“We can take action by applying thermal insulation to underground building enclosures, to minimize the amount of waste heat that goes into the ground,” he said. Humans pump so much groundwater that Earth’s axis has shifted, study finds (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Terra Bella, CA - October 14: Matt Davis's company drills a 1300 feet deep well in an orchard at Setton Farms on Thursday, Oct. And for those structures that already exist, understanding underground heat presents opportunities, according to Rotta Loria. “This study can make us realize that we are in front of an opportunity - we can take action, and in different ways,” he said.įuture buildings will not significantly increase the phenomenon, because modern construction technologies and regulations mandate better insulation and energy efficiency. It’s not all doom and gloom, however, according to Rotta Loria. “Buildings that are more prone to issues, because they were designed and built with outdated approaches, are also those that contribute the most to underground climate change, because they lack appropriate thermal insulation and therefore inject the most heat into the ground.” “There is what I call a silent hazard,” Rotta Loria said. “It does pose a potential challenge for the functionality and the durability of structures, because excessive ground deformations can lead to distortion, tilting and potentially cracking.”Īs a result, water could flow more easily into cracked structures, potentially causing corrosion in materials such as reinforced concrete. “It’s important to stress that underground climate change does not threaten the safety of people and does not threaten to collapse structures and buildings,” Rotta Loria said. Underground climate change can affect systems and structures such as underground railways, making tracks prone to buckling or causing passengers to become ill due to excessive heat. They found that depending on the composition of the soil, the ground reacts unevenly to warming and can both expand and contract by amounts that - while imperceptible to humans - could cause problems for buildings. Researchers then used the data to build a computer model of the Chicago Loop and simulate the effect of the rising temperatures on the ground, from the 1950s until the 2050. “And the consequence of that is that at least a portion of the heat will diffuse towards the ground over time, and that’s the origin of the phenomenon.” “We found underground structures, such as basements, where the air temperature was very high,” Rotta Loria said. Sensors were also placed in Grant Park along Lake Michigan to compare temperatures from an unbuilt area with no excess heat coming from construction or transportation.ĭata was collected over three years, and the results showed that the ground under the Loop was up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) warmer than the ground beneath the park. The research, published this month in the journal Communications Engineering, was conducted by installing 150 temperature sensors across the Chicago Loop district, both above and below ground, and in a variety of places such as basements, tunnels and parking garages. Its effects on civil infrastructure, however, had not been explored until this study, according to Rotta Loria. Studied for the past 25 years, underground climate change can cause issues such as groundwater contamination or problems with underground railways by making tracks prone to buckling or causing passengers to become ill due to excessive heat. The term “underground climate change,” however, was not coined for this study - it has been in use, and the phenomenon a subject of research, for some time. “Calling it climate change seems like a bit of a coattail thing,” Archer, who was not involved with the study, said. “Over time, they can become very significant for the operational performance of civil infrastructure like building foundations, water retaining walls, tunnels and so on.”īut underground climate change is not the same as what we think of as climate change in the atmosphere, which is largely driven by greenhouse gases and has far-reaching effects, said David Archer, a professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago. “Deformations caused by underground climate change are relatively small in magnitude, but they continuously develop,” he said. New York City is sinking due to its million-plus buildings, study says REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli Amanda Perobelli/Reuters Manhattan skyline is seen during sunset in New York City, U.S.
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