Arctic Expeditionary Infrastructure Research

The warming of high latitude regions is causing geopolitical concerns and spurring increased human presence across the Arctic. Potentially these situations require only a short-term occupation facilitating the need for tested and developed expedient infrastructure. Operating requirements for high latitude conditions are vastly divergent from temperate locations and parameters have been established for habitable conditions to -60°F, withstand 100 mph wind speed, and support 25 lb/ft² snow load. Although great advances have been made in providing efficient and comfortable Arctic infrastructure since the onset of the Cold War, significant work remains to further increase efficiencies, and adapt to changing climate parameters. To address infrastructure technology gaps, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Engineering Research and Development Center (USACE-ERDC) has established an Arctic Infrastructure Research Group (AIRG). Current members comprise U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and federal agency researchers, program managers, and shelter end users. The purpose of the AIRG is to provide a forum to synchronize research activities and pursue needs, ideas, and technical projects. Current ERDC efforts include the development of an external insulation wrap for rigid wall shelters, mobile insulation system for energy reduction (MISER), to include ground cover for permafrost protection. Additionally, a parallel effort is initiated to fully characterize the effects of the extreme environments on several expeditionary structures at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (ERDC-CRREL) Farmers Loop Permafrost Experiment Station (FLPES), in Fairbanks, Alaska. This initiative has created a research centric facility to test new technologies and innovative materials while validating and verifying the requirements of Arctic hardened infrastructure, both vertical and horizontal, particularly for the DoD.