The CH and Global Institute for Water Security co-hosted the 8th Annual GEWEX (Global Energy and Water Exchanges project) Conference in Canmore, Alberta. With nearly 400 attended from 44 countries including some of the top climate scientists to share research outcomes, projects, and understanding of key global issues arising from Earth’s changing climate. 

An article on this conference was in the Rocky Mountain Outlook – you can read it here: http://www.rmoutlook.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20180517/RMO0801/180519987

Research by CH Paul Whitfield was featured in The Georgia Straight on flooding in the Kettle and Granby rivers which caused about 3,000 people to evacuate their homes in the Grand Forks, BC area.

A research paper by Paul Whitfield and others back in 1998, Evidence of climate change effects on the hydrology of streams in south-central BC, looked streamflow records from six watersheds in southern BC to identify changes that may be associated with climate change. The study found that “spring runoff starts earlier, late summer–early fall flows are lower, and early winter flows are higher with a warmer climate” and that “These changes were found to be statistically significant and are consistent with the hydrological impacts currently expected with global climate change”.

To read the full article: https://www.straight.com/news/1074481/researchers-raised-concerns-years-ago-about-climate-change-effects-kettle-river

With snowpacks in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains above to much above average normal (120%-144%), there is a rising concern for flooding as temperatures warm during the spring.

But John Pomeroy states that there isn’t a major concern for flooding – yet. The long-term forecast is still calling for a cooler spring, which means the snow in the mountains will likely melt slower this year. In addition, snowmelt alone has never driven flooding in Calgary and it would take a large rain-on-snow event to cause flooding. “With a changing climate, we can experience unprecedented weather extremes so it is important to stay vigilant, ” says John Pomeroy.

Read more:

• Calgary Herald article
• Canadian Underwriter article
• Edmonton Star article

In the wake of a water crisis in Cape Town, Dist. Prof. John Pomeroy talked to CBC News about the rising risk of water shortages in Western Canada. In a country known for its abundance of fresh water, Canadian scientists warn that some communities could face their own water crisis in the not-so-distant future.

Read the CBC article here.

For a more in-depth look at the water risks Canada is facing, read John Pomeroy’s article in the Conversation.

Western and Northern Canada has experienced some of the highest rates of warming anywhere in the world. This warming has affected various aspects of the environment, from increased rainfall in the winter months to changes in the magnitude and timing of streamflow across the region.

As the Changing Cold Regions Network comes to an end in March 2018, researchers have improved models at both small and large scales to better predict what the future may hold under more changing climatic and environmental conditions. These models have been used to evaluate changes in the Mackenzie and Saskatchewan River basins and included work from 40 scientists from eight universities who worked with four federal agencies.

More information can be read in a National Post article here.

A short documentary film on the research conducted during the Changing Cold Regions Network can be viewed here.