Please follow link for information regarding the Greenland Glacial Study.
Over the last million years, Sweden, Finland and Canada have experienced multiple ice ages, with one occurring on average every 100,000 years. That’s why, when it comes to the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel, repeated ice ages must be taken into account.
Researchers and specialists with the NWMO and partner organizations SKB of Sweden and Posiva of Finland, spent five years conducting research on the Greenland ice sheet, to better understand the potential influence future ice ages may have on areas below ground, at depths similar to a deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel. The research team observed the natural changes on the ice sheet overtime, drilled boreholes into the ice sheet to measure water pressure below the ice sheet, and a deep bedrock borehole was drilled at the edge of the ice sheet at a depth that approximates repository conditions so hydraulic and chemical monitoring could be performed. This information will be used by the three nuclear waste management companies to inform their respective safety cases.
Highlights
· Safety of people and the environment is a core value shared by the participating organizations
· The NWMO partnered with researchers from six countries over the five years of the project
· The findings of the GAP study were positive, confirming many existing desktop assumptions, including the amount of water pressure below the ice sheet, and demonstrates the strength of international collaboration on shared research interests