The stability of cut slopes is greatly influenced by seasonal pore water pressure variations under
the combined effect of rainfall and vegetation. However, predicting soil-atmosphere interaction
is not straightforward, due to the complexity of both the boundary conditions involved and the
hydro-mechanical behaviour of soils, which is coupled and highly nonlinear, rendering the use of
numerical tools, such as finite element analysis, necessary. The paper discusses the numerical
modelling of soil-atmosphere interaction and presents the analysis of a slope cut in London clay
in a highly vegetated area. The whole life cycle of the slope is considered with phases of low
and high water demand vegetation and vegetation clearance. The analysis results indicate that
dense vegetation is associated with high factors of safety, but may induce large differential
displacements which are likely to affect the serviceability of the slope. Vegetation clearance,
however, may initiate instability, highlighting the need for effective vegetation management in
order to achieve a balance between serviceability and ultimate limit states. Although the case
considered is representative of South East England, it introduces the necessary tools for
realistic numerical analysis of soil-atmosphere interaction.