While the global efforts in climate change action is to culminate during the COP27 in Egypt, IAHR is making our own contributions by convening this webinar to discuss changes in the Cryosphere and the impact on engineering.
Ice phenomena on fresh and sea waters responds sensitively to climate changes. The impact is primarily due to the globally observed rise of the average air temperature and the intensification of the variability of weather phenomena. As a result of these factors, the ice season is shorter and the ice formed on sea and inland waters becoming thinner and weaker. Additionally, for sea waters, there is a reduction in the areal extent of ice occurrence, and thinning of perennial ice. In consequence the short term economic benefits may be achieved, but it will also bring the significant impact on Arctic ecosystem and coastal erosion. At the same time, due to the occurrence of higher variability of extreme weather conditions, the severity ice related events are not reduced and has become less predictable. For the rivers, breakups occurring in typically core winter months, results in life-threatening conditions and property damages.
At this webinar, experts on climate change and ice engineering will share their research findings and contribute to the global efforts to combat climate change and its impacts on engineering in particular.
