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INTPART-International Partnerships for Excellent Education and Research

Arctic offshore and coastal engineering in changing climate

Alternative title: Feltstudier og modellering av sjøtilstand, drivis, is-påvirkning og metoder for å håndtere isfjell på den Arktiske sokkelen

Awarded: NOK 4.5 mill.

The AOCEC project developed world-class research and education in Norway through long-term relations with strong academic groups from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN, Canada), Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT, Russia), Dartmouth College (DC) and University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF, USA). The project expanded existing cooperation between leading scientific groups working in the fields of Arctic Engineering, Physics and Mechanics of Solids, Fluid Dynamics, and Oceanography. The cooperation contributed to deeper understanding of physical processes in Arctic offshore and coastal zones and in determining physical environmental actions on structures and ships. AOCEC activities contributed to SFI SAMCoT and Petromaks2 DOFI projects. Main achievements of the project were reached in the investigations of • ice actions fixed piers and moored vessels, • influence of vibrations on ice strength, • scale effect of compression strength of sea ice, • anisotropy of viscous-elastic properties of columnar ice, • collisional interactions of floes with structures. Furthermore, boundary layer turbulence caused by flake collisions, propagation and damping of waves propagating in ice-covered water, dynamics of sea ice and tides in Spitsbergen Bank, dynamics in the coastal zone and groundwater in the coastal zone of the Ice Fjor, thermal expansion of frozen soil, deformation analysis of local road infrastructure in Longyearbyen. Project results were published in 23 journal papers and 46 papers in the proceedings of international conferences and as book chapters. 4 PhD and 8 MSc students from the partner universities performed their projects and defenced under the support of AOCEC. Scientific workshops were organized in MUN, UAF, MSU, MIP, UiO, and UNIS. Field works were organized in Svalbard region on land fast ice and drift ice annually with participation of researchers and students from the partner universities. Project results were used to modify the structure of AT courses at UNIS and included in the study program.

Cooperation with the partner universities ie resulted in significant input in the five fields including Physics and mechanics of ice and loads on structures, Sea ice/iceberg drift, ice management and wave stresses on ice, Shipping in ice-infested waters, Navigational conditions on Spitsbergen Bank, and Arctic harbours and coastal zones. Results are published in 26 journal papers, 44 conferences papers, 4 book chapters, and 29 students reports. We organised 6 workshops in the partner universities. Field works were performed annually since 2018 in Spitsbergen and in the Barents Sea at UNIS base. The organised cooperation net is active, and we have a good potential and common interest for future development.

The project develops world-class research and education in Norway through long-term relations with strong academic groups from Canada, Russia and USA. The project expands existing cooperation between leading scientific groups working in the fields of Arctic Engineering, Physics and Mechanics of Solids, Fluid Dynamics and Oceanography. Currently the cooperation is supported by projects SAMCoT, FIMA, SITRA, WOICE and Hydralab+. The cooperation contributes to deeper understanding of processes in Arctic offshore and coastal zones determining physical environmental actions on structures and ships. It is organized through joint field and laboratory works, teaching, student mobility, workshops and seminars. The project influences an expansion of research activity in Svalbard region and strengthen of Arctic Technology Department at UNIS (AT UNIS). It corresponds to long-term strategy of AT UNIS, Department of Civil and Transport Engineering at NTNU, the Centre for Research-based Innovations SAMCoT, and Department of Mathematica at UiO in research and education both. The cooperation increases amount of students at UNIS and expansion of course program offered by AT UNIS.The project supports student exchange between the partner universities, MSc projects performed at UNIS by students from the partner universities, and invitation of guest lecturers for the teaching at UNIS. Contributions with students per year following UNIS courses are 3-4 (MUN), 3 (MSU), 3 (MIPT). Group of Fluid Dynamics from UiO organizes together with NTNU and UNIS BSc/MSc course in the Spring including field works in the Barents Sea by ship and/or field works on land fast ice in the Ice Fjord. All partner universities contribute with lecturing and MSc projects performed at UNIS base.

Publications from Cristin

Funding scheme:

INTPART-International Partnerships for Excellent Education and Research