SASKATOON -- The University of Saskatchewan (U of S) is hoping to improve western and northern Canada climate change predictions.
Findings from the Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN) – a collaboration between several universities, led by the U of S – suggest that climate change is making future extreme weather events difficult to predict.
These disasters, such as wildfires or floods, will likely become more common and more severe, according to U of S research associate Chris DeBeer, the science manager for CCRN.
“These changes are happening and we’re coming into situations where we haven’t really experienced this in the past,” he said.
DeBeer added that the research is important because it can help make timely decisions when unpredictable weather events occur.
“The impact on drought, for example, floods, extreme disasters, being able to better prepare for and make management decisions during and before these disasters strike is very important,” he said.
“These regions are experiencing rapid and dramatic change. The loss of glaciers, thawing of permafrost, changing balance of snowfall and rain – these changes will have profound effects on our water resources.”
DeBeer said western and northern Canada’s unique features of permafrost and glaciers make it a “challenging environment” to predict.
Climate change also affects landscapes and land cover, he said, such as grasslands moving north and deciduous trees replacing evergreens in the boreal forest. DeBeer said the boreal forest is becoming less resistant to wildfires.
A summary of CCRN’s findings was recently published in the Hydrology and Earth System Sciences journal.
DeBeer said a new pan-Canadian program called Global Water Futures (GWF) expands on CCRN findings. The program specifically explores the impact on water sources and human health, he said.
The GWF program is working with Environment and Climate Change Canada to improve its prediction system.
