Low temperatures, wind-chill, snow, sea ice, and permafrost have been primary characteristics of Canada's northern and alpine environments during the past two million years. The evolution of Canada's cultural landscapes, the processes of settlement of rural areas, and the present interaction of Canadian industrial society with its biophysical environment are all deeply influenced, directly or indirectly, by the frigidity of the greater part of the country. The phenomenon of global warming, if it occurs, will lessen this coldness, but its impact on temperature extremes, sea ice regimes, vegetation, snow distribution, permafrost, glaciers, lakes, rivers, and mountain hazards are all the subject of intensive research. The Eleven of Canada's geographers, geologists and ecologists provide a readable scientific statement about the physical nature of Canada's coldness in this work. They focus on the distinctive attributes of Canada's cold environments, their temporal and spatial variability, and the constraints that coldness places on human activity.
This book is aimed at environmental scientists at all levels who need informed overviews of the substantive findings on a range of cold-related topics.