Providing Regional Climate Services to British Columbia

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New PCIC Science Brief

PCIC is pleased to announce the release of our next PCIC Science Brief. The new Science Brief examines trends in Canadian snow cover and depth. As the climate warms, the Earth's cryosphere, comprised of snow, ice and frozen soil, including permafrost, has been shrinking. Changes in snow cover, depth and the timing of snow melt can have impacts on ecosystems and human communities. Data on snow cover and depth is used to identify historical trends and provides a baseline with which to compare projected future changes. This Science Brief covers research published in Atmosphere-Ocean that examines trends in snow cover as measured at observing stations by ruler and sonic sensors, looking at how snow cover has changed over the 1955-2017 period and comparing the two methods of measurement. We discuss what these results tell us about snow cover and snow depth in Canada's changing climate.

Read the new Science Brief.