The Narwhal - Water determines the Great Lakes Region’s economic future
This recent article from The Canadian Press offers a look at how prolonged drought is taking a severe toll on farmers across southwest Saskatchewan and other parts of the Canadian Prairies. Quinton Jacksteit, a farmer and reeve near Golden Prairie, says 2024 marks the ninth consecutive year his land has suffered from drought. With crops too short to yield a harvest, many like him are salvaging what they can as animal feed, while some multi-generational farms may not survive another season.
The Canadian Press – 'Everything is dying': Prairie farmers, crops struggling with yearly droughts
This recent article from The Canadian Press offers a look at how prolonged drought is taking a severe toll on farmers across southwest Saskatchewan and other parts of the Canadian Prairies. Quinton Jacksteit, a farmer and reeve near Golden Prairie, says 2024 marks the ninth consecutive year his land has suffered from drought. With crops too short to yield a harvest, many like him are salvaging what they can as animal feed, while some multi-generational farms may not survive another season.
The Canadian Press – Signs of drought in B.C.'s latest snow, water supply bulletin
This new article published in The Canadian Press covers British Columbia’s most recent snow survey and water supply bulletin, which painted a concerning picture: despite a slight improvement in snowpack levels in March, the province remains at heightened risk of drought heading into spring and summer 2025. As of early April, the average snowpack is just 79% of normal— up from 63% on April 1, 2024, but still well below historical averages.
CityNews – Flooding reported in Toronto and parts of GTA following messy wintry storm
This new article published in CityNews Toronto covers the powerful wintry storm that swept through much of Ontario the week of April 3, bringing a chaotic mix of snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, and heavy rainfall— leading to localized flooding in Toronto and parts of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). While freezing rain and rainfall warnings have now been lifted, the storm’s effects are still being felt across the region.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT – Spatial Datasets of 30-year (1991-2020) Average Monthly Total Precipitation and Minimum/Maximum Temperature for Canada and the United States
This study, led by researchers utilizing thin plate smoothing spline models, examines 30-year (1991-2020) average monthly total precipitation and minimum/maximum temperature datasets for Canada and the United States.
Opening the doors to discovery
Aquanty climate scientist Andre Erler is eager for the results from Canada1Water’s simulations — and just as excited to see what other researchers do with them once they’re publicly available.
What does a wildfire cost?
By the end of summer 2023, Canada had lost a record 13.7 million hectares of land to wildfires. Dan McKenney and Emily Hope of the Canadian Forest Service explain how C1W data is helping shed light on the true costs of wildfires and informing new fire management approaches.
Canada1Water: 2023 Progress Report
The Canada1Water continues to make steady progress toward our goal of providing Canadians with a comprehensive data/modelling framework and decision support system to evaluate the sustainability of water resources under a changing climate. The 2023 Progress Meeting and Summary Report provides a comprehensive overview of project progress up to June 2023.
The Water Institute - Baseflow trends across Canada: The impact of climate change
This recent article in The Water Institute’s newsletter - WaterResearch - highlights a statistical analysis of baseflow trends to streams and rivers across Canada. The results of this work can inform water resources management by identifying the direction of change in groundwater availability across Canada and regions where interventions may be necessary.
“Irreducibly unpredictable”
The climate is such a vast and complex system that it generates a lot of ‘noise’, making it hard to distinguish patterns and trends. By developing more precise models for Canada1Water, Senior Climate Scientist Andre Erler and his colleagues hope to bring newfound clarity to Canada’s climate picture — and solve some enduring puzzles.
phys.org - New review of world water resources provides sustainable management strategies
This article highlights a new study, published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, which looks at worldwide water management. Surface water and groundwater are interconnected but often managed separately, we must consider them as one resource so that neither gets depleted. This study took data from satellites, climate models, monitoring networks, and many scientific papers to investigate water management strategies and tied in the sustainability component.
CBC News - Red River expected to spill its banks in Manitoba this spring as flood outlook worsens
This article in CBC News highlights the possible flood danger to Manitoba communities along the Red River. The Red River originates at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, flows northward through the Red River Valley and into Manitoba. It empties into Lake Winnipeg, whose waters join the Nelson River and ultimately flow into Hudson Bay. With heavier snowstorms south of the border this winter, the flood risk is increased.
Canada1Water: 2022 Progress Report
The Canada1Water project has reached the midpoint of its three-year project . This progress report covers model development updates as well as a review on engagement and outreach with project stakeholders.
The Guardian – Global fresh water demand will outstrip supply by 40% by 2030, say experts
This article in The Guardian highlights a new study which investigates global freshwater supply. It is expected that demand for water will exceed supply by 40% by the end of this decade. Governments need to be more mindful of where they are allocating water supply, especially in the agriculture and mining industries. The economics of water are being discussed more in-depth by governments across the world as this crisis worsens.
Nature Climate Change - Large sinuous rivers are slowing down in a warming Arctic
A new study has found that river migration in the Arctic will be significantly less than originally thought. This can be attributed to new vegetation growth, meaning less erosion. Although the Canada1Water project won’t have these impact assessment capabilities at its first release, the team is hoping it can be used for studies like this in the future.