Profile of Barrie Bonsal

In environmental science, everything is interconnected

Barrie Bonsal has always been intrigued by the environment. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by how everything is interconnected and what happens with temperature, plants and hydrology (the study of water on the Earth’s surface). “Science is fun! It's all around us! You look out the window, and this is the science that I do,” he says.

During his studies at the University of Saskatchewan, his great curiosity first led him to explore different types of courses until he discovered his passion for weather and climate research.

In 1988, his master's thesis examined the widespread drought throughout the Prairies at the time. Then, in the early 1990s, Barrie concentrated his doctoral research on El Niño, a natural event that affects global climate. “My research was mainly focused on droughts in the Prairies, but I was also interested in global weather patterns and what's known as teleconnections: when something happens very far away, like the El Niño phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, but releases so much heat and energy into the atmosphere that it affects the jet stream and can also impact weather patterns in Canada.”

In January 2001, shortly after completing his post doctorate, he began his career as a research scientist in ECCC's Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division. Since then, Barrie has applied his experience in climatology to the problems of water and hydrology. “That's why we call my area of expertise hydroclimatology, instead of climatology,” he adds.

Adapting to climate change

Today, thanks to his wide range of skills, Barrie is an expert on hydroclimate variability, the impacts of climate change on freshwater in Canada, and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods.

We're seeing big changes in when water flows occur and how much water we receive,” he explains. His research shows that spring melt and the influx of freshwater into rivers, lakes and watersheds are occurring several weeks earlier than 50 years ago in some regions. Also, we are seeing more rainfall coming down during heavy rainfall events. “Previously, precipitation was mostly light rain, but now it sometimes falls in heavy downpours all at once. We are beginning to observe these trends. We need to adapt to these situations and figure out how to store water for our needs, or how to use it more efficiently.”

Freshwater in Canada

Barrie was one of the main authors of the chapter on how freshwater availability is changing in Canada's Changing Climate Report. Published in 2019, this report presents what we know about how Canada's climate has changed, the reasons behind these changes and the changes projected for the future. “For the second edition of the report, which is scheduled for publication in 2026, we've gathered more expertise from across Canada. Numerous university and government specialists are taking part.” It will cover some new topics not covered in the 2019 report and it will update our understanding of changes in floods and droughts. “Different types of precipitation extremes, including floods and drought, have an impact on the availability of freshwater across Canada. We'll also be developing this topic further in the next version of the report.”

Barrie also contributed to the content of the National Freshwater Science Agenda, developed with input from a broad range of partners and subject matter experts. The Science Agenda, to be published in Fall 2025, will guide collaborative research over the next 10 years on a series of priority themes. It is aimed at those who plan, fund and use freshwater science and knowledge across governments, Indigenous groups, the private sector and environmental non-government organizations.

Over the course of his career, Barrie has been fortunate to carry out many studies in collaboration with universities, other government departments and ECCC colleagues. “Collaborating, meeting people with different areas of expertise, working on a large-scale project and seeking answers to a variety of questions: that's really what I love about this work,” he concludes, “as well as the people I get to work with.”