– Review by Phil Chadwick, Meteorologist and Eco-Artist –
By Jon Gertner, Published by Penguin Random House, Hardcover, 448 pages, ISBN 9780812996623, $28.00 (USD)
You can’t make this stuff up! In fact, hard data and science might be the best things to really believe. “The Ice at the End of the World” is a terrific read. Historians and scientists, as well as anyone concerned about the future of the planet, would find this book fascinating.
Formed in 1919, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) this year celebrates 100 years, and CMOS gets to be a part of it, as our congress coincides with their general assembly in Montreal in July.
Read on to get the lowdown on what’s what for CMOS members at this year’s IUGG general assembly:
– By Paul Kushner, Professor, Department of Physics, University of Toronto and CMOS President –
The warnings started in mid April: a deep and rapidly melting central/eastern Canadian snowpack and many days of intensive rain were set to bring unprecedented flooding to riverfront communities across Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Ottawa River water levels smashed previous records set during the flooding in spring of 2017.
– By Bob Kochtubajda1, Ron Stewart2, Mike Flannigan3, Barrie Bonsal1, Charles Cuell4, and Curtis Mooney1 –
1. Environment and Climate Change Canada; 2. University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB; 3. University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB; 4. CHMR Climate Resilience Consulting, Kaslo, BC.
Media reports around the world have highlighted the extreme and unprecedented nature of wildfires in recent years (e.g. Chile 2017, Portugal 2017, Greece 2018, California 2017 and 2018). In Canada, the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire was the third largest in Alberta’s history and became the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history,
Scientists from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Natural Resources Canada, and university experts collaborated to produce Canada’s Changing Climate Report (CCCR). Released at the beginning of April, this report is about why Canada’s climate has changed, how it is changing, and what changes the future holds. This document is the first of a series to be released as part of a National Assessment to look at the impacts of climate change on Canadians and possible adaptation measures. It covers changes across Canada in temperature, precipitation, climate extremes, snow, ice, permafrost, freshwater availability, and sea level and other changes to our oceans.
– By Bronwyn McIlroy-Young, Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, University of British Columbia –
Canadians are increasingly looking for information about how their community is being affected by climate change. New research reveals that TV weathercasters could be very effective at informing the public about what climate change is and how it is transforming local environments across Canada.
– By Paul Kushner, Professor, Department of Physics, University of Toronto and CMOS President –
At the end of February I was grateful for the special opportunity to participate in the National Climate Change Science and Knowledge Priorities Workshop in Ottawa, a well-organized event hosted by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The workshop brought together a wide variety of experts and stakeholders from the natural and social sciences; from First Peoples, federal, provincial and municipal organizations; and from NGOs and industry.
– By John Loder, Scientist Emeritus, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography –
Our Society’s Bulletin and website indicate that CMOS “exists for the advancement of meteorology and oceanography in Canada”. Is this advancement primarily for the benefit of our members, such as improved communications internally or increased funding for our core disciplines? Or, should CMOS also have an emphasis on communicating sound scientific information to the Canadian public, especially on major issues involving our expertise and affecting present and future generations?
– by Michael Crowe, Katherine Wilson, and John Parker –
The effects of climate change are being felt around the world, but nowhere as intensely and as obviously as in the Arctic. Many sources can be cited that put the rate of temperature increase in the Arctic over the last 30-50 years as at least twice that over the rest of the globe. These temperature increases have led to significant reductions of sea ice, thawing permafrost and coastal erosion that affect all Northerners, including Indigenous communities and industry.
© 2017 Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
