Environmental Technology under cold-Arctic conditions Development and challenges with focus on climate change scenarios

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Environmental Technology under cold-Arctic
conditionsDevelopment 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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(No Transcript)
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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 wind-exposed 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
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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
Development of technologies for prevention
and remediation of oil pollution in Arctic waters
is urgently needed
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Infrastructures and installations
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 living quality
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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!