Protecting Canada’s Water
The Canadian Prairies suffer from highly variable water resources. Water supplies are scarce, sources are often located as far away as the Rocky Mountains, and stream flows are seasonal and hard to predict. These challenges are negatively affecting economic and population growth in the Prairies.
Meanwhile, future climate change and increasing demand for water will place unsustainable demands on water resources. To adapt, we need to better understand how climate and land use interact with water resources, and how to better predict water supply and flooding.
Dr. John Pomeroy, Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change, is studying water resources and related climate issues that are critical to managing the environment in Western and Northern Canada. He wants to improve how we assess water supply variability, as well as understand the interactions between hydrological and atmospheric processes and between hydrology and water quality.
Pomeroy and his research team are concentrating on six key themes: the effects of variable climate on water supply; the development of a new Canadian hydrological model; an improved description of the interactions between the atmosphere and snow; cold land hydrological processes; snowmelt flooding; and the release of snow contaminants into the environment.
Ultimately, their work will help predict, diagnose and mitigate the adverse effects of rapid climate change and increased climate variability on water resources in Western and Northern Canada.