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post-glacial Canada   CLIMATE CHANGE GEOSCIENCE
                                                  Great Lakes
                      PALEOCLIMATE
ice cores                                             sea ice
Observation
“ The hills look like sawdust, really, that colour.
                          I've never seen it where the grass didn't turn
                          green in the spring before.”



                                                         JERRY MURPHY
                                                            Elnora, Alberta
source: Globe and Mail, 1 July 2009
Historical climate observations at the Environment Canada archives in Toronto
Direct observations provide a critical but short-sighted perspective on recent changes
CLIMATE HISTORY OF CANADA
                    Younger           Demise of Laurentide
                     Dryas                 Ice Sheet

    20         16     12             8            4               0

                                                                      THOUSANDS OF
                                                                      YEARS AGO




                               Final Drainage
                              of Lake Agassiz
LAST GLACIAL                                                   MODERN
  MAXIMUM                                                    OBSERVATIONS
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
                 ice cores
                tree rings
             sand dunes
         relic shorelines
            macrofossils
“Jack's a
paleoclimatologist,
    and I have
absolutely no idea
 what he's up to.”

The Day After Tomorrow, 2004
SCIENCE PARTNER
Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change
post-glacial Canada   CLIMATE CHANGE GEOSCIENCE
                                                  Great Lakes
                      PALEOCLIMATE
ice cores                                             sea ice
C A N A D A A F T E R GLACIATION
Art Dyke documenting whale remains 23 metres above sea level in the central Canadian Arctic
“   Resolving the timing of regional variability in
    ice-sheet maxima is also important for
    understanding ice-sheet sensitivity to regional
    and global climate change, as well as in
    establishing ice-sheet–climate feedbacks.
                                              ”
                                         Science
                                     August 2009
PEARLS UNSTRUNG
PEARLS UNSTRUNG?
How will climate change affect Canada’s Great Lakes?
Michael Lewis
 GSC Atlantic
EOS
December 2008
“   In the last decade or so, scientists have
    uncovered clues that the water level in Lake
    Erie — and indeed, the levels in at least
    some of the other Great Lakes — fell well
    below all natural outlets, rendering those

                                  ”
    lakes isolated bodies of water.


                                  Science News
                                  August 2009
23
Artist’s rendition of Niagara Falls, circa 8,000 yr B.P.
H I S TO RY F R O Z E N I N ICE
Members of the GSC Glaciology group
High-altitude expeditions show how Canada’s Arctic has responded to past climate change
James Zheng processes an ice core from the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling project
The Greenland Ice Sheet holds ca. 7 metres of sea-level equivalent
Fritz Koerner and David Fisher coring at the Agassiz Ice Cap on Ellesmere Island
“   State-of-the-art ice sheet models are generally
    found to be underestimating the extent and
    changes in GIS elevation and area; our findings
    may help to improve the ability of models to
    reproduce the GIS response to Holocene
    climate.
            ”
                                              Nature
                                      September 2009


                    SCIENCE PARTNER
                    University of Copenhagen
S E A I C E IN THE ARCTIC
The North-West Passage
Maximum sea ice extent
                                                                          September 2009




                                         median sea ice extent
                                         1979-2009




source: National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado
The remains of bowhead whales provide clues about past changes in sea ice conditions
Estimates of sea-ice extent in the Canadian Arctic during the last 10,000 years
“   Historical records indicate that Arctic sea-ice
    extent has been declining since the late 19th
    century. Although this decline was
    accompanied by multidecadal oscillations, the
    accelerated ice loss during the last several
    decades lead to conditions not documented in

                                        ”
    at least the last few thousand years.

