Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area
Tags: environmental impact, petroleum industry, permafrost, topography, resource extraction
| Principal Investigator: | Tait, Matthew P. (3) |
| Licence Number: | 13499 |
| Organization: | University of Calgary, Department of Geomatics Engineering |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2003
|
| Issued: | Jul 10, 2003 |
| Project Team: | Tony Shen, |
Objective(s): Oil and gas extraction in permafrost areas causes vertical surface displacements that have in the past caused serious environmental issues, such as massive subsidence and land slides. Methods of monitoring such vertical subsidence are accurate, but rely on the measurement station to remain stable for 20-30 years. The surface of permafrost is itself subject to annual heave and settlement as it freezes and thaws with temperature change, and this movement naturally affects the measurement station. This study will assess, for the first time, the long-term stability of 7 different types of measurement station. The application of the research findings will allow the environmental impacts of the extraction of oil and gas in permafrost areas to be accurately predicted. Stable stations will also allow accurate monitoring of the subsidence during extraction of oil and gas reserves. The objectives of this project are: 1) to analyse the long-term stability of different types of permafrost monument in order to allow accurate monitoring of environmental impacts of oil and gas extraction in permafrost regions; and 2) to assess the performance of Global Positioning Systems in the measurement of vertical movement at latitudes of 69 degrees North. The work will be carried out within Inuvik town limits.
