CONSTRUCTION POTENTIAL MAPS IN SUPPORT TO CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITIES BUILT ON PERMAFROST : CASE STUDIES FROM NORTHERN QUEBEC

Andrée-Sylvie Carbonneau, Emmanuel L'Hérault, Sarah Aubé-Michaud, Diane Frappier, Michel Allard

In the proceedings of: GeoQuébec 2015: 68th Canadian Geotechnical Conference & 7th Canadian Permafrost Conference

Session: Northern Communities / Communautés nordiques

ABSTRACT: As ongoing climate warming is expected to continue in northern Quebec, the thermal regime and the dynamics of permafrost will be altered. Adequate land use planning must take into account the potential loss of bearing capacity and soil instability due to permafrost degradation.To guide residential and industrial development, an integrated and GIS based geoscience approach was developed to assess permafrost geotechnical properties and map permafrost conditions. Using a multicriteria analysis, terrain sensitive to thaw-settlement, mass movements or other risks related to hazards were then identified. The results are presented as construction potential maps where, for any given terrain category, the suitable foundation types according to the existing engineering solution guidelines are proposed. The high varability of the permafrost conditions across the territory and at the community scale raises specific challenges for land use planning. Using as examples the community of Akulivik and Kangiqsualujjuaq, this paper illustrates the potential of those maps as a tool to support community adaptation and management strategies under a changing climate.

RÉSUMÉ: Avec le changement climatique au Québec nordique, le régime thermique et la dynamique du pergélisol se trouvent modifiés. L™aménagement du territoire doit tenir compte de la perte de capacité portante et des risques d'instabilité des sols qu™entrainent le réchauffement et le dégel éventuel du pergélisol. Pour guider le développement résidentiel et industriel dans ces contextes particuliers, une approche géoscientifique intégrée de cartographie a été développée pour définir les propriétés géotechniques du pergélisol et identifier les terrains sensibles au tassement et aux mouvements de masse. Les résultats de cette analyse multicritère, sous la forme de cartes de potentiel de construction, présentent les types de fondations nordiques appropriées selon les conditions locales du pergélisol. La variabilité spatiale des conditions de pergélisol sur le territoire et à l™échelle des communautés entraine des défis particuliers pour l™aménagement du territroire.En utilisant comme exemples Akulivik et Kangiqsualujjuaq, cet article illustre les résultats obtenus par les cartes de potentiel de construction.

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Cite this article:
Andrée-Sylvie Carbonneau; Emmanuel L'Hérault; Sarah Aubé-Michaud; Diane Frappier; Michel Allard (2015) CONSTRUCTION POTENTIAL MAPS IN SUPPORT TO CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITIES BUILT ON PERMAFROST : CASE STUDIES FROM NORTHERN QUEBEC in GEO2015. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{434,author = Andrée-Sylvie Carbonneau; Emmanuel L'Hérault; Sarah Aubé-Michaud; Diane Frappier; Michel Allard,title = CONSTRUCTION POTENTIAL MAPS IN SUPPORT TO CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITIES BUILT ON PERMAFROST : CASE STUDIES FROM NORTHERN QUEBEC,year = 2015}