{"id":69148,"date":"2021-03-16T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T09:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/?p=69148"},"modified":"2024-03-12T09:44:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T09:44:48","slug":"environmental-understanding-adapting-to-a-changing-climate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/environmental-understanding-adapting-to-a-changing-climate\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental understanding: adapting to a changing climate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In 2020 the UK Prime Minister announced a plan for a \u2018green industrial revolution\u2019. Set out in a Ten Point Plan<\/a> and a new Energy White Paper<\/a>, the Government aims to deliver sustainable growth and a net-zero carbon emission economy by 2050<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenges and opportunities presented by this ambition are considerable. They will impact on all sectors of our economy, and on the lives and livelihoods of all UK citizens.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We at BGS have a vital role<\/a> to play, from informing the location of offshore wind farms, to understanding the hazards associated with a changing climate, such as droughts and floods, and the security of water resources for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offshore renewable energy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The British Government is aiming to have one third of the UK\u2019s power provided through renewable energy sources by 2030, with  offshore windfarms making a significant contribution to this transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It isn\u2019t widely known that during the last ice age the seas surrounding the British Isles were inundated by major ice sheets. As they melted, they left behind a complex array of sediments buried beneath the seabed which now form the foundations for these turbines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To support the long-term sustainable development of these large, offshore projects, it is essential that we understand the complex landforms left by the ice sheets and the meltwater fed rivers, and how sea-level rise at the end of the ice age influences coastal change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At BGS, we are integrating a range of geological datasets to develop process-based, landscape evolution \u201cmodels\u201d to understand the lasting changes these past environments have made on the sediments beneath the seabed. Using this research, we are providing the offshore renewables industry with the detailed geological information they need to design and locate windfarms in a sustainable way<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shallow geohazard understanding for sustainable development<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To achieve a world-class infrastructure that is sustainable requires an understanding of the susceptibility of shallow geological hazards (geohazards) to climate change. These hazards are capable of causing harm to both life and the built environment through their impact on land stability. They include landslides, sinkholes, piping, scour and collapsible soil, which commonly respond to changes in groundwater conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Aldbrough<\/a>
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BGS have a coastal landslide observatory at Aldbrough,\u00a0 one of the fastest-eroding coastlines in Europe.\u00a0 Source: \u00a0BGS \u00a9 UKRI<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\"Expand<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n

Soil property related hazards such as compressibility, clay shrink-swell and the impacts of human use of the subsurface, such as mining, must also be understood, along with hydrohazards, such as flooding. The distribution of these geohazards corresponds closely with the underlying geology and each are sensitive to climatic conditions due to the role of groundwater or soil moisture in their activation. Modelling these geohazards is incredibly complex, and is made more difficult by extremes of climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Oxford<\/a>
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Aerial view of flooding of Oxford, UK in 2007. Source: \u00a9 NERC\/UKRI<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\"Expand<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n

BGS hosts geohazard databases and datasets<\/a> that provide valuable information with respect to the distribution of the soils and ground conditions that potentially give rise to these events. Climate modelling enables scientists to assess the extent of any increased spatial and depth footprint of these hazards and to assist strategic planners to avoid them, which is the most efficient way to ensure sustainable development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where it is necessary for infrastructure to pass across ground that is susceptible to shallow geohazards, geophysical property data can be used to inform mitigation measures. Typically, this may require engineers to increase foundation depths; introduce additional reinforcement, or increase drainage, or slope reduction to maintain slope stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The urban environment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Urban areas in the UK only cover about eight per cent of the land but are home to approximately 80 per cent of our population. This places significant pressure on space and natural resources. The question we must ask ourselves is whether the city of today provides a useful benchmark to respond to these pressures and meet our commitments to climate action and the sustainable development goals. In truth we will have to design our cities differently such that we are living more in harmony with the natural environment, including how cities utilise the subsurface. <\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Example<\/a>
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An example of a sustainable drainage system in Derby. Source: \u00a9Stephanie Bricker \/ BGS<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\"Expand<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n

Through the development of 3D urban geology models<\/a> we are helping to identify how the ground can be used to make our urban areas more resilient and sustainable. This includes: <\/p>\n\n\n\n