January 19th 2021
Climate sentinel comes to the Reserve
A weather station to monitor weather conditions on the mountain was installed last year near the laboratories in the Reserve’s research area. The station, commonly referred to as a “climate sentinel,” consists of a 10-metre tower equipped with a variety of meteorological instruments. It is one of seven sentinels in the fixed observation network in the St. Lawrence Valley for the Adaptable Earth Observation System project.
The objective of this project is to observe and document the regional climate of the St. Lawrence River Valley to better understand how the region’s biodiversity and climate are reacting to global warming. This study will provide a quantitative predictive model of interactions to help decision makers and stakeholders adopt the best strategies for regional development, urban growth and biodiversity maintenance. Mont Saint-Hilaire is particularly well suited for this study, as it is slightly elevated above the St. Lawrence River.
A collaboration between McGill University, Université du Québec à Montréal and the University of Northern British Columbia, the Adaptable Earth Observation System was made possible through a Canada Foundation for Innovation infrastructure project.
