The increasing hydrological hazards and shifts in degradation mechanisms coupled with a rise in uncertainties in climate-related design factors, present substantial challenges for dam safety, design, and management. As such, it is essential to adapt dam infrastructure to withstand the corresponding risks under a changing climate. Various parameters considered in dam design and operation are susceptible to climate change impacts. For example, temperature fluctuations can lead to internal stresses, freeze–thaw cycling, and alkali-silica reactions in concrete structures. It can also affect soil conditions in earth dams, permafrost, gate function, and more. Future changes in precipitation patterns, compound events, and hydroclimate swings can also lead to safety concerns and are becoming increasingly uncertain as climate changes lead toward more extreme conditions. Further, these uncertainties, coupled with changing extremes, create complexities in dam management and operations, which may ultimately become safety risks. Therefore, it is crucial to identify parameters that influence dam function and operation. This study aims to support the development of a practical framework for dam owners and operators to evaluate risks and generate accurate quantifications of design factors that consider climate uncertainty. The methodology begins with identifying parameters affected by climate change that may impact design, safety, operations, and function through a comprehensive literature review. Through collaboration with stakeholders, additional parameters are determined. Following this, climate projections are used to identify location-specific changes in the climate variables of concern. These projections will serve as the basis for determining the projected climate factors and associated risks in identified design, operation, and management parameters. The determined climatic uncertainties in design and operation parameters will allow dam owners to account for risks to ongoing operations/management and design to enhance resiliency in dams.
