Arctic Pipeline

Synonyms

The Arctic Pole pipeline; The North Pole pipeline

Definition

Arctic pipelines refer to pipelines that pass through a permafrost, where the soil or rock remains below 0 °C throughout the year and the formation is sufficiently cooled during the winter to form a layer that persists throughout the summer.

Introduction

The Arctic has enormous resources in permafrost, which need to be developed by being highly aware of the possibility of environmental damage. Permafrost currently accounts for about a quarter of the Earth’s land area. Figure 1 shows the distribution of permafrost regions in Alaska, which have large areas of permafrost (Larsen et al. 2008). Arctic pipelines refer to pipelines that pass through a permafrost, where the soil or rock remains below 0 °C throughout the year, and the formation is sufficiently cooled during the winter to form a layer that persists throughout the summer. The main characteristics of arctic pipelines are determined by the climatic conditions...