Heat dome arrives: McMaster experts available to discuss extreme temperatures

A heat dome is ratcheting up the temperature in parts of Canada and the United States, bringing daytime highs close to 40 C when you factor in the humidity.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued heat warnings for large parts of Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick, In the U.S., record high temperatures are expected across the Midwest and into the Northeast.

Professor Altaf Arain is director of the McMaster Centre for Climate Change. He is available to discuss the broad impacts of climate change including rising temperatures, extreme weather events and infrastructure. Arain has done research into forest ecosystems and their restoration, establishing an observatory in Turkey Point to examine the impact of extreme weather. He can be reached at: arainm@mcmaster.ca

Gail Krantzberg, a leading expert on the health of the Great Lakes can speak about the effect climate change is having and what’s being done to mitigate the impact. She recently received a grant to investigate the impact of climate change on migration, with a focus on vulnerable populations. Krantzberg is a professor of Engineering and Public Policy in the Walter G Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology. She can be reached at krantz@mcmaster.ca.

Graham Scott is an associate professor in the Department of Biology. His research centres on how animals cope and adapt in challenging environments, particularly how they are impacted by rising temperatures. He can be reached at: scottg2@mcmaster.ca.