Coupled processes in geomaterial degradation and instability with special reference to soil-environment interaction

基础设施的安全运行和经济设计，如水坝、高速公路路面和市政公用设施，包括污水和供水管道，对加拿大的经济发展极其重要。由于已观察到的气候变化的影响，应调整传统的岩土工程技术，以适应与环境和气候变化有关的潜在风险（例如，广泛的降水、较温和的冬季和冻融循环次数的增加、北方永久冻土的退化）。例如，由于重复的交通负荷和季节性环境变化（如冻融、干湿），人行道路基土壤的退化每年要花费数百万美元来维持加拿大高速公路的良好状况。

Safe operation and economic design of infrastructure, such as dams, highway pavements, and municipal utilities including sewage and water supply pipelines, are extremely important for Canadian economic development. Owing to observed impact of climate change, the conventional geotechnical engineering technologies should be adapted to accommodate the potential risk associated with environmental and climate change (e.g., extensive precipitation, milder winters and increased number of freeze-thaw cycles, degradation of permafrost in the North). For example, degradation of pavement subgrade soils owing to repetitive traffic loading and seasonal environmental change (e.g., freezing-thawing, drying-wetting) costs millions of dollars every year for maintaining the Canadian highways in good condition.