So Cold, So Predictable
Why is YCCIC a leader in cold climate research? The centre has many assets—Yukon is a secure, accessible northern research locale at the frontlines of climate change. The region’s conditions offer real-world natural research laboratories for cold climate, extreme conditions and high altitude testing. Yukon’s varied northern terrain includes boreal forest, subarctic tundra, Arctic Ocean coastline, high altitude and icefield terrain, as well as vast areas of continuous, discontinuous and scattered permafrost.
But the key factor is Yukon’s predictable cold climate. Thanks to unique geography, Yukon winters are long, dry and consistently cold with generally clear skies and calm winds.
The St. Elias Mountains form a high barrier between the interior and the Pacific Ocean, blocking the flow of milder coastal air into the region. Instead, central Yukon is open to cold frigid air masses from the western arctic. Strong areas of high atmospheric pressure dominate in winter. Cold air often pools in lowlands and valleys, forming temperature inversions that create ideal conditions for extreme low temperatures.
Developed Infrastructure
YCCIC is ideally positioned as a facilitator and hub of cold climate technology research and innovation:
- Northern transportation, infrastructure and service hub adjacent to Alaska, Northwest Territories, British Columbia and Alberta with all-season highways offering uninterrupted freight service by road or ship.
- Yukon’s extensive network (4,700 km) of year-round highways includes the Alaska Highway and the Dempster Highway, Canada’s only road to the Arctic. All but one of Yukon’s 16 communities are road-accessible.
- Starting near Dawson City, the Dempster Highway crosses the Arctic Circle and the continental divide and terminates at Inuvik, NWT. The Dempster provides all-season access to North Yukon’s subarctic tundra landscapes.
- Daily scheduled jet and cargo service from gateway cities (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton) to Whitehorse International Airport, and a well-developed Yukon aviation industry.
- Advanced telecommunications network including fibre-optic cable, microwave radio, satellite, cellular and territory-wide broadband public internet and CA*Net4 access.
- Extensive legacy of basic research resulting from a half-century of field programs throughout the Yukon by the Yukon Research Centre of Excellence and Canadian universities including Arctic Institute of North America.
- Year-round availability of skilled, experienced cold climate contractors and services including engineering firms, expediters, drilling companies and building contractors.
- Institutional research capacity at Yukon College and through protocols with University of Alberta and others. Yukon College is a first-class post-secondary institution with outreach into Yukon communities and partnerships with northern educational institutions.
- Furnished YCCIC offices, meeting and event facilities, and other institutional amenities at Yukon College in Whitehorse.
Perfect Field Lab
Yukon is a vast wild northern laboratory ideal for scientific research. Covering 483,450 sq km, an area larger than California, about 13 percent of the Yukon is protected as parkland.
- Yukon has the most seasonally and geographically variable climate in North America, presenting a range of locales and conditions for research.
- YCCIC is a gateway to diverse landscapes including Arctic tundra and taiga in North Yukon, boreal and subalpine forests in the south, high altitude and icefield terrain, and Beaufort Sea coastline.
- North and west-central Yukon were not covered by glaciers during the last Ice Age. The region has large areas of continuous, discontinuous and scattered permafrost.
- The world’s largest non-polar icefield surrounds Mount Logan (5,959 m/19,551 ft), Canada’s highest peak, a massif with eleven peaks over 5,000 metres. Twenty mountains in the St. Elias Icefields rise over 3,000 metres.
- Yukon holds the record for the coldest temperature recorded in North America (–63° C, February 3, 1947 at Snag near Beaver Creek).
- Yukon holds the Canadian record for the highest atmospheric pressure (107.96 kPa, February 2, 1989 at Dawson City).
- Yukon has the greatest range of annual temperatures in North America. Mayo holds the Canadian record for the greatest range of absolute temperatures.
Data sources:
Environment Canada Climate Data
Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia