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Geoenvironmental Analysis Lab
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The lab uses experiments and analysis to study frozen ground in cold regions and the ground beneath roads and railways.
AboutAbout the lab
Uncovering how ground freezes and thaws
The Geoenvironmental Analysis Lab studies the properties of ground in cold regions and of the ground that supports roads, railways, and bridges.
Through both laboratory experiments and numerical analysis, the lab investigates disasters caused when water in the ground freezes and expands in winter, then thaws and loosens in spring.
The lab deals broadly with the ground beneath civil engineering structures, including railway track beds and road bases, compaction of embankments, pile foundations of bridge piers, and ground subsidence that continues after earthquakes.
Students are divided into groups led by each faculty member: Professor Ishikawa, Associate Professor Isobe, and Assistant Professor Yokohama.
Key terms
- Frost heave
- A phenomenon in which water in the ground freezes into layers of ice and lifts the ground surface; it damages roads and buildings in cold regions
- Track bed / road base
- The layer beneath road pavement or railway tracks that bears the load from above and transmits it to the ground
- Compaction
- Applying weight or vibration to soil to reduce voids and make the ground denser and stronger
NewsLab news
A doctoral student received the Encouragement Award of the Hokkaido Branch of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers for fiscal 2025 (Reiwa 7)
A doctoral student received the Hokkaido Branch Award (Student Category) of the Japanese Geotechnical Society for fiscal 2025 (Reiwa 7)
A master's student received the Outstanding Poster Award, selected by faculty, at the civil engineering master's interim presentation
A student received the Outstanding Paper Presenter Award at the 59th Geotechnical Research Presentation Conference
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies the effects of frost heave and freeze-thaw in cold-region ground, and the behavior of the ground that supports roads, railways, and bridges. It combines laboratory soil tests, model experiments, and field investigations with numerical analysis.
*Illustrative imageGround disasters caused by freezing and thawing
In winter, water in the ground freezes and expands (frost heave). If sudden rain or an earthquake strikes ground that has thawed and loosened in spring, it becomes prone to collapse. Focusing mainly on volcanic ash soil, which is widely distributed in Hokkaido, the lab investigates the mechanism through both precise experiments and the development of analysis software that can reproduce freezing and thawing.
*Illustrative imageTrack beds and road bases in cold regions
Railway track beds and road bases gradually deteriorate under traffic loads and repeated freeze-thaw cycles. To propose structures suited to northern regions, the lab conducts laboratory tests, model experiments, field tests, and numerical analysis.
*Illustrative imageAir permeability of frozen ground
If a pipeline buried in a cold region is damaged, harmful gas that has accumulated in frozen ground may blow out to the surface when the ground thaws. To analyze that risk, the lab is examining test methods for measuring the air permeability of frozen soil, which changes with temperature.
*Illustrative imageEmbankment compaction and soil strength
Using triaxial compression tests, permeability tests, and other methods, the lab investigates how the compaction conditions used when building road embankments and river levees change the strength and permeability of the soil. Volcanic ash soil, which is often used for embankments in Hokkaido, is also included.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members consist of faculty and undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTatsuya Ishikawa
- Associate ProfessorKoichi Isobe
- Assistant ProfessorShoji Yokohama
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Frost heaves on Bragg Hill Road in Norwich Vermont in March 2012--A” Stephen N. Flanders / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Ground disasters caused by freezing and thawing: “Kammeis2” Masteraah / CC BY-SA 2.0 de (cropped)
- Track beds and road bases in cold regions: “BG Ballast” Easy n / Public domain (cropped)
- Air permeability of frozen ground: “Badami Pipeline” U.S. Geological Survey / CC0 (cropped)
- Embankment compaction and soil strength: “Proctor device1” Zaher.Kadour / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Building Structural Engineering Lab): “Konstrukcja SCS siewierz” Michal Bacia / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (River and Watershed Engineering Lab): “Takikawa view from glider” Soica2001 (talk) / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Hydrosphere Disaster Prevention and Environment Lab): “Satsunai River” Ozizo / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Geomaterial Properties Lab): “Bodenquerschnitt” de:Benutzer:MarkusHagenlocher / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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