Probabilistic Approach to the Assessment of the Depth of Soil Freezing

Abstract

The paper deals with the probabilistic method of the assessment of the depth of soil freezing. Annual (winter) maxima of the position of the zero centigrade temperature measured in the soil were approximated by Gumbel probability distribution. Its parameters were estimated using maximum likelihood method. Results received on the base of data from 2 meteorological stations and 30 years of observations, called as characteristic values of 50-year return period, refelect the influence of the climatic conditions on the freezing depth. On the other hand the soil structure and its conditions also play an important role in freezing. Nowadays they may be taken into account using correction coefficients. It is concluded that this methods is more precise than a method using so called air freezing index. Received results are not the same as given in the old Polish Standard. New analysis is currently being done.