Use of ground penetrating radar to study the interaction between permafrost and airport infrastructure on Baffin Island N.W.T.

In this paper we present the results of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys conducted at three airports on Baffin Island, N.W.T. These airports are Pangnirtung, Broughton Island and Clyde River and are operated by the Arctic Airport Division of the Department of Transportation of the Government of the North West Territories. They were selected because they are scheduled for improvements and resurfacing (Broughton Island and Clyde River) to correct for the occasional "soft spots" on the runways and are experiencing problems related to permafrost (Pangnirtung) where the runway lighting system undergoes annual failures in mid to late winter. The results of the GPR surveys show that in Pangnirtung the problem is related to frost cracking above active ice wedges beneath the runway, whereas the surface instability problems at the other two sites appear to be related to the presence of saline permafrost at some depth beneath the runways.