Climate change will stress northern construction

Richard Gilbert in the Daily Commercial News: Construction and engineering companies in northern Canada need to change the way they design and build to combat the effects of climate change, according to a federal advisory body. “Our research found that northerners are concerned that a warmer climate is already having an effect on the region’s infrastructure,” said the report titled True North: Adapting Infrastructure to Climate Change in Northern Canada.

“We heard that changing precipitation patterns, including changes in snow, rain, and freezing rain conditions; permafrost degradation; flooding and stream flow changes; sea-ice loss and coastal erosion and other climate-related changes are compromising the integrity of transportation systems, buildings, communications, energy projects, and containment structures for storing waste from mining operations.”

The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy produced the report that considers the impact of climate change on the northern economy and its supporting infrastructure. The plan is to develop strategies for adaptation and sustainable economic development.

The report said one of the biggest challenges for engineers that design, build and maintain the physical infrastructure in Canada’s North is permafrost and other frozen systems.

The experience of these engineers has created a variety of practices and technologies adapted to cold climates. For example, frozen ground provides a stable surface for buildings, roads and airstrips, pipelines, transmission towers, and for waste containment. The choice of a shallow or deep foundation and overall design is a function of both infrastructure loads and thermal conditions of the ground….

Power transmission towers at Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) power plant, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Shot by WinterCity296