Applicability of Solar Heat-Blocking Pavement Technology to Permafrost Regions

In recent years, asphalt paving surfaces have reached 60°C or more in summer due to global warming. In addition, the number of patients requiring hospitalization due to heatstroke caused by the summer heat has been rising. Looking at cold regions, settlement of paving surfaces on permafrost has been a serious problem as ice-rich permafrost thaws due to recent climate change. Therefore, reducing the surface temperature has become an increasingly important issue, in terms of sustainability as well as the environment. In order to tackle these problems from a paving perspective, solar heat-blocking pavement technology has been developed to achieve a reduction in surface temperature and extended pavement longevity. This paper describes the environmental and practical effects of solar heat-blocking pavement technology and addresses its potential for permafrost regions. Through its development and application, a number of conclusions are drawn from this study. With regard to the temperature, field results show that the reduction in surface temperature through use of the solar heat-blocking pavement is approximately 16°C. In terms of serviceability, solar heat-blocking pavement effectively curtails rutting, since the rut depth on an airport taxiway was reduced by about half compared to dense-graded asphalt surfaces. With respect to its application, a field monitoring result reveals that solar heat-blocking pavement is likely to be useful in mitigating permafrost degradation, since the reduction in surface temperature is confirmed both in summer and winter.