Effects of Permafrost Thawing on Land Use and Structural Integrity in the Polar and Sub-Polar Region of North America

Presentation Type

Oral and/or Visual Presentation

Presenter Major(s)

Natural Resource Management

Mentor Information

Elena Liouimtseva, lioubime@gvsu.edu

Department

Geography and Planning

Location

Kirkhof Center 2201

Start Date

13-4-2011 12:00 PM

End Date

13-4-2011 12:30 PM

Keywords

Environment, Global Change, World Perspective

Abstract

Historically, land use in the polar regions of the North American continent has been limited to nomadic hunter-gatherer indigenous people. The 20th century saw an influx of outside settlement in the region that has drastically changed the population dynamics of the area. Novel designs using permafrost as an element of design were created that allowed settlements to develop. Because of these changes in infrastructure, two-thirds of people living in the arctic now live in settlements of 5,000 or more. I used MAGICC/SCENGEN climate modeling software to determine areas where significant warming could result in thawing of permafrost. I also used demographic information to find the areas of greatest population. I entered the collected data into the GIS software ArcMap to locate regions of greatest vulnerability based on population and type of structures present. This forecast can be used to target areas that will require preemptive action to prevent such catastrophes.

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Apr 13th, 12:00 PM Apr 13th, 12:30 PM

Effects of Permafrost Thawing on Land Use and Structural Integrity in the Polar and Sub-Polar Region of North America

Kirkhof Center 2201

Historically, land use in the polar regions of the North American continent has been limited to nomadic hunter-gatherer indigenous people. The 20th century saw an influx of outside settlement in the region that has drastically changed the population dynamics of the area. Novel designs using permafrost as an element of design were created that allowed settlements to develop. Because of these changes in infrastructure, two-thirds of people living in the arctic now live in settlements of 5,000 or more. I used MAGICC/SCENGEN climate modeling software to determine areas where significant warming could result in thawing of permafrost. I also used demographic information to find the areas of greatest population. I entered the collected data into the GIS software ArcMap to locate regions of greatest vulnerability based on population and type of structures present. This forecast can be used to target areas that will require preemptive action to prevent such catastrophes.