The Cowichan Valley Naturalists' Society

The Cowichan Valley Naturalists' Society (http://www.naturecowichan.net/CVNS/) will host a presentation by Dr. Geoff Strong, Atmospheric Scientist and Co-Chair of CERCA titled “Precipitation Measurement, Variability, and Climate Change Impacts” at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, October 20th at the Vancouver Island Trout Hatchery,1080 Wharncliffe Road, Duncan, B.C. Visitors are welcome. A brief description of the presentation follows:

Precipitation Measurement, Variability, and Climate Change Impacts

Cowichan Valley has experienced severe summer water shortages in recent years. The problem is not so much the amount of precipitation we receive annually, but how it is distributed during the year and throughout our river basins, factors necessary to resolving the existing local problem of water storage.

This presentation will examine the variability of precipitation annually and spatially over different types of terrain. It will also address the measurement and accuracy of precipitation data, its quantification over regions like Cowichan Valley, and how individuals can contribute to improving this.

The presentation then provides some insight into how our changing climate is complicating all of this, and why some regions, both nationally and globally, are being affected far more than others. Finally, we consider how all of this connects closely to many of today’s global problems, including recent refugee situations in Africa and Syria.