The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released their Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) highlighting the urgency to act in a timely, ambitious and coordinated action to address the severe impacts of climate change on oceans and the cryosphere, the frozen part of the planet. More than 100 experts from 36 countries contributed to the report, which drew on the results of about 7,000 scientific studies. All…

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At the 46th session of the IPCC in Montreal in September 2017, the outline for the IPCC Working Group II contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) was approved, including a Cross-Chapter Paper on Mountains. This chapter will synthesize available literature about climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability in mountain environments and communities, and has led to requests for submissions of relevant articles from mountain researchers globally. In an effort to increase the representation of…

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Mountains make up one-quarter of Canada’s land-mass and are home to unique ecosystems and iconic wildlife, such as grizzly bears, caribou, mountains goats and sheep. Mountain regions are also the traditional homelands of Indigenous Peoples and the sites of many cultures and traditions. Mountains are highly vulnerable ecosystems that provide important resources, such as freshwater and timber, to more than half the world’s population. Mountain systems face unique and unprecedented threats to their sustainability, which…

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Science Magazine recently released a special issue on mountains exploring the latest research related to climate change, biodiversity, mountain peoples and alpine rivers. The Canadian Mountain Network is a proud member of the United Nations (UN) Mountain Partnership and the Partnership’s Coordinator Yuka Makino is the lead author of one article in the issue. The Mountain Partnership is a UN voluntary alliance dedicated to improving the lives of mountain peoples and protecting mountain environments around…

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The Canadian Mountain Network (CMN) is seeking nominations for the inaugural Research Management Committee (RMC), who will be helping CMN develop a detailed research agenda and policies. Other responsibilities include reviewing and recommending research projects for funding, as well as monitoring progress of network research projects. Deadline – Tuesday September 17 at 5pmPT Application Option #1 – Nominate Yourself Email asykes@ualberta.ca with your resume or CV (no specified format) and a Microsoft Word document with…

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As global temperatures rise, mountain glaciers and ice patches are melting at a rapid pace in Canada’s North. In the Yukon and Northwest Territories, snow accumulates and forms permanent ice patches on the northern sides of some mountains. As alpine ice patches melt, the leftover belongings of the North’s first inhabitants are emerging after hundreds and even thousands of years. Mackenzie Mountains Researchers and local Indigenous groups are racing to save these hunting artifacts before…

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For 10,000 years, plains bison ran wild in Alberta’s Banff area. European settlers nearly eradicated the species due to overhunting, causing the extinction of bison in Banff National Park for the past 170 years. Last summer, 31 plains bison were released into a section of the park as part of a pilot re-introduction project. One year later, the herd has grown and is thriving. The herd’s effects on the environment can already be seen: they…

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Mountains make up one-quarter of Canada’s land-mass, and most are in British Columbia (BC). As our population continues to grow, mountain ecosystems face unprecedented threats to their sustainability, including climate change impacts, biodiversity loss and lack of water. All relate to human impacts and our relationship to the natural environment. What will our mountains look like 100 years from now? Vancouver Island University researchers are studying both past data and future projections over 100 years…

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University of Alberta biologist Rolf Vinebrooke and postdoctoral fellow and former Canadian Mountain Network (CMN) intern Charlie Loewen are studying impacts of climate change on mountain lakes across North America. This new article details their research on zooplankton as indicators of the health of mountain lakes and the effects of climate change on aquatic ecosystems. Zooplankton Vinebrooke and Loewen conducted statistical analyses on 30 years’ worth of complex, fine-scale environmental data from more than 1,200 lakes…

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Canadian Mountain Network Co-Research Director Norma Kassi is helping indigenous communities ensure they are actively involved in scientific research in Canada’s North. In her recent interview in Up Here Magazine, she states, “Now our approach is: nothing about us will be without us.” Norma was raised in Old Crow, the northernmost community in Yukon. As a member of the Vuntut Gwich’in First Nation and the Wolf Clan, local traditional knowledge was passed down to her from a…

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