hockeyfan1
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Called the "Amazon of the North", and stretching 1.8 million square kilometers, the MacKenzie River Basin is one of the most important ecosystems that we have on this planet, not only for Canada but for the world...
The watershed is three times the size of France, stretching through B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, yet it became evident over several days of meetings that it is the least studied and monitored in the world, said Dr. Henry Vaux, chairman of the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, a California-based think-tank that organized the panel in Vancouver.
...the committee affirmed the global significance of the Mackenzie River basin, which has been described as a massive air conditioning system for the Earth.
At a time when climate change and global warming make daily headlines, there are "worrisome" trends in the basin, he said.
"The benefits that flow from that river basin accrue not just to Canadians and not just to North Americans but to people throughout the western hemisphere and around the globe," Vaux said Friday, at the conclusion of the meeting.
The basin includes the Peace and Liard rivers in northern British Columbia, the South Nahanni and Peel rivers in the Yukon, and the Hay and Athabasca rivers in Alberta, all of which feed the 1,800-kilometre Mackenzie River.
It covers a staggering 1.8 million square kilometres of land, and takes in Great Slave, Great Bear and Athabasca lakes. And it falls into six different government jurisdictions in Canada. Experts say the lack of an overall management plan poses the greatest risk.
The Mackenize basin has a direct impact on the formation of sea ice and fresh water flow into the Arctic Ocean. It is an international waypoint for migratory birds from around the globe, and it provides climate stability for the continent and likely beyond.
The basin that covers 20 per cent of Canada's land mass is also rich in natural resources that include pristine forests and vast deposits of oil, oil sands, natural gas and minerals. The potential for resource development is immense.
For the rest of the article, go to:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2012/09/10/science-amazon-of-the-north.html
The watershed is three times the size of France, stretching through B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, yet it became evident over several days of meetings that it is the least studied and monitored in the world, said Dr. Henry Vaux, chairman of the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, a California-based think-tank that organized the panel in Vancouver.
...the committee affirmed the global significance of the Mackenzie River basin, which has been described as a massive air conditioning system for the Earth.
At a time when climate change and global warming make daily headlines, there are "worrisome" trends in the basin, he said.
"The benefits that flow from that river basin accrue not just to Canadians and not just to North Americans but to people throughout the western hemisphere and around the globe," Vaux said Friday, at the conclusion of the meeting.
The basin includes the Peace and Liard rivers in northern British Columbia, the South Nahanni and Peel rivers in the Yukon, and the Hay and Athabasca rivers in Alberta, all of which feed the 1,800-kilometre Mackenzie River.
It covers a staggering 1.8 million square kilometres of land, and takes in Great Slave, Great Bear and Athabasca lakes. And it falls into six different government jurisdictions in Canada. Experts say the lack of an overall management plan poses the greatest risk.
The Mackenize basin has a direct impact on the formation of sea ice and fresh water flow into the Arctic Ocean. It is an international waypoint for migratory birds from around the globe, and it provides climate stability for the continent and likely beyond.
The basin that covers 20 per cent of Canada's land mass is also rich in natural resources that include pristine forests and vast deposits of oil, oil sands, natural gas and minerals. The potential for resource development is immense.
For the rest of the article, go to:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2012/09/10/science-amazon-of-the-north.html
