April 20, 2018
Introduction
In my 18 years living in Calgary, I have experienced relatively dry winters, with cold snaps broken regularly by warm weather. Calgary does not usually get a lot of snow, being in a relatively dry climate, and what little we do get does not last very long as it disappears with each chinooks that brings warm weather over the mountains. I remember as a young child from Edmonton coming to visit my family in Calgary to find brown lawns that did not reflect the White Christmas I was expecting.
Changes in land use due to the expansion of Calgary and changing buffer areas around the city are potentially resulting in pressure changes and more extreme weather patterns in the area. This may be exasperated by increasing global average temperatures causing regional weather pattern changes apparently changes to the jet stream have contributed to this..
References
CBC News. (2018, April 2) Snowfall warnings remain in southern Alberta after extra cold Easter weekend. Retrieved at http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/snowfall-warnings-alberta-easter-monday-1.4602011.
CBC (2018, February 12). If you think winter has been particularly harsh this year — you're right. CBC. Retrieved at: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/think-winter-particularly-harsh-apos-220222229.html
Hughes, J. (2018, March 30). Calgary expecting the coldest Easter weekend since 1940. Global News. Retrieved at: https://globalnews.ca/news/4115949/calgary-expecting-the-coldest-easter-weekend-since-1940/
Shamoun-Baranes, J., Liechti, F., & Vansteelant, W. M. (2017). Atmospheric conditions create freeways, detours and tailbacks for migrating birds. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 203(6-7), 509-529. Retrieved at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00359-017-1181-9
Ward, R. (2018, February 28). February was rough and March won’t be drastically better, climatologist says. CBC News. Retrieved at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/february-march-calgary-weather-environment-canada-1.4555693
White, R. (2018, April 2).Water equivalency of snowpacks in Kananaskis measure slightly above average. CTV News Calgary. https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/water-equivalency-of-snowpacks-in-kananaskis-measure-slightly-above-average-1.3868396
Zaifman, J., Shan, D., Ay, A., & Jimenez, A. G. (2017). Shifts in Bird Migration Timing in North American Long-Distance and Short-Distance Migrants Are Associated with Climate Change. International Journal of Zoology, 2017. Retrieved at: http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ijz/2017/6025646.pdf
