June 2019
Brian Menounos: Glacier area and mass change in western Canada
Happy summer everyone! My research group studies the processes that control the accumulation and melt of seasonal snow pack and changes in glacier mass in the mountains of western Canada. Key individuals in our MWF group include Postdoctoral Fellow Kriti Muherjee and UNBC faculty member Joseph Shea. One of our primary objectives under MWF is to provide high quality remotely-sensed observations of seasonal snow and glaciers that can be used to improve physically-based models of snow accumulation and snow/ice melt. As part of MWF, we routinely acquire airborne laser data at key locations to measure the depth of the winter snow cover. These data are being used by our MWF collaborators to improve modeling of snow accumulation and melt processes at scales that range from an individual hillside to an entire drainage basin. Our airborne laser campaigns also collect detailed elevation data that can be used to characterize vegetation and changes in its growth over time (Figure 1). Finally, we also fly key glacierized regions such as the Columbia Icefield (Figure 2) twice a year to construct seasonal estimates of glacier mass change for many of the mountain west’s glaciers. These geodetic estimates of mass change provide a much more representative estimate of regional glacier mass loss than field-based methods as the former approach samples so much more terrain than the latter.
Brian Menounos: Glacier area and mass change in western Canada
Happy summer everyone! My research group studies the processes that control the accumulation and melt of seasonal snow pack and changes in glacier mass in the mountains of western Canada. Key individuals in our MWF group include Postdoctoral Fellow Kriti Muherjee and UNBC faculty member Joseph Shea. One of our primary objectives under MWF is to provide high quality remotely-sensed observations of seasonal snow and glaciers that can be used to improve physically-based models of snow accumulation and snow/ice melt. As part of MWF, we routinely acquire airborne laser data at key locations to measure the depth of the winter snow cover. These data are being used by our MWF collaborators to improve modeling of snow accumulation and melt processes at scales that range from an individual hillside to an entire drainage basin. Our airborne laser campaigns also collect detailed elevation data that can be used to characterize vegetation and changes in its growth over time (Figure 1). Finally, we also fly key glacierized regions such as the Columbia Icefield (Figure 2) twice a year to construct seasonal estimates of glacier mass change for many of the mountain west’s glaciers. These geodetic estimates of mass change provide a much more representative estimate of regional glacier mass loss than field-based methods as the former approach samples so much more terrain than the latter.
Our work is also using 4 m-resolution optical imagery from Planet Laboratories to track the transient snow line on alpine glaciers through time. Datasets derived from this daily imagery will be used to estimate net mass balance for given glacier and validate position of the transient snow line – a diagnostic feature to evaluate the reliability of glacier mass balance models. Ongoing work includes downscaling strategies to drive the next generation, coupled glacier mass balance-ice dynamic models to estimate the magnitude and pattern of ice loss expected for the remainder of this century.
April 2019
Masaki Hayashi: Groundwater reservoirs in alpine headwaters
Winter in Rocky Mountains is very cold, and we do not see rain or snowmelt for several months, yet the rivers coming of the mountains keep the steady flow through winter months. That is important for aquatic creatures in the rivers, and for the people in prairie cities like Calgary and Edmonton, who rely on the rivers for water supply. The same is true for many mountain ranges around the world. So, what keeps these rivers running when there is no input of water by snowmelt and rain? It is the natural reservoir of groundwater (or aquifer), which absorbs water in spring and summer and releases it slowly during cold or dry seasons. Until recently alpine headwater basins with little soil and vegetation were considered “Teflon basins” with no ability to store groundwater. However, over the past decade, researchers around the world have shown that these basins actually have some “sponges”. University of Calgary students in the MWF program are trying to understand where these sponges are located and how they function to maintain the flow of rivers. Jesse He and Ben Roesky are working in the Fortress Ski Area in the Front Range of the Canadian Rockies (photo) to understand the hydrological functions of alpine landforms such as talus and moraine as the “gate keeper” of water in headwater basins. They are also examining how the input of cold groundwater regulates stream temperature and helps maintain the habitat for cold-water species. Laura Beamish is using field data and numerical models to explore the physical processes within talus and moraine. The results of these studies will be used to develop mathematical models to represent groundwater reservoirs in large-scale river basin models used by other MWF researchers to predict the impact of global warming on river flow during low-flow periods.
