Funding being provided to researchers studying Nechako River Basin

UNBC researchers have received $1 million to fund the next five years of continued study surrounding the Nechako River Basin.

This will go to phase two of the research, which secured money back in 2014 from the Nechako Environmental Enhancement Fund(NEEF) and Rio Tinto.

In phase one, four UNBC professors examined the impacts of climate change and water security, sediment sources and dynamics, and developed tools to help inform integrated understanding and decision-making in the watershed.

The next stage will focus on areas researchers didn’t get two in the first half.

“The water temperature component is quite new, so that’s a major development. The watershed hydrological model that we’re applying, so, we did not apply any model in the first phase of activity,” says Northern Hydrometeorology Stephen Déry.

On top of understanding the issues surrounding the Nechako River Basin, most of the funds will go to supporting research trainees.

“Students, undergraduates, field assistants, they are really an integral part of our research, so, they do a lot of hard work from data analysis and the field work, which help them develop and address important research questions.”

Dr. Déry and his students are studying climate change and water security. During the first research phase, overall means and recent changes in air temperature, precipitation and runoff were compiled for the Nechako River basin and its main tributary sub-basins.

The funding for phase two will span from 2018 until 2022.