Dery’s work yields Research Chair
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PRINCE GEORGE – UNBC’s Dr. Stephen Dery has been named the first-ever Research Chair in Climate Change and Water Security. It builds on 15 years of work that he has been doing in the Nechako watershed. It will also “make use of the latest technology and state-of-the-art numerical models in advancing our knowledge on the impacts of climate change on water security in the Nechako watershed.”
The work is unique in that it will look at the entire Nechako watershed, which is the size of Switzerland and has two distinct water systems that flow into the Nechako River. The Nechako system is managed with a dam controlled by Rio Tinto and the other is the Stuart system, which is not.
“So now we can compare what’s happening in terms of the hydrology of a regulated system, plus climate change, versus the Stuart and the Nautley, which are not regulated but are impacted by climate change.” He says his work will also take into consideration the impacts of wildfires on the watershed, amongst other things. The work comes with the help of $1.5 million dollars, half of which comes from a partner, Rio Tinto.
“This partnership will build on Rio Tinto’s long-standing support for the UNBC and commitment to managing the Nechako watershed responsibly,” said Rio Tinto BC Works general manager Affonso Bizon. “We share UNBC’s commitment to advancing education and research in the region, and look forward to seeing the findings from this work to build on our environmental management program for the Nechako.”
