Northern Water Futures (NWF) is a Northwest Territories-focused consortium of knowledge producers, mobilizers and users from communities, government, industry, non-governmental organizations and universities, working collaboratively to understand, predict and address the impacts of climate change and industrial expansion on shared water resources across the NWT.
Blogposts and news updates from the Northern Water Futures project.
Every Friday, Northern Water Futures will feature a researcher!
Climate warming-induced changes to precipitation, ice/snow cover, permafrost, river and stream flows, and lake levels severely challenge our ability to predict the future of northern water resources. Northern Water Futures will synthesize existing data; initiate innovative, targeted interdisciplinary studies; develop new monitoring capacity including new monitoring tools; and apply novel technologies for monitoring and predicting changes to ecosystems and water resources.
The development of energy resources within the Northwest Territories (NWT) provides the simultaneous opportunities of enhancing economic prosperity and energy security. Northern Water Futures will address the major challenges facing energy stakeholders and concerned communities pertaining to climate warming and the uncertainty concerning the ability of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to support these activities.
Partners have identified the need to better understanding how climate change will affect the safety and security of drinking water and traditional foods. Northern Water Futures will construct mechanisms of interaction and knowledge sharing that ensure communities can draw on scientific data in ways that support their own needs and decision-making processes to enhance community health and well-being.
Climate warming directly challenges the functioning of existing and new infrastructure. Northern Water Futures will develop the tools to improve regional climate change predictions such as extreme flows and terrain sensitivity in order to construct and maintain safe, reliable and cost-effective infrastructure for the 21st century.
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