The Centre for Hydrology, along with Yukon Environment and McMaster University, is studying the impact of a changing climate on the hydrology of the Yukon Territory. The study is using the Wolf Creek Research Basin as a modelling laboratory to improve and validate the Cold Regions Hydrological Model for multi-year simulation of changing snow and permafrost conditions in the north, and exploring how these impact the quantity and timing of streamflow. CH Research Officer Tyler Williams is based in Whitehorse, Yukon to assist with this study and was featured in a recent edition of the Yukon News: the article is available here. Modelling for the project is being conducted by Kabir Rasouli, who is based at the CH Coldwater Laboratory in Kananaskis.

The Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy has released its latest report based on the findings of a 2012 workshop on water management challenges in the Mackenzie River Basin.

The workshop, which took place in Vancouver from September 5 to 7, 2012, convened several experts in the fields of hydrology, law, economics, and biology with the goal of looking at the legal and scientific principles relevant to creating a co-ordinated basin-wide approach to management. John Pomeroy and Robert Sandford from the Centre for Hydrology contributed to writing the report. The workshop was co-hosted by the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation and Simon Fraser University’s Adaptation to Climate Change Team.

It concludes that hydrological regimes and the environment of the Basin are at risk from global warming and that the water and ecosystems of the Basin are globally important and require Basin residents and Canada to assume full stewardship responsibilities for the Basin. The Report recommends mandatory posting of significant performance bonds on the part of extractive industries wishing to operate in the Basin, increased water monitoring throughout the Basin, incorporation of local and enhanced scientific knowledge in decision making, re-invigorating the Mackenzie River Basin Board, and the use of the precautionary principle for developments and actions which could adversely affect the region. The Report can be downloaded here.

These details were also reported by the CBC, as visible online here, and Professor Pomeroy was interviewed about the report by CBC Radio 1’s The Trailbreaker and CBC TV News. Bob Sandford also contributed to a CTV News piece.

Centre for Hydrology MSc (and soon to be PhD) student Phillip Harder has captured a fascinating sequence through the late and rapid melt of deep snowpack near Rosthern, SK (here), between 5 April and 15 May 2013.
The melt generated a sudden and impressive runoff response, which was captured by Phillip’s 30-minute time-lapse photography. The video is available here.

CH Director Prof. John Pomeroy has again been in demand by the media: his views were sought by the Calgary Herald for an article on the increasing risks of natural hazards as a consequence of a changing climate. The piece is available online here.

Congratulations to Phillip Harder, who has had a very good week: he was not only awarded a Dean’s Scholarship for his PhD studies at the Centre for Hydrology, but also the D.M. Gray Award for best student paper in hydrology at the Canadian Geophysical Union’s annual meeting.
Phillip’s paper was based on his MSc research on the assessment of uncertainty in hydrological models introduced by non-physical precipitation phase calculations.
Well done Phillip!

The Centre for Hydrology will play a major role in the new Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN), for which NSERC announced funding of $5 million as part of the five year Climate Change and Atmospheric Research (CCAR) Initiative. The Network of over 50 researchers from Canada, USA, China, UK, France and Germany is headquartered at the University of Saskatchewan, and led by Professor Howard Wheater.
CCRN aims to understand, diagnose and predict interactions among the cryospheric, ecological, hydrological and climatic components of the changing Earth system at multiple scales, with a focus on the Saskatchewan and Peace-Athabasca-Mackenzie River Basins. It will improve our understanding of recent Earth system change in the cold interior of Canada, advance prediction of water, weather, and climate, improve our hydrological, ecological and climatological modeling capability, enhance our capacity for water management, and train the next generation of hydrologists.
The network will support research at several Centre for Hydrology research basins in the Canadian Rockies, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan, provide funds for enhanced student training, and enable further development of the Cold Regions Hydrological Model. The funding of the network at this time is very important, given the extreme weather and water events and rapid climate change which have become evident in western and northern Canada.
Professor John Pomeroy announced the funding of the new network at the American Geophysical Union Meeting of the Americas in Cancun, Mexico on 17 May 2013. The presentation may be viewed here.

The Calgary Herald has published an article highlighting announcement of the Changing Cold Region Network, a major new research initiative in which CH will play a leading role: the page is available here.

Members past and present of the Centre for Hydrology have again been asked by various branches of the media to provide insights relating to snowmelt and the potential for flooding in Saskatchewan.
CH Director Prof. John Pomeroy and alumna Nathalie Brunet both contributed to a piece broadcast by the French language service of Radio Canada, which focused on the challenges of predicting flood risk in the Province, and the potential for automating forecasting methods. The clip is available here.
Dr Cherie Westbrook was asked by Global TV about the likelihood of imminent flooding in and around Saskatoon: the interview is available online here.
Prof. Pomeroy also provided an overview of the role of albedo in governing the timing and rate of snowmelt for The Afternoon Edition on Radio Canada: the interview is posted here and here.
The same theme was covered in an agricultural context by The Western Producer: the article is available here.

Centre for Hydrology Director Prof. John Pomeroy was asked to contribute to an article in the Calgary Herald, published on 6th April 2013.
The piece looked at the likely prospects for water resources, and risks of both drought and flood, as implied by the spring snowpack on both sides of the Great Divide.
It is available for online viewing here

In late February, the Centre for Hydrology hosted a workshop at its Coldwater Lab (located at the University of Calgary’s BioGeoScience Institute near Kananaskis), to mark 50 years of activity at the nearby Marmot Creek Research Basin.
The meeting generated interest from several local and regional newspapers;
– Calgary Herald, 4th March 2013
– Rocky Mountain Outlook, 14th March 2013
– Rocky Mountain Outlook, 14th February 2013
– Calgary Herald, 23rd February 2013
– Saskatoon Star Phoenix, 25th February 2013
– Rocky Mountain Outlook, 14th March 2013
Information about the workshop, including presentations given by a range of eminent hydrologists and CH alumni, is available here