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Canada’s climate is warming at a rate about double the global average, leading to potential negative impacts on public infrastructures such as jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP). In light of this reality of changing climate, the work contained in this paper is aimed at evaluating JPCP’s early-age behaviour in response to environmental conditions. HIPERPAV® software and the associated models developed by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) were used to identify cracking potential. A sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the effect of different levels of air temperature, mix temperature, base layer temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity. Additionally, projected extreme temperatures predicted by the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CanRCM) were used to determine the relative impact of climate change on cracking risk. The results demonstrated the increased cracking risk under changing climate in several Canadian cities by mid-century and highlighted the importance of developing a pathway forward for climate adaptation.

The ice conditions in a regulated river will depend on the climatic changes as well as the changes to the hydropower operation strategies in the future. The existing literature shows that very few studies have been carried out to investigate the impact of climate change on the river ice regime, which is important for operation of hydropower in cold climates. In this study, a series of modelling tools have been used to transform the climate change signal in terms of precipitation and air temperature into cross-section based river ice assessment in a basin with a complicated hydropower system. The study is based on the EURO-CORDEX climate change data extracted from a regional climate model driven by a suite of five general circulation models with three representative concentration pathways. Hydrological model simulation results show that the winter and spring flow will be increased, which will have an impact on the river ice conditions towards the middle and end of this century. Reservoir-hydropower model simulation shows that the production flows in the winter will be increased in the future. River ice model simulation shows the number of days with freezing water temperature are reduced in the future climate, and correspondingly days with frazil ice are reduced at most of the locations in the study area. The future period with ice cover will also be shortened. The paper also demonstrates a general methodology and procedure to simulate future ice conditions in a regulated river combining multiple models and data sets.

Given anticipated climate change and its inherent uncertainty, a pavement could be subjected to different climatic conditions over its life and might be inadequate to withstand future environmental stresses beyond those currently considered during pavement design. This paper incorporates climate change effects into the mechanistic–empirical (M-E) based pavement design to explore potential climate change and its uncertainty on pavement design and performance. Three important questions are addressed: (1) How does pavement performance deteriorate differently with climate change and its uncertainty? (2) What is the risk if climate change and its uncertainty are not considered in design? and (3) How do pavement designers respond and incorporate this change into M-E design ? Three test sites in the United States are examined and results demonstrate a robust and effective approach to integrate climate change into pavement design as an adaptation strategy.

The passage of river ice during the breakup event can have several effects on bridge structures. Design for ice passage at bridges has largely been empirical, such as the determination of superstructure clearance requirements based on historical stage data. As hydrologic and river ice processes in rivers are modified by climatic change, the use of empirical methods based on past observations and measurements could become less reliable. To advance beyond empiricism, it is necessary to develop rational design criteria based on a thorough understanding of the factors governing the interaction between bridges and ice. This concern applies especially during the breakup event when river flows, velocities, and hydrodynamic forces are usually higher and moving ice is thicker and stronger than during freeze-up. This paper provides guidance on the design of bridges to minimize ice impacts on the structure during the breakup period.Key words: breakup, bridges, design, forces, ice jam, impact, river ice, scour, waves.