Hashemi, Amirhossein
Project Title
Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Behaviour of Soils and Soil-Geostructures Interfaces within the Context of Climate Change
Abstract
Climate change is known as the root cause of a few significant issues that would render the world uninhabitable, such as global warming. Regarding the ones concerning soil mechanics, temperature and water content variations are two critical factors not only affecting the soil response to the structural loading but also having impacts on the infrastructure in contact with them. Variations in precipitation patterns or melting snow and ice in many regions change hydrological systems, impacting both the quantity and quality of water supplies. Furthermore, as a climate change impact, sea-level rise is expected to increase saltwater intrusion to the soil, which can be exacerbated by evaporation or reduced recharge. On the other hand, considering baseline scenarios (i.e., those without additional mitigation), global mean surface temperature increase ranges from 3.7°C to 4.8°C above the average for 1850–1900. Including climate uncertainty, the range is from 2.5°C to 7.8°C. To face this massive challenge, two approaches should be considered: mitigation and adaptation. However, the lack of understanding of the changes in soil behaviour and soil-structure interface due to variations in temperature and water content is inherently one of the barriers in this context. In this regard, this project aims to address a group of knowledge gaps, considering the thermo-hydro-mechanical loading impact on soil and soil-geostructures interface behaviour.
Supervisors
Dr. Melis Sutman
Prof. Gabriela Medero