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MONITORING PERMAFROST CONDITIONS ALONG THE DEMPSTER HIGHWAY
Session: Infrastructure Performance in Cold Regions / Performance des infrastructures en régions nordiques
Muhammad Idrees, APEY and PEO (Canada)
Chris Burn, Professor in Carleton University (Canada)
Jeff Moore, student (Canada)
Fabrice Calmels, Northern Climate ExChange- Yukon Resarch Centre (Canada)
The Dempster Highway, which connects the western Arctic to the national highway network, is built almost entirely on permafrost. Four long-term permafrost monitoring sites were established on the highway in 2013-14 to determine baseline thermal conditions and to follow changes in ground temperatures driven by climate change. The sites are at km 124 and 421 in Yukon and km 8.5 and 51.5 in NWT. Boreholes, up to 10 m in depth, were drilled at each site in the highway centerline, at the embankment toe, and in undisturbed ground. Data have been retrieved from thermistor cables at these sites since February 2014. The embankment toe is the warmest location at each site. In undisturbed ground, annual mean temperatures range from -3.6 to -1.1 °C. The centerline is relatively cold, with annual mean temperatures ranging from -3.9 to -2.4 °C. The permafrost at km 124 is unexpectedly thin due to groundwater movement
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