Evaluating the Effects of Climate Change on Spring Load Restrictions across Ontario, Canada
Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 38, Issue 3
Abstract
Recently, numerous studies have highlighted that the climate worldwide is changing rapidly due to increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The average ambient temperatures across Canada are rising approximately twice as fast as the rest of the world. The projected change in climate may increase the air and surface temperature indices, thus affecting the duration of spring load restrictions (SLRs) on roads, which may potentially impact the trucking industry and economy. Therefore, the best practices must be adjusted when identifying the optimal SLR periods that consider climate change. In Ontario, Canada, the SLR periods are imposed based on subsurface temperature data that is obtained from the road weather information system (RWIS) and spring load adjustment (SLA) stations in conjunction with visual observations. In this study, different methods of determining SLR periods were investigated. Then, new models were developed to correlate the surface cumulative thawing index (CTI) and thawing depth (TD) of a site. These models were developed utilizing atmospheric, surface, and subsurface data that was collected from different SLA and RWIS weather stations at various locations across Ontario, Canada. Finally, the developed models were utilized to predict the SLR periods for future scenarios using data from different global circulation models (GCM) and representative concentration pathways (RCPs). This study concludes that the SLR periods are expected to shrink across Ontario, Canada, by 2100. The results of this study might help different road authorities and trucking agencies maximize the life of the road structure and minimize the economic hardships that are faced during SLR periods.
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Data Availability Statement
Some of the data that supports the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. This includes air, surface, and subsurface temperature data obtained from several weather stations.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their gratitude to Mr. James Brouwer of the MTO and Dr. Diar Hassan, Sr. Scientist, Product & Business Development, Wood, for supplying meteorological and subsurface data from several SLA and RWIS stations in Ontario, Canada. Opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and may not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the MTO. In addition, the authors would like to acknowledge the financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada under grant RGPIN-2019-06244 for the third author and under grant RGPIN-2018-05918 for the fourth author.
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Published In
Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 38 • Issue 3 • September 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 12, 2022
Accepted: Nov 13, 2023
Published online: Apr 22, 2024
Published in print: Sep 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Sep 22, 2024
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