Winter in Rocky Mountains is very cold, and we do not see rain or snowmelt for several months, yet the rivers coming of the mountains keep the steady flow through winter months. That is important for aquatic creatures in the rivers, and for the people in prairie cities like Calgary and Edmonton, who rely on the rivers for water supply. The same is true for many mountain ranges around the world. So, what keeps these rivers running when there is no input of water by snowmelt and rain? It is the natural reservoir of groundwater (or aquifer), which absorbs water in spring and summer and releases it slowly during cold or dry seasons. Until recently alpine headwater basins with little soil and vegetation were considered “Teflon basins” with no ability to store groundwater. However, over the past decade, researchers around the world have shown that these basins actually have some “sponges”. University of Calgary students in the MWF program are trying to understand where these sponges are located and how they function to maintain the flow of rivers. Jesse He and Ben Roesky are working in the Fortress Ski Area in the Front Range of the Canadian Rockies (photo) to understand the hydrological functions of alpine landforms such as talus and moraine as the “gate keeper” of water in headwater basins. They are also examining how the input of cold groundwater regulates stream temperature and helps maintain the habitat for cold-water species. Laura Beamish is using field data and numerical models to explore the physical processes within talus and moraine. The results of these studies will be used to develop mathematical models to represent groundwater reservoirs in large-scale river basin models used by other MWF researchers to predict the impact of global warming on river flow during low-flow periods.
Darcy Lecture wraps up
Every year, the U.S. National Groundwater Association selects a groundwater scientist to tour around the world and give the Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecture (Darcy is the founder of modern groundwater science). MWF researcher, Masaki Hayashi was selected to serve as the 2018 Darcy Lecturer. He gave a lecture titled “Alpine hydrogeology: The critical role of groundwater in sourcing the headwaters of the world” at 79 locations in 19 countries. The tour started in his home turf of University of Calgary in January 2018 and ended in Madrid, Spain in March 2019. The lecture tour gave him opportunities to interact with hydrologists from around the world and, when he was lucky, visit their alpine hydrology study sites in the Chilean Andes, the New Zealand Alps, the Austrian Alps, and the Spanish Sierra Nevada. He found that findings of MWF studies in the Canadian Rockies are applicable to other alpine regions around the world, and initiated collaboration with the researchers working in some of these sites. For example, a new PhD student from Chile will join the MWF team in September.
Every year, the U.S. National Groundwater Association selects a groundwater scientist to tour around the world and give the Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecture (Darcy is the founder of modern groundwater science). MWF researcher, Masaki Hayashi was selected to serve as the 2018 Darcy Lecturer. He gave a lecture titled “Alpine hydrogeology: The critical role of groundwater in sourcing the headwaters of the world” at 79 locations in 19 countries. The tour started in his home turf of University of Calgary in January 2018 and ended in Madrid, Spain in March 2019. The lecture tour gave him opportunities to interact with hydrologists from around the world and, when he was lucky, visit their alpine hydrology study sites in the Chilean Andes, the New Zealand Alps, the Austrian Alps, and the Spanish Sierra Nevada. He found that findings of MWF studies in the Canadian Rockies are applicable to other alpine regions around the world, and initiated collaboration with the researchers working in some of these sites. For example, a new PhD student from Chile will join the MWF team in September.
March 2019
Julie Theriault: Study of precipitation events and associated snowline using a regional climate model
My contribution to MWF is related to the climatology of precipitation events associated with a transient snowline. Obert Tcheum, a PhD candidate at UQAM, is mainly conducting this research project. The vertical temperature structure, wind speed and the types of precipitation falling through the atmosphere drive the location of the snowline. The snowline is the location where snow starts to melt into rain. The variation of the snowline can produce solid, liquid or their combinations during storms. The type of precipitation at the surface can impact the severity of the storms as, for example, the lowering of the 0°C isotherm can lead to a change from rain to snow at the surface. In this case, precipitation will accumulate at the surface instead of falling directly in rivers.
To address this, we use the WRF 4 km simulations produced at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The 13-year historical and Pseudo Global Warming simulations are used to analyse how storms associated with rain-snow transition in the Canadian Rockies will evolve in the future. As a preliminary analysis, we focused on the year 2012-2013, which is the one associated with the major flooding event in Kananaskis, AB, and Fernie, BC, areas.
