Seminar, Thursday October 1st, Snow and Hydrology Research at the Qilian Ecology and Hydrology Research Station

The Centre for Hydrology is hosting a seminar on Thursday, October 1st by
Dr Junfeng Liu, Assistant Professor with the Cold and Arid Regions Engineering Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China.

Dr Liu will present on Snow and Hydrology Research at the Qilian Ecology and Hydrology Research Station, China, and will summarize recent research on advanced snow observation and modelling in the high mountains of Western China and the Tibetan Plateau.

The seminar will take place at 10 am in 144 Kirk Hall, University of Saskatchewan.

Glacial Research in NWT Profiled

MSc student Emily Anderson’s work in the Britnell-Bologna Icefield (North-West Territories), researching its rapid melting due to warmer coniditions, and the resultant impact on regional water availability, has been covered by CBC News and Yale University’s Environment360 magazine. This study, in collaboration with Mike Demuth of the Geological Survey of Canada (and also a CH member), contributes to the Changing Cold Regions research network.

Discussion of Calgary flood plain and Arena plans

CH Director Prof. John Pomeroy was asked recently by the Calgary Herald to comment on the wisdom of siting a proposed new CalgaryNext arena for the Calgary Flames on the banks of the Bow River.

Prof. Pomeroy commented that – given the widespread impact of flooding throughout Calgary in June 2013 from what was likely less than a 1:50 year event, and the prospect of future events of greater severity and even magnification of these events by climate change – this seemed a surprising and possibly hazardous choice for the site. Ideally any development in the floodplain should be establishment of parks or similar land uses that would not sustain damage from flooding. This has created some discussion in the community that is described in the following articles –

  • Water expert astonished by proposed location of CalgaryNEXT along Bow River
    Original     PDF archive
  • City councillor aggravated by CalgaryNEXT floodplain concerns
    Original     PDF archive
  • Wikipedia – CalgaryNEXT
    URL