|
Tundra travel still closed on Slope
State land on the North Slope and in the Brooks Range foothills remains closed for off-road travel, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, said in a Nov. 30 status report. There has been higher than average snow fall so far this winter but the relatively deep snow cover is insulating the tundra surface, keeping soil temperatures above the levels required to protect the ground from damage by vehicles not designed for off-road use.
Although soil temperatures at ground depths of 10 centimeters are dropping, temperatures at depths of 30 centimeters have remained around 0 C, well above the required temperature of minus 5 C.
Pre-packing and watering DNR has approved several projects for the pre-packing and watering of ice-road routes and has approved one ice-road construction project in the Western Coastal Area, the department said. One ice-road pre-packing project has been approved for the Lower Foothills area.
Oil companies conduct drilling and other activities off the permanent road system on the North Slope during the winter, using ice roads to reach remote sites and taking advantage of the frozen ground and snow cover to avoid damage to the tundra. However, vehicles not specifically designed and certified for off-road tundra use cannot participate in off-road activities until DNR has determined that there is an adequate snow depth and that the ground is sufficiently frozen. However, the department does generally allow companies to gain some time by pre-packing ice-road route using tundra-certified vehicles.
The length of the so-called tundra travel season in the winter is a critical parameter in the practicality and economics of North Slope exploration and development.
—Alan Bailey
| 