Challenges for the Arctic Technosphere Safety: Specific Hazardscaused by Grounding the Super-Weight Gravitational Platforms on a Subaqual Permafrost

• Published in: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
• Main Authors: Vinogradov, A N, Tsukerman, V A
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: IOP Publishing 2021
• Subjects: Arctic; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/666/2/022075; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/666/2/022075; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/666/2/022075/pdf

Abstract The especial feature of high-latitude productive fields on the Arctic shelves is unusual geodynamic regime of the subaqual frozen bases enriched by methane gas-hydrates.Permafrost layersinto bottom sediments had been formed during the Ice Age, and after deglaciation the both permafrost and gas-hydrates came in a stage of instability and destruction, accompanying by hazardous effect on the man-made technosphere objects.Since 1937 constructing rules in the Russian permafrost areas were based on the 4-phase model of frozen soils: “mineral matrix – water – ice – gas” (MWIG), but new data on a distribution and structure of the relict subaqual permafrost on the icy shelves revealed an abundance of the new 5-phase type of frozen soils, named as SSGH – “Frozen Soil Saturated by Methane Gas-Hydrates” Preliminary assessment of potential risks for megascale constructions, which would be installed on the shelves, is presented in the article. It is shown that lack of sufficient scientific knowledge about geomechanical behavior SSGH when they serve as a ground base for extra-large engineering facilities. Evidently that fluidodynamic processes, associated with SSGH response ona technogenic stress or climate variations, have to be in a focus of engineering exploration into developing areas, and so the permanent geophysical monitoring during oil and gas field recovering on the Arctic shelveshas to be appointed as the obligatory requirements for large developing projects.