Permafrost rocks and high‐alpine infrastructure: Interrelated, interconnected, interacting

• Published in: Geomechanics and Tunnelling
• Main Authors: Pläsken, Regina, Keuschnig, Markus, Krautblatter, Michael
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2020
• Subjects: Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/geot.202000028; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/geot.202000028

Abstract Over the last few decades, pronounced changes of mountain environments during exceptionally warm summers have raised strong awareness towards changing cryospheric conditions in high mountain areas. Alpine regions are considered particularly sensitive to climate change, observations as well as projections report a significantly higher temperature rise in comparison to lowland areas. Rising sub‐zero temperatures were demonstrated to alter rock‐ and ice‐mechanical strength, namely compressive and tensile intact rock strength, friction, ice creep and fracturing of rock‐ice interfaces as well as elastic moduli. So far benchmark studies have only investigated the impact on rock masses irrespective of the interaction with high‐alpine infrastructure. This study investigates the interconnection between a high‐alpine cable car station and its permafrost‐affected surroundings. For engineering applications, the understanding of the state of natural systems is combined with numerical modelling of interactions between constructions and their frozen subsoil. This enables an improved design of high‐alpine infrastructures in the long run.