Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · 2d

Hiring alert! Geography at U. Leth is looking for a new Instructor!

If you love GIS, remote sensing, and teaching geoscience skills -> join our awesome crew on the coulees

🗓️ Start date: July 1, 2026
📍Lethbridge, Alberta
💰 $59K–$75K

Apply by Jan 1, 2026: uleth.peopleadmin.ca/postings/8717

Faculty of Arts & Science - Instructor II or III (Geography and Environment)

The Department of Geography & Environment at the University of Lethbridge invites applications for a continuing appointment at the rank of Instructor II or III to commence on July 1, 2026, subject to ...

uleth.peopleadmin.ca

1 1

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Aug 30

With the fall colors out and the semester starting next week, I finally got around to visit my colleague's weather stations at the Castle Mountain Resort this week and chat about future work we can do about mountain hydrology in the region.

2

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Aug 27

It's new faculty orientation week at @ulethbridgeartsci.bsky.social! Really neat to get to know the other incoming professors across the departments (philosophy, neuroscience, English, chemistry.. and more). Pretty excited for this cohort :)

3

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Aug 22

Setting up a new instruments in the Yukon with a colleague's lab -> walking in deep wet moss, eating wild blueberries and trying to measure streamflow and no eat bugs while asking loudly: Is there permafrost here? And there? And for how long? And what if there's a fire? And how much snow? It's fun.

A man with a big Blu backpack walking in vegetated, hummocky ground with rolling hills in the background

A group of 8 folks dressed in hiking close stand together cheering at the camera, with vegetation and bushes in the foreground and mountain in the back

A woman in a yellow hat with sunglasses and a black puffy jacket smiles at the camera with mountains in the background

A small creek with mountains in the background and someone standing by the creek in the distance

13

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Aug 22

Increasingly, glacier retreat, warm temperatures and recreation don't mix. It's easy to forget how dynamics these environnements are when we access them on well-maintained trails and infrastructure www.climbing.com/news/climber...

60 Climbers & Hikers Heli-Evacuated From Bugaboos Due to Flooding

The iconic alpine climbing area remains closed until further notice.

www.climbing.com

13 36

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Jul 15

It’s NSERC PhD season!
If you’re :
➡️ finishing an MSc (or supervising someone who is)
➡️ looking for a PhD in 2026
➡️ into mountain hydrology (glaciers, snow, groundwater)
Let’s chat! 🎉

Happy to support curious and keen applicants as a potential advisor 😄

www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etu...

NSERC - Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral program

www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca

4 5

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Jul 3

I signed my contract for U. Lethbridge in Dec. 2023. This was coming for a while... But I am still so freaking excited (and fully embracing this pocket of joy amongst the burning fires of the world).

Special shout-out to my 2011 undergrad self who was so nervous to go knock on a prof's door.

Smiling women in a pink tshirt showcasing her office door with her name on it, being extremely happy about it.

1 9

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Jul 2

First day back in the office today! After a year of maternity leave, I'm psyched to get back into science - now as a tenured-track prof in geography at U. Lethbridge

So much to catch up on before the semester starts! Decorating/organizing my new office is not urgent, but will take priority anyway 😊

A smiling woman wearing a white and green shirt stands in an empty office with a window overlooking a field and a blue sky, with a single laptop on top of a desk and empty bookshelves.

8

Reposted by Caroline Aubry-Wake

bmenounos.bsky.social @bmenounos.bsky.social · Jun 25

A shout out to the @hakai.org ACO team for their work in helping us understand the magnitude of glacier mass loss in western Canada in a study published today.

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Orthoimage of the Columbia Icefield from last September acquired from the @unbc @hakai Airborne Coastal Observatory

1 5 15

Reposted by Caroline Aubry-Wake

Inspiring Girls* Expeditions @inspiringgirls.bsky.social · Feb 4

Multi-day, tuition-FREE expeditions for high school girls* blending science, art, and backcountry travel 🏔️
inspiringgirls.org/apply

📅 Deadlines:
Girls* on Ice Canada - 2/7
Girls* on Rock & Girls* in Icy Fjords - 2/9
Girls* on Ice Switzerland & Girls* on Ice Austria - 2/14
Girls* on Ice Alaska - 3/2

APPLY — Inspiring Girls Expeditions

inspiringgirls.org

8 13

Reposted by Caroline Aubry-Wake

AGU (American Geophysical Union) @agu.org · Feb 4

We are alarmed by the Administration’s actions to freeze science funding and eliminate DEI efforts and climate change initiatives, which go against AGU’s mission and harms our members. We must unite to address these changes, beginning by hearing from you.

Read more: https://buff.ly/4hm8r4e

11 180 520

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Feb 4

Nope nope nope. Terrible idea. Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's good. Water can get contaminated by so many things out in the wild and wrench havoc on our human bodies.

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · Feb 4

“Raw water" from natural sources is trending, but it’s untested for safety, unlike tap or bottled water. Drinking it risks exposure to harmful microbes and toxins. A microbiologist debunks myths and highlights the public health risks: https://buff.ly/3PZTDwd (Bill Sullivan, Indiana University)

How does raw water compare to tap water? A microbiologist explains why the risks outweigh the benefits

Raw water may not be as safe as it looks. Like raw milk, untreated water comes with dubious health claims and high risks.

buff.ly

4

Reposted by Caroline Aubry-Wake

The Breakdown AB @thebreakdownab.bsky.social · Jan 25

“‘are they prepared to sacrifice a multi-billion-dollar food industry for a coal mine?’”

