Summary of the Report: Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Landslides Occurrence in Canada

Catherine Cloutier

In the proceedings of: GeoVancouver 2016: 69th Canadian Geotechnical Conference

Session: GEOHAZARDS - IV Climate Change Floods & Landslides

ABSTRACT: This paper summarizes the Canadian report written in response to the Joint-Technical-Committee No. 1 initiative on slope safety preparedness for the impact of climate change. Some of the most straightforward potential impacts in Canada of climate change on landslide types, frequency, magnitude and timing are illustrated and discussed though studies from the Canadian and international literature. The rise in mean air temperature causes glacier thinning and retreat in mountainous terrain, degradation and thawing of permafrost and sea level increase, which can all impact slope stability. Also, climate projections tend towards precipitation increase over most of the country. High precipitation events are the cause of past damaging multi-landslides events and can trigger debris flows. The rainfall increase is amplifying the retrogressive process of thaw slumps in the Arctic. Climate change could also affect landslide through its impact on hydrology, e.g. flood, ground water pressure, and river erosion, but this is less certain.

RÉSUMÉ: Cet article résume la contribution canadienne au projet du Joint-Technical-Committee-1 sur la protection civile en réponse aux potentiels impacts des changements climatiques sur la stabilité des talus. Quelques uns des impacts potentiels des changements climatiques au Canada sur les types, le volume, la fréquence et la répartition temporelle des glissements de terrain tirées de la littérature canadienne et internationale. Le réchauffement planétaire entraîne la fonte et le retrait des glaciers en terrain montagneux, la dégradation et la fonte du er la stabilité des pentes. De plus, les projections climatiques tendent vers une augementation des précipiations pour la majorité du pays. Les évènements de drent des coulées de amplifie le phénomène de rétrogression des « thaw slumps ». Les changements climatique pourraient aussi avoir des impacts sur les mouvements de pente en modifiant les processus hydrologiques, e.g., les innondations, les pressions eurs impacts potentiels sont incertains.

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