2): 171-199.O’Neill, R.V., Krummel, J.R., Gardner, R.H., Sugihara, G.,Jackson, B., Deangelis, D.L., Milne, B.T., Turner,M.G., Zygmunt, B., Christensen, S.W., Dale, V.H.& Graham, R.L. 1988. Indices of landscape pattern.Landscape Ecology 1: 153-162.Russian Climate Server. 2007 URL: http://meteo.infospace.ru/climate/html/index.ssiUlmishek, G. 2003. Petroleum Geology and Resources ofthe West Siberian Basin. USGS Bulletin 2201-G.Vilchek, G.E. & Bykova, O. 1992. The origin of regionalecological problems within the northern TyumenOblast, Russia. Arctic and Alpine Research 24(2): 99-107.Weller, C., Thomson, J., Morton, P. & Aplet, G. 2002.Fragmenting Our Lands: The Ecological Footprintfrom Oil and Gas Development. Seattle, WA, &Denver, CO: The Wilderness Society.Yamburggazdobycha, LTD. 2007. Promotional CD-ROM.AcknowledgmentsThe field course was made possible through Moscow StateUniversity as part of the <strong>International</strong> University Courseson Permafrost offerings for the <strong>International</strong> Polar Year.Gazprom and its regional subsidiaries, NadymGasprom andYamburggazdobycha, granted special access to their fields,and provided generous hospitality throughout the course.The University of Montana provided financial assistance toDr. Klene through grants and startup funding.338
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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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