Projections of climate change on the behaviour of clays
in the UK
Projections of climate change on the behaviour of clays
in the UK
The impact of expected climate change on clay cuttings and embankments used for roads and railways is not well understood. Volume sensitive clays respond to seasonal variations in climate through vertical and horizontal displacements. These cause a variety of impacts at differing temporal and spatial scales, for example short term changes such as seasonal displacement of railway tracks or long term progressive failure of the slope. Daily changes in soil moisture content in the surface layers of a clay slope are simulated using a water balance model and expressed as soil moisture deficit and potential for surface runoff. Model results are validated against a 10 year run of field data in the UK. The impacts of anticipated climate change on soil water contents and equivalent pore water pressures are evaluated using stochastic climatic data over the 21st century based on the UK Climate Impacts Programme. Results indicate that recent summers considered to be exceptionally dry are likely to become the average condition later in the 21st century. Although winter rainfall is predicted to increase, average winter runoff will remain the same, although extreme wet events are still likely to occur. The implications for the design and maintenance of clay slopes and embankments are dis-cussed.
Clay, Climate Change
978-1-138-00150-3
191-196
Clarke, D.
9746f367-1df2-4e0e-8d71-5ecfc9ddd000
Smethurst, J.A.
8f30880b-af07-4cc5-a0fe-a73f3dc30ab5
2 July 2014
Clarke, D.
9746f367-1df2-4e0e-8d71-5ecfc9ddd000
Smethurst, J.A.
8f30880b-af07-4cc5-a0fe-a73f3dc30ab5
Clarke, D. and Smethurst, J.A.
(2014)
Projections of climate change on the behaviour of clays
in the UK.
In Unsaturated Soils: Research & Applications.
CRC Press.
.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
The impact of expected climate change on clay cuttings and embankments used for roads and railways is not well understood. Volume sensitive clays respond to seasonal variations in climate through vertical and horizontal displacements. These cause a variety of impacts at differing temporal and spatial scales, for example short term changes such as seasonal displacement of railway tracks or long term progressive failure of the slope. Daily changes in soil moisture content in the surface layers of a clay slope are simulated using a water balance model and expressed as soil moisture deficit and potential for surface runoff. Model results are validated against a 10 year run of field data in the UK. The impacts of anticipated climate change on soil water contents and equivalent pore water pressures are evaluated using stochastic climatic data over the 21st century based on the UK Climate Impacts Programme. Results indicate that recent summers considered to be exceptionally dry are likely to become the average condition later in the 21st century. Although winter rainfall is predicted to increase, average winter runoff will remain the same, although extreme wet events are still likely to occur. The implications for the design and maintenance of clay slopes and embankments are dis-cussed.
Text
Clarke_Smethurst UNSAT 2014.pdf
- Other
More information
Published date: 2 July 2014
Venue - Dates:
UNSAT 2014 : Unsaturated Soils: Research & Applications, 2014-07-02 - 2014-07-04
Keywords:
Clay, Climate Change
Organisations:
Infrastructure Group, Water & Environmental Engineering Group
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 366775
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/366775
ISBN: 978-1-138-00150-3
PURE UUID: d124ebd7-91ea-4db8-a254-f2e53048f3b5
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Date deposited: 10 Jul 2014 10:33
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:32
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