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Climate projections suggest that the UK will be increasingly affected by climate-induced hazards in the future, exacerbating the potential for multihazard events to occur. This paper explores the extent to which climate resilience is being embedded in current and future rail transport infrastructure projects in London through use of a multihazard approach. It concludes that a multihazard approach is a relatively new concept and is therefore not currently being considered widely. However, opportunities for decision makers to explore its value to mitigate climate risks through collaborative working and further research exist – this paper recommends that two main stages are required to achieve this. Route 1 requires climate/hazard experts to identify and characterise the different hazard interactions that could occur, including their impact on the UK/London. Following this, route 2 involves the creation of multidisciplinary workshops to identify any multihazard vulnerabilities associated with different rail assets – potentially highlighting areas where further research is required. The paper concludes that although a London rail context has been adopted in order to understand the relevance of a multihazard approach, there is opportunity for it to be considered across many different sectors in the UK and the wider civil engineering industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper undertakes a critical review of the literature concerning mechanisms and impacts of soil-related geohazards to UK infrastructure. The country is predicted to have drier, hotter summers and wetter, warmer winters that in turn will increase the magnitude and frequency of many soil-related geohazards - predominantly due to changes in soil moisture. Probabilistic assessment will be required given the inherent uncertainty in assessing chronic soil hazards. The aim of this paper is to recommend a national framework methodology to aid the management of future risks posed by soil geohazards to UK infrastructure. The framework will help to prioritise ground investigations in high-risk areas, help to design suitable mitigation measures and encapsulate expert knowledge to interpret risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For small earthfill dams exposed to climate scenarios such as those defined in UKCP09, deterministic assessments are insufficient, and more sophisticated models are required. This paper presents a hybrid probabilistic methodology that quantitatively measures the notional reliability index against upstream and downstream slope failure for such dams exposed to variable precipitation. Upstream and downstream slope stability are selected here as representative significant limit states governing the dam's long-term performance. The governing equations for the limit states are defined using the sliding-block method incorporating the effects of infiltration through the embankment. Using standard and sloping Green-Ampt and closed-form van Genuchten methods, the rainfall effects on soils with variable saturation are considered, and the standard first-order second moment method is applied. The probabilistic model encompasses uncertainties associated with soil properties, dam geometry and rainfall parameters. The paper demonstrates notional reliability indices for the dam for selected precipitation scenarios. A benchmark is developed that reflects the critical conditions conducive to slope failure. The paper reflects on the implication of inclusion of probabilistic climate models for associated risks. Therefore the analysis is an effective new management tool for risk assessment of embankment dams as categorised by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrology of scarce-data areas, such as the mountainous area of the Andes, is poorly known mainly owing to the lack of data. Global gridded climatological datasets (GGCDs) are becoming more precise and common, but the utility of these datasets and their applicability to complex hydrological systems are still not yet well determined. In this paper the reliability of a GGCD is evaluated as an alternative source to supply the lacking in situ observations, with the aim of studying the hydrology of a mountainous area in south-central Chile. The GGCDs are found to recover the climate variability in Andean areas, and partially recover the orographic effect caused by the mountains. A finding of practical relevance is that GGCDs could be considered as an adequate source for performing hydrological models and studies under high spatial variability and scarce-data environments such as the Andes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is currently looking at variable temporal and geographic scales for total water level and event loading projections including storm description and characterisation relevant to project design and performance. USACE projects and event description must transition from engineering to planning to economics and project management. Capturing and articulating the appropriate level of uncertainty is important to a realistic projection of resultant risk. Close collaboration with national and international experts is an essential component in USACE's process of developing practical, nationally consistent, and cost-effective measures to reduce potential vulnerabilities resulting from global changes. The USACE's approach to developing guidance for evaluating and adapting to sea level change and total water level assessment are good examples of this collaboration. A primary focus at this time is the examination of methods and tools available at graduated levels of a project study. For project-level use, the USACE is defining specific assessments of components of total water level in addition to their varying impacts on project stability and performance. The required planning and risk assessment products for each performance type will be explained. The goal is to project adequately and cost-effectively future climate contributors that can result in various levels of project non-performance in a manner that will support effective long-term planning and project expenditures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FAO-56 Penman-Monteith method for estimation of evapotranspiration provides accurate results under a wide range of climatic conditions and is considered as the standard method. If complete input data are unavailable, other methods can be used. This study evaluates the performance of these methods and compares them to results obtained from the standard method. Mean square error, mean absolute error, relative mean square error and relative mean absolute error are used to evaluate the performance of the methods for agro-climatic regions of India. Based on the results, recommended alternative methods for estimating evapotranspiration when full weather data are not available are provided for 14 agro-climatic regions of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improper urban planning has been proven to produce excessive environmental impacts in urban areas, such as urban flooding and urban heat islands. A new approach to protecting the urban environment brought forward the idea of low-impact urban development, which uses rainwater-control devices such as cisterns, permeable pavements and green roofs. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of green roofs in two important environmental dimensions: thermal and hydrological. An experimental study was conducted at the Federal University of Pará Guamá Campus, Belém, Brazil. Hydrological and thermal data from a green roof and a fibre-cement roof were collected and compared to analyse the performance of the roofs. The results showed extensive green roofs to be an effective tool for reducing rainfall run-off at the roof scale, particularly for small-storm events, as well as an efficient thermal roof insulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manufacturing process of clinker makes the cement industry a great consumer of energy, in addition to causing air pollution such as emitting fine particles into the atmosphere and associated health problems. The objective of this work is to determine the level of dust particulate matters generated from one cement factory in the city of Chlef located in the north of Algeria. An experimental investigation on the dustfall is carried out using metal plates according to French standards on seven sampling sites. The results indicate that there exist very high levels of dust ranging from 5-20 g/m per day, which exceed the acceptable threshold level in some stations, whereas the dust level is very low in some others. It is proposed that the thresholds defined by the French and British standards cater mainly for sites known for their wet and rainy climate and not for those in a hot and dry climate. In general, the amount of dustfall in all sets decreases as the precipitation increases during the exposure period. The results of this study highlight the influence of the hot and dry climatic conditions on cement dust emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For some time there has been an absence of serious debate about the future of nuclear energy, and an accompanying political paralysis in many countries. The polarized nature of the debate, together with thefact that the decision-makers often misinterpret society's views, are undoubtedly some of the major reasons for this deadlock. With this in mind, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA), in 1994, set up an enquiry into the future of nuclear energy. This paper discusses the current findings of phase 1 of this project and aims to provide answers to the question: 'What is necessary to keep the nuclearoption open?'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the changes in the vulnerability of coastal defenses between the present day and the year 2075. A climate model was used to simulate the atmospheric forcing in each scenario. Climate change will alter wave and water level conditions and hence affect the vulnerability of coastal defense structures. The likely changes in vulnerability are important to the stakeholders in new and existing coastal defense structures, as decision-makers may reasonably be expected to include the probable effects of climate change in their planning processes.