The Government of Canada announces funding for academic-led climate research in Canada’s high Arctic

From: Environment and Climate Change Canada

News Release

November 8, 2017 – Ottawa, Ontario

Science is the foundation of Environment and Climate Change Canada's work. Canada recognizes the importance of sound science in evidence-based decision making, and it remains committed to supporting climate and atmospheric science in Canada. That is why the Government of Canada is providing Canadian scientists with the best tools and facilities they need to innovate and make discoveries that will improve our environment, health, climate, and communities.

Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, and the Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan, announced up to $1.6 million in funding to support research in Canada’s high Arctic. This funding will allow Canadian university scientists to carry out uninterrupted research operations and data collection at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL), until fall 2019.

Support for PEARL contributes to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s leading-edge monitoring and research in the Arctic, related to air quality, the ozone layer, and climate change. With the Arctic heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world, understanding this region is more important than ever.

This is just one example of how government-university collaborations advance science, help deliver on federal priorities, and support efforts to better understand some of the most pressing environmental issues facing governments and citizens today.

The Government of Canada also acknowledges the many contributions of the Canadian academic community to climate and atmospheric science in Canada and appreciates the advancements made in this important field.

Quotes

“Driven by our world-class researchers, Canada is a leader in atmospheric and climate science in the Arctic. By investing in the PEARL research network, we’ll ensure that the research done in Canada’s high Arctic continues to deepen our knowledge of the challenges before us.”

– Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

“Today’s announcement demonstrates our government’s ongoing commitment to support science and evidence-based decision making. To address global challenges such as climate change, we must make every effort to support researchers whose work leads to a better understanding of the changing arctic climate and environment. We rely on the evidence they produce to make informed decisions that improve our environment and economy and our health and communities.”

– Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science

Quick Facts

  • Environment and Climate Change Canada operates and maintains two facilities in Eureka, Nunavut: a weather station and the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL—also known as the PEARL Ridge Laboratory). The two facilities are 15 km apart.

  • PEARL is a permanent research station used by atmospheric scientists to monitor the state of the arctic atmosphere. Environment and Climate Change Canada has maintained the PEARL Ridge Laboratory building for over 25 years.

  • To ensure research excellence, the PEARL research team will submit a research program proposal to the Government of Canada for a peer review by other scientists.

  • The Climate Change and Atmospheric Research initiative is a grant program administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and it supports climate change and atmospheric research at Canadian post-secondary institutions.

  • The initiative was announced in 2013 by the Government of Canada. It provided $35 million in research funding over five years (ending on March 31, 2018) for seven environmental projects, one of which being PEARL.

Associated Links

Contacts

Marie-Pascale Des Rosiers
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
613-462-5473
marie-pascale.desrosiers@canada.ca

Media Relations
Environment and Climate Change Canada
819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll free)
ec.media.ec@canada.ca

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Twitter page

Environment and Natural Resources in Canada’s Facebook page

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