The Infrastructure Show's Episodes
With Host Professor Joseph Schofer of Northwestern University.
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Road construction in ice-rich permafrost, courtesy of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
(click for larger image)
When Permafrost isn’t Permanent – Building Infrastructure in Cold Regions
Posted March 1, 2024, Length: 17:42
In very cold places, like Alaska, Northern parts of Canada and Europe, building infrastructure means building on permafrost, perennially frozen ground. Permafrost provides reliable foundations for buildings and highways as long as it remains frozen. But warming temperatures driven by climate change may threaten existing and new infrastructure founded on permafrost.
To help us understand the problems and potential solutions in this dynamic risk environment, we talk with Billy Connor, Director of the Arctic Infrastructure Development Center at the University of Alaska.
The Infrastructure Show is sponsored by Northwestern University.
Descriptions of photos at top of page, from left to right:
Bayonne Bridge, from Bayonne, NJ to Staten Island, NY;
the Tom Moreland Interchange in Atlanta, GA;
Dworshak Dam, in Clearwater County, ID;
a transmission substation in Orem, UT.
All photos courtesy of Wikipedia.