Caroline Aubry-Wake

It’s NSERC PhD season!
If you’re :
➡️ finishing an MSc (or supervising someone who is)
➡️ looking for a PhD in 2026
➡️ into mountain hydrology (glaciers, snow, groundwater)
Let’s chat! 🎉

Happy to support curious and keen applicants as a potential advisor 😄

www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etu...

Smiling women in a pink tshirt showcasing her office door with her name on it, being extremely happy about it.

I signed my contract for U. Lethbridge in Dec. 2023. This was coming for a while... But I am still so freaking excited (and fully embracing this pocket of joy amongst the burning fires of the world).

Special shout-out to my 2011 undergrad self who was so nervous to go knock on a prof's door.

A smiling woman wearing a white and green shirt stands in an empty office with a window overlooking a field and a blue sky, with a single laptop on top of a desk and empty bookshelves.

First day back in the office today! After a year of maternity leave, I'm psyched to get back into science - now as a tenured-track prof in geography at U. Lethbridge

So much to catch up on before the semester starts! Decorating/organizing my new office is not urgent, but will take priority anyway 😊

Orthoimage of the Columbia Icefield from last September acquired from the @unbc @hakai Airborne Coastal Observatory

A shout out to the @hakai.org ACO team for their work in helping us understand the magnitude of glacier mass loss in western Canada in a study published today.

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

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We are alarmed by the Administration’s actions to freeze science funding and eliminate DEI efforts and climate change initiatives, which go against AGU’s mission and harms our members. We must unite to address these changes, beginning by hearing from you.

Read more: https://buff.ly/4hm8r4e

Nope nope nope. Terrible idea. Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's good. Water can get contaminated by so many things out in the wild and wrench havoc on our human bodies.

‘It’s a catastrophe’: Southern Alberta’s ag industry concerned over potential coal mining pollution Pushback continues to mount over possible coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, with the latest being a letter penned to the provincial government over the impact coal mining could...

“‘are they prepared to sacrifice a multi-billion-dollar food industry for a coal mine?’”

With southern Alberta known as the province’s heart of agriculture, roughly $14 billion in products are exported every year”

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/leth...

Alberta rescinds coal development ban for foothills of the Rocky Mountains Energy Minister Brian Jean said in a letter to the Alberta Energy Regulator that he was rescinding ministerial orders which directed the agency to suspend approvals and refuse new applications for coa...

When everyone was looking at the USA, Alberta quietly scrapped a series of ministerial orders that banned coal development in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains: www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art... #cndpoli #abpoli

I use a pair of rolled socks. Maybe in a big stuff sack (like a big duffel?) and shake it around a bunch?

Trans, intersex, and queer people will always exist because humans are biological creatures and biology - inevitably and always - creates variability and diversity.

If there is any “biological truth,” it’s that a biological system will never conform to the strictures of human machinations.

These devastating fires in LA are climate change in action. More than 80% of the county is under drought, and when hurricane force winds hit dry land, they ignite. As @katharinehayhoe.com says, we are experiencing global weirding.

Yes, Climate Change is Raising the Risks—and Stakes—of Extreme Wildfires Rising temperatures, parched forests, and shifting precipitation patterns are fueling severe wildfires with unprecedented impacts. There is still time to act.

Climate change is creating warmer, drier conditions that cause fire seasons in some regions like western North America to last longer and be more active. Read more:

A woman in a blue sweater pushing a stroller with mountains in the background

Blue skies with snowy mountains and a river

I debated doing some computer work during naptime today, but instead decided to go for a very slow stroller run - my first run since little L was born. I think it was the right call :)

Maybe I'll be so sore tomorrow that computer time will sound like the best option!

#matleave #runningnaps

Key point beyond the numbers: It's possible to gain insights about surface water–GW interactions of a mountain glacierized basin without a full 3D numerical GW representation by using a process-based hydrological model + a well-developed, robust conceptual understanding + data!

We looked at climate change scenarios by varying T/P for different glacier covers. Most interestingly, we see limited changes in streamflow (especially GW!) because of the balance between glacier retreat and the increase in precip and ET. It's a fine balance!

We ran simulations and got a lot of numbers (and suppl. materials!) about flow composition, glacier wastage, and climate scenarios.
- Annually, 16% of the water transits through groundwater, but up to 56% in peak dry season
- 19% of the water in the basin comes from a negative glacier mass balance

Why is this important? There are substantial gaps in understanding mountain GW–cryosphere interactions! How much glacier meltwater ends up in the GW, and how will it change as glaciers retreat? We often simply don't know... Despite GW being an important water resource in a lot of alpine areas.

What happens to surface water and groundwater when glaciers retreat and T/P changes? We took a look at exactly that in our recent open-access paper!

We ran hydro simulations in the Cordillera Blanca, where there are lots of data + studies about GW and hydrology.

iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

Women carrying a baby in a carrier in a small meeting room with other scientists, with a presenter in the background.

I attended a day of presentations and discussions about snow monitoring with researchers from U. Calgary, U. Lethbridge and Alberta gov. last week. The goal: meet future colleagues, get the science juices flowing and help me plan my next steps. And of course, test bringing a baby to meetings!

"you're hired, now what" book with baby playing in the background

I have a few months before I start as a tenured track assistant prof here in Canada. Any suggestions to start prepping? With the caveat that I have pretty limited computer time, but many hours of thinking available!

a graphic showing a linear relationship between emissions of co2 and the warming of earth, projected out also into various scenarios

"every fraction of a degree matters" is true as hell. In the same way that releasing CO2 hurts people and planet, avoiding its release saves us from potential harm

This isn't some saccharine 'hopeful' message: it's the hard, inarguable physical reality.

www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/w...

Rockies conservation icon Karsten Heuer reflects on life and death | The Narwhal Karsten Heuer has lived beyond limits, fought fiercely to protect Rocky Mountain wild places and now prepares for his final journey

Goodbye, Karsten Heuer. thenarwhal.ca/rocky-mounta...

So many new folks! Hi! 😀

My work is about how snow and ice contribute to our water resources 🏔️

Outside of science, I'm usually skiing and climbing. These days, I'm at home with my new-ish baby 🐣

I share about science, mountains, water, climate, and occasionally, about social and gender issues.

How it started -> How it's going

Now a few months into my maternity leave and loving it!

I'm really enjoying the slow life with my little one, and simultaneously really excited by what's going to happen once I get back to science and university life next summer!

How it started -> How it's going

Now a few months into my maternity leave and loving it!

I'm super grateful to have this time with my little one and enjoy the slow life, and simultaneously really excited by what's going to happen once I get back to science and university life next summer!

🔗https://www.inspiringgirls.org/work-with-us

Girls* on Ice Canada @insp_girls_exp is hiring a 5 month, part time fundraising and sponsorship manager position!

Help us to make our youth expedition merging science, art and exploration happen next summer!

Application details on our website!...

With @immerzeel @philipkraai @varyabazilova @ppwater_94

And if you want even more mountain hydro, check out the EGU schedule for all the other talks/posters with collaborators such as @Marit_vanTiel and @cryohydrogeo which will also be awesome 😎

In a frenzy to get ready for @EuroGeosciences ? Don't worry about making a schedule, just attend our @UU_PhysGeog mountain hydro presentations - with topics from the peak water myth, to groundwater, debris flow and crevasses, there's something for everyone! See you soon🎉😄