We extend a warm welcome to incoming Assistant Professor Dr. Kate Hale. An expert in snow hydrology, Dr. Hale’s research focuses on how snowpack interacts with both the climate and downstream water resources. Holding a PhD from University of Colorado Boulder, Dr. Hale is looking forward to situating her work in the Pacific Northwest, a geographical area with ample accessible field sites and a myriad of snowpack related ecohydrological systems.
“More people are impacted by snow hydrology than we realize, at least one sixth of the world relies on snowmelt as a primary water source. For example, the Colorado river basin is a highly sought after resource. And the source of that river is snowmelt from the Southern Rocky Mountains. The same thing can be said for other large river basins like the Mississippi or the Fraser rivers. Snow seasons impact the flow of water downstream for great distances,” explains Dr. Hale.
credit: HP Marshall
With research sites previously in Vermont, Alaska and Colorado, Dr. Hale examines hydrology and its impact on the surrounding environment at the local watershed scale to hemispherical and continental scales. Gathering information about the annual snowpack from local field sites, as well as from remote sensing technology like satellites and drones, she then uses computer modeling to predict variance in snowmelt-derived hydrological processes. Due to the broad reliance of communities and ecosystems on snowmelt water resources, this work provides significant opportunities to learn about potential ecological and water management challenges as well as to develop mitigation strategies.
Dr. Hale is passionate about making snow science accessible to many, regardless of their experience with snow outside the lab.
“Personally, my love for snow came first, before my scientific interests. I am an avid skier and enjoy being in those landscapes recreationally,” Hale reflects.
But she acknowledges that access to snow sports and recreation is a privileged space. It takes a great deal of intentional time to build those skills, money and resources and often parental support. She wants to ensure anyone curious about snow science has an opportunity to explore it in her lab.
“Being able to experience the snowpack is imperative to pursuing a degree and a career in snow science. I feel quite strongly about lowering the barrier of entry into this pursuit and making it known that you can study snow and not have personal experience with it. I also support the pursuit of gaining these skillsets to be in and on the snow,” explains Dr. Hale.
credit: Emily Youcha
Those joining the Hale lab will have the opportunity to build some of those essential skills required to be in the snow, as well as have access to local field sites easily accessible from UBC Vancouver campus. The scientific expertise in the lab is wide ranging. Research methods include digging vertical snowpack profiles to analyze snow layering, measuring changes in snow depth across a larger landscape using drones, wading into streams to measure discharge and velocity of snowmelt-derived waterflow, and data analysis used to build and execute snowpack and hydrologic computer models.
Excited by the potential new collaborations joining UBC Geography offers her, Dr. Hale is already at work on several exciting cross discipline projects. As UBC’s representative, she has joined a consortium of Canadian universities who are working to support the Terrestrial Snow Mass Mission (TSMM), a project of Environment Canada and the Canadian Space Agency. Their goal is to launch a seasonal snow research satellite. Dr. Hale also plans to continue ongoing cross-border collaborations.
credit: Nick Edwards
“Snow science is such a collaborative field and I intend to plug my students into my broad network of colleagues to work on projects that can be multi-institutional and international,” says Hale.
We watch with keen interest as Dr. Hale builds her snow science and hydrology lab here at UBC Geography, looking forward to the opportunities her research program holds for students and fellow scientists alike.
