In the heart of the Robson Valley, skirting the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, a diverse range of habitat has captured the attention of scientists studying wetlands and climate change.
In the heart of the Robson Valley, skirting the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, a diverse range of habitat has captured the attention of scientists studying wetlands and climate change.
The rivers and wetlands are supported by the melt of winter snowpack flowing down mountain slopes in the spring. But University of Northern British Columbia Professor Dr. Darwyn Coxson, a leading researcher on biodiversity and conservation of inland temperate rainforest ecosystems in B.C., is starting to notice some unusual trends.
During a normal winter, snow is typically on the ground from the end of October to mid-May. This year and the previous year, however, the snow has melted in early to mid-April.
“Our winters are becoming much warmer and much more unpredictable. That change in the winter and spring climate seems to have occurred very dramatically in the last couple of years,” Coxson says, who is among a team of scientists studying key wetland ecosystems and climate change in the Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park and Protected Area. “It’s certainly very concerning. Having knowledge about what’s happening is the first step towards taking steps to address it.”
Continue reading at University of Northern British Columbia.
Image via University of Northern British Columbia.