With southern Alberta known as the province’s heart of agriculture, roughly $14 billion in products are exported every year”

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/leth...

‘It’s a catastrophe’: Southern Alberta’s ag industry concerned over potential coal mining pollution

Pushback continues to mount over possible coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, with the latest being a letter penned to the provincial government over the impact coal mining could...

www.ctvnews.ca

28 190 370

Reposted by Caroline Aubry-Wake

Carrie Tait @carrietait.bsky.social · Jan 21

When everyone was looking at the USA, Alberta quietly scrapped a series of ministerial orders that banned coal development in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains: www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art... #cndpoli #abpoli

Alberta rescinds coal development ban for foothills of the Rocky Mountains

Energy Minister Brian Jean said in a letter to the Alberta Energy Regulator that he was rescinding ministerial orders which directed the agency to suspend approvals and refuse new applications for coa...

www.theglobeandmail.com

3 130 130

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Jan 21

I use a pair of rolled socks. Maybe in a big stuff sack (like a big duffel?) and shake it around a bunch?

2 2

Reposted by Caroline Aubry-Wake

simón(e) 🌑 @simonedsun.bsky.social · Jan 21

Trans, intersex, and queer people will always exist because humans are biological creatures and biology - inevitably and always - creates variability and diversity.

If there is any “biological truth,” it’s that a biological system will never conform to the strictures of human machinations.

⚡🧟‍♀️ MAD DOCTOR IMPOSSIBLE!! 🧟‍♀️⚡ @impossiblephd.bsky.social · Jan 21

Trump signed an executive order that tries to write trans people out of existence today.

It's mostly symbolic.

It's still gonna make for a LOT of pain for the trans community--just probably not where you think it will.

It's gonna be real bad for grant funding, which means medical research.

A 🧵

2 17 77

Reposted by Caroline Aubry-Wake

Leah Stokes @leahstokes.bsky.social · Jan 9

These devastating fires in LA are climate change in action. More than 80% of the county is under drought, and when hurricane force winds hit dry land, they ignite. As @katharinehayhoe.com says, we are experiencing global weirding.

15 180 640

Reposted by Caroline Aubry-Wake

Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · Jan 8

Climate change is creating warmer, drier conditions that cause fire seasons in some regions like western North America to last longer and be more active. Read more:

Yes, Climate Change is Raising the Risks—and Stakes—of Extreme Wildfires

Rising temperatures, parched forests, and shifting precipitation patterns are fueling severe wildfires with unprecedented impacts. There is still time to act.

www.nature.org

9 220 540

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Dec 2

I debated doing some computer work during naptime today, but instead decided to go for a very slow stroller run - my first run since little L was born. I think it was the right call :)

Maybe I'll be so sore tomorrow that computer time will sound like the best option!

#matleave #runningnaps

A woman in a blue sweater pushing a stroller with mountains in the background

Blue skies with snowy mountains and a river

1 9

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Nov 21

Key point beyond the numbers: It's possible to gain insights about surface water–GW interactions of a mountain glacierized basin without a full 3D numerical GW representation by using a process-based hydrological model + a well-developed, robust conceptual understanding + data!

1

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Nov 21

We looked at climate change scenarios by varying T/P for different glacier covers. Most interestingly, we see limited changes in streamflow (especially GW!) because of the balance between glacier retreat and the increase in precip and ET. It's a fine balance!

1 1

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Nov 21

We ran simulations and got a lot of numbers (and suppl. materials!) about flow composition, glacier wastage, and climate scenarios.
- Annually, 16% of the water transits through groundwater, but up to 56% in peak dry season
- 19% of the water in the basin comes from a negative glacier mass balance

1

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Nov 21

Why is this important? There are substantial gaps in understanding mountain GW–cryosphere interactions! How much glacier meltwater ends up in the GW, and how will it change as glaciers retreat? We often simply don't know... Despite GW being an important water resource in a lot of alpine areas.

1

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Nov 21

What happens to surface water and groundwater when glaciers retreat and T/P changes? We took a look at exactly that in our recent open-access paper!

We ran hydro simulations in the Cordillera Blanca, where there are lots of data + studies about GW and hydrology.

iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

Sensitivity of surface water and groundwater contributions to streamflow in a tropical glacierized basin under climate change scenarios - IOPscienceSearch

Sensitivity of surface water and groundwater contributions to streamflow in a tropical glacierized basin under climate change scenarios, Caroline Aubry-Wake, Gavin McNamara, Lauren D Somers, Jeffrey M...

iopscience.iop.org

1 2 6

Caroline Aubry-Wake @cryocaro.bsky.social · Nov 18

I attended a day of presentations and discussions about snow monitoring with researchers from U. Calgary, U. Lethbridge and Alberta gov. last week. The goal: meet future colleagues, get the science juices flowing and help me plan my next steps. And of course, test bringing a baby to meetings!

Women carrying a baby in a carrier in a small meeting room with other scientists, with a presenter in the background.

1 11