Precipitation events were classified based on their duration and type of precipitation. We found that most long duration events (>24 h) are associated with mixed precipitation in Fernie but only rain or only snow events in Kananaskis. Those events are, however, associated with a trace of other types of precipitation, which indicates that all long duration events are associated with mixed precipitation at both locations. This suggests a high variability of the snowline in those areas. The 0°C-isotherm can be a good indicator of the location of the snowline. It was found that it could vary in elevation to up to 1.5 km during one event. More storms will be studied to put in perspective the variation of the 0°C-isotherm during extreme events.
Teaching to Chinese meteorologists in preparation for the 2022 Beijing Olympics
In addition to the research conducted, I was invited last November to give a training course on precipitation type transition to the Chinese Meteorological Administration (CMA) in preparation to the Beijing Olympics Mountain Forecasting Course. I was invited by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) COMET © program. The course was in English and translated simultaneously into Chinese. I taught the different types of precipitation that could be observed in rain-snow boundaries as well as the mechanisms influencing the locations and widths of the boundaries. This was a great learning experience and I was delighted to have the opportunity to share with the Chinese meteorologists my knowledge on precipitation formation mechanisms using models and field measurements.
Participation à l’activité “Les audacieuses”
Le 10 février 2019, le centre des sciences de Montréal et l’UQAM a organisé une activité pour encourager les jeunes filles à étudier en sciences et technologie: Les audacieuses. Pour l’occasion, on m’a invité à donner une entrevue sur le travailleur de chercheur et mon parcours académique afin d’intéresser les jeunes filles aux sciences et technologies. Voici la vidéo : https://tv.uqam.ca/julie-theriault-portrait-dune-femme-inspirante
Pour plus d’information sur l’activité :
https://www.centredessciencesdemontreal.com/evenement-speciaux/sciences-au-f%C3%A9minin-les-audacieuses
My contribution to MWF is related to the climatology of precipitation events associated with a transient snowline. Obert Tcheum, a PhD candidate at UQAM, is mainly conducting this research project. The vertical temperature structure, wind speed and the types of precipitation falling through the atmosphere drive the location of the snowline. The snowline is the location where snow starts to melt into rain. The variation of the snowline can produce solid, liquid or their combinations during storms. The type of precipitation at the surface can impact the severity of the storms as, for example, the lowering of the 0°C isotherm can lead to a change from rain to snow at the surface. In this case, precipitation will accumulate at the surface instead of falling directly in rivers.
To address this, we use the WRF 4 km simulations produced at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The 13-year historical and Pseudo Global Warming simulations are used to analyse how storms associated with rain-snow transition in the Canadian Rockies will evolve in the future. As a preliminary analysis, we focused on the year 2012-2013, which is the one associated with the major flooding event in Kananaskis, AB, and Fernie, BC, areas.
Precipitation events were classified based on their duration and type of precipitation. We found that most long duration events (>24 h) are associated with mixed precipitation in Fernie but only rain or only snow events in Kananaskis. Those events are, however, associated with a trace of other types of precipitation, which indicates that all long duration events are associated with mixed precipitation at both locations. This suggests a high variability of the snowline in those areas. The 0°C-isotherm can be a good indicator of the location of the snowline. It was found that it could vary in elevation to up to 1.5 km during one event. More storms will be studied to put in perspective the variation of the 0°C-isotherm during extreme events.
Teaching to Chinese meteorologists in preparation for the 2022 Beijing Olympics
In addition to the research conducted, I was invited last November to give a training course on precipitation type transition to the Chinese Meteorological Administration (CMA) in preparation to the Beijing Olympics Mountain Forecasting Course. I was invited by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) COMET © program. The course was in English and translated simultaneously into Chinese. I taught the different types of precipitation that could be observed in rain-snow boundaries as well as the mechanisms influencing the locations and widths of the boundaries. This was a great learning experience and I was delighted to have the opportunity to share with the Chinese meteorologists my knowledge on precipitation formation mechanisms using models and field measurements.
Participation à l’activité “Les audacieuses”
Le 10 février 2019, le centre des sciences de Montréal et l’UQAM a organisé une activité pour encourager les jeunes filles à étudier en sciences et technologie: Les audacieuses. Pour l’occasion, on m’a invité à donner une entrevue sur le travailleur de chercheur et mon parcours académique afin d’intéresser les jeunes filles aux sciences et technologies. Voici la vidéo : https://tv.uqam.ca/julie-theriault-portrait-dune-femme-inspirante
Pour plus d’information sur l’activité :
https://www.centredessciencesdemontreal.com/evenement-speciaux/sciences-au-f%C3%A9minin-les-audacieuses