| n polar regions, permafrost has frequently been relied upon to contain a variety of wastes, as frozen soil is considered to be impermeable to contaminants. The assumption that frozen ground is impermeable to liquid contaminants is examined. The influence of soil moisture, soil temperature and contaminants miscibility on the infiltration of four organic contaminants into frozen soil was tested in macroscale and benchscale studies. The results of these experiments indicate that permafrost cannot be considered impermeable, as contaminants penetrate frozen soil under certain conditions.;The permeability of frozen silt to contaminants was dependent upon fluid and soil properties, particularly contaminant miscibility and soil saturation. Both miscible and immiscible fluids migrated through non-saturated silt at temperatures ranging from 4;Changes to soil structure associated with warming appeared to alter soil permeability. Observations during the macroscale study indicated that lubricating oil and arctic diesel fuel were contained by the frozen silt until soil temperatures approached... |
