An analysis shows that, across the Arctic and throughout the long winter, significant areas have shifted from being suitable for ice-road construction to unsuitable. In Alaska, the biggest changes have occurred in December and April. (via AlaskaBeacon)
Light from the setting sun on March 21, 2008, is reflected on the surface of an ice road in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. Across the Arctic, ice road seasons are getting shorter and the areas suitable for traveling on ice roads are getting smaller, according to a new study that quantifies the changes.
The analysis shows that, across the Arctic and throughout the long winter, significant areas have shifted from being suitable for ice-road construction to unsuitable. In Alaska, the biggest changes have occurred in December and April, the study found. But even in the months of January, February and March, the period when winter conditions are in their prime, there have been losses of suitable ice road conditions in Alaska, the study said.
Commercially, ice roads are of particular importance on the North Slope, where oil companies use them to avoid damaging the tundra and the permafrost below. Companies typically build ice roads to access exploration and development sites; exploration drilling is conducted in the winter, when the tundra is hard-frozen and snow-covered. In summer, ice roads melt away, and the tundra becomes soft, soggy and difficult for people to travel.
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