UNBC scientists monitor impacts of climate change on local wetlands
-
Share on Facebook
-
Share on Twitter
- Copy Link
PRINCE GEORGE– UNBC scientists are discovering “concerning” and “exciting” new facts about wetlands in the heart of the Robson Valley.
Dr. Darwyn Coxson a leading researcher on biodiversity and conservation of inland temperate rainforest ecosystems in BC says he is starting to notice some unusual trends. He says snow is melting earlier, and earlier in recent years, “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 it is concerning to see the changes he has seen, but that “having knowledge about what’s happening is the first step towards taking steps to address it.” Scientists are predicting warmer and dryer conditions in wetlands, particularly in the winter. Coxson says that he hopes the project, which has studied portions of the Ancient Forest and has 28 ecological monitoring sites which were established in wetlands and subplots in larger wetlands, will help researchers understand the resilience of wetlands in the face of climate change.
“It’s been quite exciting. We’re finding a lot of range expansion for plants that previously were not known in B.C. or perhaps only known on the coast,” Coxson says, who teaches in the Ecosystem Science and Management Program.
