Parks Canada's Climate Crew
Experts - practical - field - protection
Parks Canada’s Climate Crew is a dynamic digital series showcasing the people and work happening to make our ecosystems strong and resilient in the battle against climate change. We’re in the field with the experts, traveling from coast to coast to coast. From the top of glaciers to the depths of kelp forests, we’re getting an up-close look at the climate heroes working in partnership with nature to respond to the changes of our warming planet.
S 1/ E 1- Fire!(6m)
Hard to imagine but fire is actually a natural part of a healthy ecosystem. Indigenous communities have used fire for centuries to restore balance to local ecosystems. Now Parks Canada is using science and the practice of prescribed fire to create barriers so wild fires are less destructive. Prescribed fire is used not just as a preventive measure but also to make our forests more diverse and better habitat for wildlife.S 1/ E 2- Coasties(5m)
Our shorelines are certainly feeling the impacts of increased storms and their velocity. But with the help of Canadians taking Coasties (a selfie of the shoreline) Parks Canada is able to monitor this change on a daily basis and pivot more quickly to support local ecosystems and wildlife populations battered by the effects of these storm systems.S 1/ E 3- Tracking Tundra(6m)
Tundra is just one part of the puzzle to understanding how climate change is affecting the north. Parks Canada is working closely with Inuit communities to monitor how the tundra landscape is changing. By using science to establish trends we’ll be better equipped to track this changing ecosystem.S 1/ E 4- Blue Carbon(6m)
Protecting our oceans has been on the forefront of everyone’s mind but new science is showing that the coastal ecosystems of eelgrass meadows, salt marshes and perhaps even the kelp forests are key to keeping carbon out of the atmosphere and slowing the warming of the climate. Parks Canada’s research ishelping communities around the world to understand blue carbon, so they can better plan how they develop along their shorelines.S 1/ E 5- Tracking Glaciers(7m)
We can see the glaciers are receding, but understanding the rate and how it’s occurring is key to supporting local ecosystems and the communities that rely on them. Parks Canada is using science and local Inuit knowledge to better understand this vital landscape.S 1/ E 6- Whales - Gardeners of the Ocean(6m)
Whales are being hailed as gardeners of the ocean. When they come to the surface, they poop, bringing nutrients up from the depths. All those nutrients support phytoplankton – the little critters that produce half of the earth’s oxygen. This process is called the whale pump and it is vital for healthier oceans and a healthier earth.
