The weather in Alberta and particularly the area of Canmore is normally moderately cool in the summer with typical daytime temperatures reaching an average high temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. (Town of Canmore, 2021) The months of June and July, 2021 however were noticeably hotter- setting records for the region and reaching into the high 30’s and in some areas the 40 degree Celsius range.(Ellis,2021).
In Alberta, Environment Canada noted that at least 38 records were broken due to the high temperatures including the Bow Valley area (Canmore). Man made infrastructure such as sidewalks and picnic tables in various areas of Alberta were also damaged by the heat as they are typically designed for Alberta’s cooler climate (Gilligan, 2021; CBC, 2021)
While this heat was noticeable in Alberta, these conditions were also experienced by other regions of Western Canada and the United States affecting farmers’ crops (Weisner,2021) and baking coastal creatures such as crabs and barnacles.(Baker, 2021) The sustained high temperatures also prompted emergency alerts due to concerns with energy consumption and blackouts due to increased use of systems such as air conditioning.(Johnson, 2021) Representatives from Environment Canada as a result called these conditions unprecedented.(Lachacz, 2021)
While seasonal fluctuation is normal, there is evidence that this region is being strongly affected by climate change. (Alpine club of Canada, 2018) The Municipality of Canmore’s Climate Change Adaptation Background Report and Resilience Plan (2016) shows that there has been a warming trend that is moving faster than the global average with the average annual temperature of the Bow Valley increasing by about +1.5 degrees C since the early 1900s. It projects that the Bow Valley will see a rise in 4.7 degrees C by the 2050’s.
Based on the most recent report from the IPCC, it has become more clear that human activities have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere contributing to global warming at an alarming and increasing rate. It further states that as a result, climate change is affecting many weather and climate extremes and that “it is virtually certain that hot extremes (including heatwaves) have become more and more frequent.” (IPCC, 2021)
Mountain regions are often called “sentinels of change” as any change to climate will be experienced more profoundly and carry “broad consequences across the natural environment, including for the extent of glaciers, winter snowpack, streamflow, wildfires and forest pests, and regional ecosystems” (Town of Canmore, 2016; Alpine Club of Canada, 2018)
Given the dependency of the people living in the Bow valley and Calgary region on the stability of temperatures and climate, particularly of the watershed in this region (Figure 2) any changes in climate have the potential to be disastrous.
References
Alberta Water Portal Society (2021, January 26) Climate Change in the Bow River Basin https://albertawater.com/climate-change-in-the-bow-basin
Alpine Club of Canada, State of the Mountains report, Volume 1, May 2018, https://www.stateofthemountains.ca/reports
Baker, R. (2021), A billion tidal creatures likely baked to death in B.C. heat wave, National Observer, https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/07/08/news/billion-tidal-creatures-baked-to-death-bc-heat-wave
Canadian Geoscience Education Network (2021), Waterscape- Bow River Basin, https://www.cgenarchive.org/bow-river-watercycle.html
CBC News (2021, July 3) Alberta infrastructure bends and buckles under heat wave, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-infrastructure-bends-and-buckles-under-heat-wave-1.6088714
Ellis, C. (2021) Banff, Canmore set highest temperatures in their recorded history, St. Albert Today, https://www.stalberttoday.ca/beyond-local/banff-canmore-set-highest-temperatures-in-their-recorded-history-4188264
Gilligan, Melissa (2021,June 30) 38 record highs set in Alberta Tuesday as historic heat wave continues, Global News, https://globalnews.ca/news/7992561/alberta-record-high-temperatures-june-29/
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2021) Summary for Policymakers, https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM.pdf
Johnson, L. (2021) Albertans asked to conserve energy as province breaks record second day in a row amid heat wave, Edmonton Journal, https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/alberta-set-to-break-summer-energy-record-for-second-day-in-a-row-amid-heat-wave
Lachacz, A. (2021) Prolonged, dangerous, and potentially historic heat wave envelops Alberta, CTV News https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/prolonged-dangerous-and-potentially-historic-heat-wave-envelops-alberta-1.5487190
Town of Canmore (2016), Climate Change Adaptation Background Report and Resilience Plan https://canmore.ca/documents/1040-town-of-canmore-climate-change-adaptation-background-report-and-resilience-plan-2016
Town of Canmore, Wildlife and climate, https://canmore.ca/residents/about-canmore/wildlife-climate
Weisner, J. (2021), Alberta farmers assessing impacts of summer heat wave on crops, animals, Global News, https://globalnews.ca/news/8007273/alberta-summer-heat-wave-farmers/
Observations From Members 