AT-301 Arctic Infrastructures in a Changing Climate (10 ECTS)

Course requirements

Enrolment in a relevant master programme. Knowledge of mathematics and physics at bachelor level.

Academic content

The course is intended for students with interests and background in geotechnics, building materials, structures, energy systems, dynamics, and mechanics. With the observed climate changes with higher  temperatures, more precipitation and probably higher storm activity, infrastructures have to be designed for projected climate changes. Settlements in the vicinity of steep slopes will be exposed to increasing risk for slope failures, slides in soil and rock, slush and snow avalanches. Trough lectures and field trips the course will focus on recognizing sites and terrain exposed to avalanches and slides, and how to plan and protect infrastructures for sustainability and for minimizing damage risk.

Specific topics:

• Introduction to global warming phenomena, amplification effects in the Arctic
• Observation and modelling of temperature in the ground and soil thermal properties
• Design of infrastructures in the Arctic and in a changing climate
• Probability and consequences of natural hazards
• General information about avalanches: types, release mechanisms, snow stability evaluation methods, avalanche protection, snow physics, a computer program for avalanche simulation. Field trip and experiments devoted to rockfalls and avalanches
• Field trip devoted to observations of foundation types and frost related damages
• Planning and design of buildings and structures in snowdrift areas

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the course, the students will be able to:

Learning activities

The course extends over ca 5 weeks including compulsory safety training, and is run in combination with AT-801.

Learning activities consist of lectures, seminars, two field excursions, and fieldwork.

Through lectures students will be introduced to academic content of the course.  Lectures are supplemented with exercises referring to “Anderson and Ladanyi, Frozen Ground Engineering” (2004). Fieldwork reports and a report from the numerical modeling of avalanches must be approved in order to sit the exam.

During field excursions the students will investigate different foundation presented in Longyearbyen and Pyramiden. The students will work in small groups, to train teamwork skills. Based on observations from field excursions, the students shall produce a joint report describing observed foundation types and structural failures cause by lack of maintenance and possibly due to warmer climate, and present this to the class.

Fieldwork on rockfalls and avalanches will take place in proximity of Longyearbyen.  Each student group shall prepare and present a joint report on evaluation of zones exposed to rockfalls and/or avalanche hazards from the fieldwork.

Compulsory learning activities

• Safety training
• Seminars
• Assignments
• Fieldwork
• Field reports
• Presentation of these

All compulsory learning activities must be approved in order to sit the exam.

Assessment

Method	Duration	Percentage of final grade
Written exam	4 hours	100%

Student life