Editor’s Note

As I write this column, August and summertime in Alaska are quickly coming to a close. In Anchorage, the fireweed blossoms are gone, foretelling “six more weeks until winter” per local folklore. While climate change and climate variability are definitely increasing, many instances cited in the media question the actuality of global warming. This past winter, Anchorage set an all-time snowfall record, while my colleagues in New England had warm temperatures and almost no snow. The Bering Sea ice cover stretched toward the Aleutians and reached its farthest extent in over 30 years. This past summer, the central United States baked in drought conditions, and Shell Oil Company had to delay potential drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas because of lingering heavy ice conditions. But, by late August, we had reached an all-time low for Arctic sea ice cover volume. Climate variability assures us that we do not know everything about the cold regions of the world or how best to adapt to changing conditions. The Journal thus provides a great venue for the discussion of all things related to cold regions and climate change.

The Journal of Cold Regions Engineering is administered by the ASCE Technical Council on Cold Regions Engineering (TCCRE). Established in 1979 to “identify, assess and report on effects of cold region environments upon engineering design, construction and operations,” TCCRE is a small organizational unit within ASCE with very active members. It is a unique group in that it does not concentrate on a single traditional branch of civil engineering, but covers all disciplines as they relate to cold regions (areas affected by frost or temperatures below 0°C). The technical structure of TCCRE exemplifies this diversity with committees on environmental and public health engineering, frozen ground, hydrology and hydraulics, structures and foundations, and transportation and infrastructure.

TCCRE conducts technology transfer by organizing and supporting technical conferences on cold regions topics. TCCRE was very busy with several conferences in 2012. The Tenth International Conference on Permafrost (TICOP) was held June 25–29, 2012, in Salekhard, Russia, located on the Arctic Circle and the east bank of the Ob River. TCCRE has been supporting the International Conference on Permafrost series since its establishment through conference promotion, session generation and sponsorship, paper reviews, and by serving on the organizing committees. The TICOP was attended by more than 500 people from 15 countries with full papers, abstracts, and posters presented on a variety of permafrost topics. The proceedings of the conference can be found at http://www.ticop2012.org.

The 15th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering (ICCRE) was held in Quebec City, Canada, August 19–22, 2012, on the theme of “Sustainable Infrastructure Development in a Changing Cold Environment.” The Loews Le Concorde Hotel, located in historic downtown Quebec City, was the venue where more than 240 participants from 10 countries met to discuss cold-region topics ranging from winter navigation and permafrost to building foundations and roadway design. It was sponsored by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) and ASCE. We were fortunate enough to have both Mr. Andrew Herman, national president of ASCE, and Dr. Jim Kells, national president of CSCE in attendance. The proceedings were produced on CD-ROM by ASCE and are available at http://www.asce.org.

The year rounded out with the Arctic Technology Conference (ATC), which was held in Houston, Texas, on December 3–5, 2012. It was the second ATC, and ASCE was one of its sponsors. The 150 technical presentations and 80 exhibitors addressed the cutting-edge technologies and innovative practices needed for resource exploration and production in the Arctic in this international conference. TCCRE and the Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI) organized sessions addressing onshore facilities and pipelines. Details of the technical program can be found at http://www.arctictechnologyconference.org/.

Upcoming activities for TCCRE include the 10th International Symposium on Cold Regions Development (ISCORD), which will be held in May 2013, in Anchorage, Alaska. The theme for this conference is “Planning for Sustainable Cold Regions” and covers all aspects of civil engineering pertaining to development, infrastructure, and quality of life in cold regions. With more than 100 papers and planned special sessions, this conference is shaping up to be another star in the Cold Regions Engineering series. Also, be on the lookout for two new ASCE TCCRE Monographs that will be available in 2013: “Permeable Pavements in Cold Regions” and “Frost Action.”