                      Quaternary Science Reviews
                                     in the press
SCIENCE PARTNER
United States
Geological Survey
L E S S O N S F R O M THE PAST
PALEOCLIMATE
✓ shows us how critical landscapes and natural resources
  have been affected by climate change in the past

✓ gives us a broader perspective on contemporary
  environmental and resource issues

✓ provides a major contribution to international initiatives
  that assess the dynamics of the global climate system

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CCG Paleoclimate

  • 1. post-glacial Canada CLIMATE CHANGE GEOSCIENCE Great Lakes PALEOCLIMATE ice cores sea ice
  • 3. “ The hills look like sawdust, really, that colour. I've never seen it where the grass didn't turn green in the spring before.” JERRY MURPHY Elnora, Alberta source: Globe and Mail, 1 July 2009
  • 4. Historical climate observations at the Environment Canada archives in Toronto
  • 5. Direct observations provide a critical but short-sighted perspective on recent changes
  • 6. CLIMATE HISTORY OF CANADA Younger Demise of Laurentide Dryas Ice Sheet 20 16 12 8 4 0 THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO Final Drainage of Lake Agassiz LAST GLACIAL MODERN MAXIMUM OBSERVATIONS
  • 7.
  • 8. PALEOCLIMATOLOGY ice cores tree rings sand dunes relic shorelines macrofossils
  • 9.
  • 10. “Jack's a paleoclimatologist, and I have absolutely no idea what he's up to.” The Day After Tomorrow, 2004
  • 12. post-glacial Canada CLIMATE CHANGE GEOSCIENCE Great Lakes PALEOCLIMATE ice cores sea ice
  • 13. C A N A D A A F T E R GLACIATION
  • 14. Art Dyke documenting whale remains 23 metres above sea level in the central Canadian Arctic
  • 15.
  • 16. Resolving the timing of regional variability in ice-sheet maxima is also important for understanding ice-sheet sensitivity to regional and global climate change, as well as in establishing ice-sheet–climate feedbacks. ” Science August 2009
  • 18. PEARLS UNSTRUNG? How will climate change affect Canada’s Great Lakes?
  • 19. Michael Lewis GSC Atlantic
  • 21.
  • 22. In the last decade or so, scientists have uncovered clues that the water level in Lake Erie — and indeed, the levels in at least some of the other Great Lakes — fell well below all natural outlets, rendering those ” lakes isolated bodies of water. Science News August 2009
  • 23. 23
  • 24. Artist’s rendition of Niagara Falls, circa 8,000 yr B.P.
  • 25. H I S TO RY F R O Z E N I N ICE
  • 26. Members of the GSC Glaciology group
  • 27. High-altitude expeditions show how Canada’s Arctic has responded to past climate change
  • 28. James Zheng processes an ice core from the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling project
  • 29.
  • 30. The Greenland Ice Sheet holds ca. 7 metres of sea-level equivalent
  • 31. Fritz Koerner and David Fisher coring at the Agassiz Ice Cap on Ellesmere Island
  • 32.
  • 33. State-of-the-art ice sheet models are generally found to be underestimating the extent and changes in GIS elevation and area; our findings may help to improve the ability of models to reproduce the GIS response to Holocene climate. ” Nature September 2009 SCIENCE PARTNER University of Copenhagen
  • 34. S E A I C E IN THE ARCTIC
  • 36. Maximum sea ice extent September 2009 median sea ice extent 1979-2009 source: National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado
  • 37. The remains of bowhead whales provide clues about past changes in sea ice conditions
  • 38. Estimates of sea-ice extent in the Canadian Arctic during the last 10,000 years
  • 39. Historical records indicate that Arctic sea-ice extent has been declining since the late 19th century. Although this decline was accompanied by multidecadal oscillations, the accelerated ice loss during the last several decades lead to conditions not documented in ” at least the last few thousand years. Quaternary Science Reviews in the press
  • 41. L E S S O N S F R O M THE PAST
  • 42.
  • 43. PALEOCLIMATE ✓ shows us how critical landscapes and natural resources have been affected by climate change in the past ✓ gives us a broader perspective on contemporary environmental and resource issues ✓ provides a major contribution to international initiatives that assess the dynamics of the global climate system