Climate Change Adaptation of Geo-Structures in Europe: Emerging Issues and Future Steps
Alessandra Insana,
Mary Antonette Beroya-Eitner,
Marco Barla,
Hauke Zachert,
Bojan Žlender,
Margreet van Marle,
Bjørn Kalsnes,
Tamara Bračko,
Carlos Pereira,
Iulia Prodan,
Fabien Szymkiewicz,
Hjördis Löfroth
Affiliations
Alessandra Insana
Department of Structural, Building and Geotechnical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Mary Antonette Beroya-Eitner
Institute of Geotechnics, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Str. 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
Marco Barla
Department of Structural, Building and Geotechnical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Hauke Zachert
Institute of Geotechnics, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Str. 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
Bojan Žlender
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Traffic Engineering and Architecture, University of Maribor, Smetanova 17, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Margreet van Marle
Deltares, Boussinesqweg 1, 2629 HV Delft, The Netherlands
Bjørn Kalsnes
Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, P.O. Box 3930, N-0806 Oslo, Norway
Tamara Bračko
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Traffic Engineering and Architecture, University of Maribor, Smetanova 17, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Carlos Pereira
Geotechnical Department, National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC), Av. do Brasil, 101, 1700-066 Lisboa, Portugal
Iulia Prodan
Soil Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Structures, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Strada Memorandumului 28, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Fabien Szymkiewicz
Laboratoire Sols, Roches et Ouvrages Géotechniques, Université Gustave Eiffel, 5 Bd Descartes, 77420 Champs-sur-Marne, France
Hjördis Löfroth
Swedish Geotechnical Institute, SE-581 93 Linköping, Sweden
Climate change is already being felt in Europe, unequivocally affecting the regions’ geo-structures. Concern over this is rising, as reflected in the increasing number of studies on the subject. However, the majority of these studies focused only on slopes and on a limited geographical scope. In this paper, we attempted to provide a broader picture of potential climate change impacts on the geo-structures in Europe by gathering the collective view of geo-engineers and geo-scientists in several countries, and by considering different geo-structure types. We also investigated how geo-structural concerns are being addressed in national adaptation plans. We found that specific provisions for geo-structural adaptation are generally lacking and mainly come in the form of strategies for specific problems. In this regard, two common strategies are hazard/risk assessment and monitoring, which are mainly implemented in relation to slope stability. We recommend that in future steps, other geo-structures are likewise given attention, particularly those assessed as also potentially significantly affected by climate change. Countries considered in this study are mainly the member countries of the European Large Geotechnical Institutes Platform (ELGIP).
