So, melting permafrost poses us with problems. As already discussed, if one area melts, it's likely that other areas will soon follow due to the positive feedbacks associated with the release of carbon stores that had previously been locked up within the ground. However, further contributions to the greenhouse effect are not the only problem that is caused by the melting of frozen soil and rock.
'Drunken forests' as a result of melting permafrost. Fairbanks, Alaska, 2004. Source: National Geographic
Infrastructure is perhaps the best example of how humans and their livelihoods can be directly affected by this process.
Imagine that your house was built on frozen soil somewhere in the Alaskan taiga. Now imagine that the very ground upon which you are living begins to sink at differing rates as the ice thaws out. This is evidently a bit of a problem - your house and potentially your livelihood with it is could be doomed for collapse, at the very least forcing you to relocate, suffering the cost of building/buying a new home.
Source:BBC News (2004)
Source:BBC News (2004)
Doesn't look much fun does it?
Now, you would be right in thinking that this particular problem does not affect very many people - population densities are generally very low in such areas. However, it is not only buildings that are affected. Oil and gas pipelines and other necessary structures such as roads and power lines are also subject to damage from melting permafrost, and the failure of these structures can have much more wide-ranging impacts.
Collapsed road due to thawing permafrost. Source: landscapeonline
This poses further economic problems for the communities who live in such areas due to reparation costs, which in some cases will always be a losing battle. However, it is not only the very few people who live in the area who can be affected by this. Huge volumes of oil and gas are piped through such areas where it can be used to provide power, or any of the other plethora of functions to which hydrocarbons can be used; such as plastics and drugs to name but a couple of examples. If one of the major pipelines that moved oil or gas across Alaska (Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS)) or Siberia were to burst, then serious economic, and ecological problems would ensue as a result of the two separate factors: first; the lack of oil/gas at its intended destination, and second; the direct impacts on the area where the spill occurs.
A good example from the past of this happening was the Komi oil spill of 1994, where 160 000 tonnes of oil were spilled from a Lukoil pipeline due to a breach which was attributed to melting permafrost. This event marks one of the largest land spills in history. Surrounding wildlife and human health continues to be devastated by the effects (Catastophe Map), as there very few species which have survived the high toxicity of the soil, and cancer rates are through the roof.
Source: Oil Spill Solutions
Repairing pipeline damage and deformations due to melting permafrost costs the Russian oil and gas industry $1.8 billion/year (Greenpeace), with an estimated 35 000 pipeline accidents in Western Siberia alone according to the summary of the 2010 report. Evidently this has posed environmental, social and economic problems all in one go, and with the price of oil being as low as it is right now... how is Russia going to find the money to fix this mess?
All these problems are exacerbated by the continuing melting of permafrost which continues to cause severe disruption to economic, environmental and social welfare at many different scales. These problems are only set to increase as the extent and magnitude of permafrost losses become ever greater.
Collapsed road due to thawing permafrost. Source: landscapeonline
This poses further economic problems for the communities who live in such areas due to reparation costs, which in some cases will always be a losing battle. However, it is not only the very few people who live in the area who can be affected by this. Huge volumes of oil and gas are piped through such areas where it can be used to provide power, or any of the other plethora of functions to which hydrocarbons can be used; such as plastics and drugs to name but a couple of examples. If one of the major pipelines that moved oil or gas across Alaska (Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS)) or Siberia were to burst, then serious economic, and ecological problems would ensue as a result of the two separate factors: first; the lack of oil/gas at its intended destination, and second; the direct impacts on the area where the spill occurs.
A good example from the past of this happening was the Komi oil spill of 1994, where 160 000 tonnes of oil were spilled from a Lukoil pipeline due to a breach which was attributed to melting permafrost. This event marks one of the largest land spills in history. Surrounding wildlife and human health continues to be devastated by the effects (Catastophe Map), as there very few species which have survived the high toxicity of the soil, and cancer rates are through the roof.
Source: Oil Spill Solutions
Repairing pipeline damage and deformations due to melting permafrost costs the Russian oil and gas industry $1.8 billion/year (Greenpeace), with an estimated 35 000 pipeline accidents in Western Siberia alone according to the summary of the 2010 report. Evidently this has posed environmental, social and economic problems all in one go, and with the price of oil being as low as it is right now... how is Russia going to find the money to fix this mess?
All these problems are exacerbated by the continuing melting of permafrost which continues to cause severe disruption to economic, environmental and social welfare at many different scales. These problems are only set to increase as the extent and magnitude of permafrost losses become ever greater.
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