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In the middle of winter, we may think that global warming is not
such a bad thing….as long as the snow is good for skiing. But to
Stephen Déry, snow and ice are not just fun and picturesque, they’re
vital to our survival.
Standing on top of Spanish Mountain in the Cariboo Mountains, Dr. Déry
has a commanding view of the surrounding countryside. Far below is
Quesnel Lake, the deepest glacier-created lake in Canada. The scene is
straight out of a tourism brochure, but it’s an area at risk.
“We’ve all seen and heard about the effects of climate change in the
Arctic but areas of high altitude are equally susceptible to the global
warming trend,” says Dr. Déry, who came to UNBC from Princeton
University as a Canada Research Chair. “Many scientists predict that
the mountainous regions of western North America – otherwise known as
the Western Cordillera – will experience rates of climate change much
higher than the global average. This has huge implications for the
water cycle and whether water will continue to be stored as snow and
ice. This is the perfect place to study how climate variability at high
altitudes will affect access to our most precious natural resource:
fresh water.”
It’s perfect for at least two reasons. First, the Quesnel River Basin
drains an area of more than 11,000 square kilometres. The diversity of
the landscape ranges from glacier-covered mountains to expansive
ranches and the watershed amazingly includes both the wettest and
driest areas of the BC Interior and some of its coldest and warmest
regions. In fact, 13% of the research area is alpine tundra. Second,
the historical weather record for the region is one of the oldest in
British Columbia. Weather data from Barkerville stretches back to 1888
and the high elevation (1265 m) of the old gold rush town makes it an
ideal location from which to draw comparisons.
Fast forward to 2006. This past summer, Dr. Déry and his research
assistant Shane MacLeod deployed meteorological stations on three
mountains in the area – Spanish (elev. 1509 m), Blackbear (elev. 1591
m), and Browntop (elev. 2028 m) – as well as at the University’s
Quesnel River Research Centre (elev. 742 m). From these locations,
information on temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction,
barometric pressure, precipitation, snow depth, and soil temperature is
being recorded. Adding in the old data from Barkerville, Dr. Déry will
piece together a unique retrospective on high-altitude climate change
along with some predictions of what the future holds. The province as a
whole has seen its temperature rise about one degree over the past
century. Has it been worse at the high altitudes? Stephen Dery will
tell us.
“Evaluating the past, current, and future contribution of snow,
glaciers, and permafrost to a region like the Quesnel River Basin is
relevant to water management and commercial activities around BC and
across Canada,” says Dr. Déry. “This research will answer one of the
most pressing questions that Canadian society will face in the 21st
century: Will we have sufficient water for our needs and where will it
come from?”
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Dr. Déry's Bio
Dr. Stephen Déry has three degrees in Atmospheric Science: a
B.Sc. and M.Sc. from York University and a Ph.D. from McGill University.
He came to UNBC in 2005 as Canada Research Chair in Northern Hydrometeorology,
focusing on how rising temperatures affect the water cycle. Prior to this
appointment, Stephen was a researcher at the prestigious Lamont - Doherty Earth
Observatory of Columbia University outside New York City
and also held a Visiting Research Scientist position at Princeton
University in New Jersey. In addition to this Canada
Research Chair position, Stephen has appointments in the Chemistry,
Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering
undergraduate and Natural
Resources and Environmental Studies graduate programs at UNBC. He
teaches senior-level courses in Atmospheric Science and has developed a new
course simply entitled, Ice and Snow. |
Click on one of the photos below to access a high-resolution version. |
