Project Complete
Principal investigator
Ioan Nistor, University of Ottawa (MEOPAR); Damien Pham Van Bang, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (RQM)
Co-Principal investigators
Liette Vasseur, Brock University (MEOPAR); Marc Richer-Laflèche, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Jacob Stolle, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Sebastien Norbert, Université de Montréal (RQM)
Call
RQM-MEOPAR Call
The Baie-Saint-Paul region is famous for its natural landscape, cultural heritage and biodiversity. This natural treasure was created from a symbiosis with the surrounding river, sea and mountains. The geomorphology of the region was developed through a complex series of natural processes, such as high seismicity, exposure to strong tides and winter storms, which are still very active today. The natural hazards associated with these processes (earthquakes, strong tides, storms, ice jams) are expected to be exacerbated due to the effects of climate change and the city of Baie Saint-Paul is particularly exposed. The project proposed here aims to develop a comprehensive set of methodologies and tools on this pilot site (Baie Saint-Paul) to anticipate changes and define best practices to reduce risk to the local community. The methodology is intersectoral including input from decision-makers (federal-provincial-municipal), users (entrepreneurs-inhabitants with collective or semi-structured interviews), natural sciences (geophysics, geotechnical engineering with field observations) and civil engineering (structural engineering, hydraulics with physical and numerical modeling) to identify hazards, characterize site conditions, and define preventive solutions. The analysis covers several different scales and dimensions of the coastal erosion problem in both macrotidal and northern areas. Results and tools (open source) will be developed and shared to aid in stakeholder engagement and future risk assessment. Raw data, detailed analyzes and numerical tools will be shared open-source to ensure a transparent transfer of knowledge.