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CLIMATE
VARIABILITY IN
CANADA
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Yesmelin Davis
Daryl Lee
Efrain Santana
Marta Walinska
Arctic ice and temperature
change
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Sea ice in Canada's Arctic and sub-Arctic regions
has been melting rapidly over the past three
decades
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If thinning continues at its current rate, by 2050
the Arctic Ocean could be completely ice-free in
summer
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Environmental monitoring shows that the Arctic is
warming at a rate that is unprecedented over the
past 400 years. The average annual temperature
at Resolute Bay—a meteorological station in the
Arctic archipelago—has increased by 1.3°C since
1969
•
On August 13 2005, a huge section of the isle Ice
Shelf broke off into the Arctic Ocean. The ice island
is approximately 66 square kilometers in size,
roughly the size of 11,000 football fields.
The Effect of Global Warming on
Canada’s Freshwater Supply
 Climate warming will adversely affect Canadian water
quantity and water quality.
• The magnitude and timing of river flows and lake levels and
water renewal times will change.
• Water is rapidly becoming “blue gold” because acute water
problems in the United States and other parts of the world
will threaten Canadian water security due to the growth of
human populations, industries and global warming.
• In poorly buffered lakes and streams, climate warming will
exacerbate the effects of acid precipitation
• Decreases in dissolved organic carbon caused by climate
warming and acidification will cause increased penetration
of ultraviolet radiation in freshwaters
• Increasing industrial, agriculture and human populations
will require more sophisticated and costly water and sewage
treatment (Schindler 2001)
Pine Beetles and Climate Change
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Due to the warming climate, an insect known as the Pine
Beetle has and continues to grow, destroying the pine
population in Canada’s green pine forest
The usually severe winters of 20 degrees below zero that
controlled the population of these beetles, has not
occurred for more than a decade
This beetle’s natural and permanent habitat is in the
warmer climate of Arizona, but the beetles favorite pine
trees is in Canada where the lodge pole pine tree thrives.
(Struck2)
• Some initiatives are already taking place
1)New Trees are being planted (although in some areas
these trees can take up to 70 years to grow)
2) A new breed of tree is being developed to withstand
warmer temperature (Markusoff
3) Companies like Pherotech Inc are creating new pest
managements to destroy insects like these beetles that
are rapidly growing because of the warming climate
The Pine
Beetle
The pine beetle has infested an area
three times the size of Maryland”
(Struck 1)
From this climate to
this one
Economic Impact of Climate
Variability
Two ways to deal with the negative
impact of climate change
 Mitigation – acting to slow down the
warming trend by reducing the greenhouse
gas (GHS) emissions
 Adaptation – taking action to minimize the
negative impact of climate change
Today most of Canada’s domestic actions on
climate change have focused on mitigation