Climate change—along with shifts in weather and climate extremes and land dynamics, particularly those linked to permafrost degradation and other environmental stressors—is increasingly contributing to the disruption, deterioration, and failure of engineering systems. The challenges facing infrastructure in Arctic regions differ notably from those in southern urban areas, due to fundamental contrasts in surface and subsurface climatic conditions and processes. A persistent obstacle in advancing adaptation-focused engineering studies has been the lack of climate change information at the spatial and temporal resolutions required for practical applications. However, recent innovations in ultra-high-resolution climate modelling, combined with significant advances in high-performance computing, have enabled the development of detailed climate and climate change information at the resolution of a few kilometers to sub-kilometer scale in some cases. These emerging capabilities are critical for robust impact assessments and the design of effective adaptation strategies.

This presentation will examine key engineering-relevant aspects of weather and climate, including extreme events, across both the Arctic and southern urban regions of Canada. It will also discuss the associated impacts, as well as adaptation strategies and frameworks applicable to selected engineering operations and infrastructure systems. Given the accelerated warming projected for regions such as the Arctic, it is highly probable that multiple climatic tipping points will be reached—some of which may pose significant risks to infrastructure. Accordingly, the discussion will include specialized analyses of climate model outputs aimed at identifying critical thresholds for selected engineering systems.