Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jun 20/01) - Rising temperatures in the North are usually blamed on global warming associated with fossil-fuel combustion.
But studies of the Mackenzie River Basin show that warmer air in the region can also result from something called "the pineapple effect," a natural phenomenon that occurs when air blows north from the tropics.
"Climate variability is often mistaken for climate change," said Ming-ko Woo, a McMaster University hydrologist and the principal investigator of a 10-year study of the Mackenzie River Basin. "We need to make sure we have the right information so we can make the right decisions."
Until recently, little was known about the region, which includes parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and most of the NWT.
Scientists have just completed the first phase of the study, funded largely by Environment Canada, in hopes of better understanding the links between climate and river resources in the area.
At a public forum Friday following a two-day scientific conference exploring the state of knowledge on the climate of the Mackenzie Basin, Woo was reluctant to make any sweeping statements about global climate change.
But 30 people who attended the meeting wanted more concrete answers.
Bruce Division, a student from McMaster University, asked if people are responsible for global warming.
Jesse Jasper, head of Environment Canada's atmospheric and hydrologic division in the North and one of 60 scientists involved in the study, said he believes carbon-dioxide emissions from fossil-fuels are causing warmer temperatures.
"I mean, at some point, how intelligent do you have to be to make the connection?" he asked.
The fact is that air temperatures in the Mackenzie River Basin have risen by 1.5 C over the past 40 years.
If the trend continues, scientists are predicting longer summers and ice-free periods on NWT lakes, resulting in shipping problems.
Global warming would also cause more forest fires, increase winter fog and disrupt the migratory patterns of wildlife.
More complete answers will have to wait until completion of the second phase of the study in five years.
