Wolf Creek Celebrates 25 Years of Research

In 1992, Wolf Creek Research Basin (WCRB) was established to provide Yukoners with evidence-based science for decision making in the areas of water, climate and the biosphere. Since that time, a rich legacy of research has resulted in WCRB being internationally recognized as a sentinel northern environmental observatory.

On September 28/29, 2017, past and future researchers, alongside collaborators and government partners, met in Whitehorse to celebrate 25 years of research and scientific advancements made at WCRB. The research that has been conducted at Wolf Creek has demonstrably contributed to making Canada a global leader in water research in cold regions.

WCRB has become a highly regarded teaching and learning laboratory where researchers pioneered the first hydrological data-gathering Arctic research drone and developed hydrological models that proved mountains had to be explicitly represented in climate models. In addition to many other ground-breaking scientific findings and advancements, information and data gathered from WCRB are used worldwide to understand and plan for climate change. 

Distinguished researchers involved with the inception of WCRB continue to be involved to this day, including John Pomeroy (University of Saskatchewan), Ric Janowicz (Yukon Environment) and Sean Carey (McMaster University). Looking forward, observations and data from 25 years of research will be the foundation for future research with the pan-Canadian Global Water Futures program and Yukon Government. This research will provide Yukoners and Canadians with a sustainable, healthy and educated way to manage and monitor our freshwater resources.

Information Resources

Information Brochure (1998): The Wolf Creek Research Basin

Information Brochure (2017): The Changing Environment of Western Canada: Sub-Arctic Mountains

Research Site Description: Wolf Creek Research Basin, Yukon Territory, Canada

Key Publications from WCRB

Pomeroy J.W., Hedstrom N.R., Parviainen J., Pomeroy J.W. and Granger R.J. (1999) The Snow Mass Balance of Wolf Creek, Yukon: Effects of Snow Sublimation and Redistribution Wolf Creek Research Basin: Hydrology, Ecology, Environment., pp. 15-30 National Water Research Institute.

Jones H.G. and Pomeroy J.W. (1999) The Ecology of Snow and Snow-covered Systems: Summary and Relevance to Wolf Creek, Yukon, Wolf Creek Research Basin: Hydrology, Ecology, Environment., p. 41640

Janowicz, J. R., Hedstrom, N., Pomeroy, J., Granger, R., & Carey, S. (2004). Wolf Creek Research basin water balance studies. IAHS Publications-Series of Proceedings and Reports290, 195-204.

Quinton, W. L., Carey, S. K., & Goeller, N. T. (2004). Snowmelt runoff from northern alpine tundra hillslopes: major processes and methods of simulationHydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions8(5), 877-890.

Rasouli, K., Pomeroy, J. W., Janowicz, J. R., Carey, S. K., & Williams, T. J. (2014). Hydrological sensitivity of a northern mountain basin to climate change. Hydrological Processes28(14), 4191-4208.

Pomeroy J. (2016) Wolf Creek Research Basin Mountain Views / Mountain Meridian Consortium for Integrated Climate Research in Western Mountains (CIRMOUNT) and Mountain Research Initiative (MRI): 10, pp. 30-31