User Profile

Name: Michael Pidwirny
Member Since: September 21st, 2006
Member Name: Michael.pidwirny
Last Logged In: April 25th, 2013
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia, AL
Biography:

Michael Pidwirny studied Physical Geography at the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba. He received his PhD from the Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia in 1994. He currently is an Associate Professor of Physical Geography at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus. Pidwirny’s research interests include climate change, the influence of land-use change on biodiversity, and the use of technology in education. He publishes regularly in encyclopedias, various journals and scientific websites, e.g. Encyclopaedia of Earth. He is currently developing the website www.our-planet-earth.net to provide educational information dealing with Earth Science and Physical Geography. This website supersedes his very popular site www.physicalgeography.net.

Research Interests

I have general research interests in the following areas of study:

  • Species interactions in wetland plant communities.
  • Spatial patterns and community structure in vegetation.
  • Climate change and its influence on the distribution of species and communities.
  • Land-use and environmental change in the Thompson-Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada.
  • Land-use change and biodiversity issues in the southern Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Computer applications, education technology, and modeling in physical geography.
  • Climate change and its influence on recreational skiing in Western Canada.

 

 

Current Research Projects

1) The Effect of Land Use/Cover Change on Biodiversity in the Okanagan Valley

The Southern Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada is home to 23 species of plants and animals that have been identified as being either: threatened, endangered, or vulnerable. Further, the Southern Okanagan Valley's desert grassland/shrub, Ponderosa Pine forest, and wetland/riparian habitat types are some of Canada's most endangered ecosystems. The main factor contributing to species and ecosystem diversity decline in this region of Canada is the conversion of the natural habitats to various types of human land-use. Over the past 100 years, the amount of natural landscape that has been modified into urban, agricultural, and recreation land-use types has progressively increased because of human population growth and economic progress. Future population and economic growth is predicted to degrade the biodiversity resources further in this region of British Columbia. This research project documents the nature of human-mediated land-use conversion in the Southern Okanagan Valley and will examine this modification of the environment in terms of biodiversity reduction.

 

2) The Effect of Global Warming on Ski Resorts in Western Canada

Average global temperatures of our planet have increased by about 1° Celsius since the pre-industrial era. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) believes the continued emission of greenhouse gases by human activity will further increase average global temperatures by 1.1 to 6.4° Celsius by the end of the 21st century. This change in the Earth’s climate is predicted to have profound effects on many components of human systems. Being able to predict how global warming will modify human systems is important for developing adaptation and mitigation strategies. One human system that will be detrimentally influenced by warmer temperatures and changes in precipitation is recreational skiing. To date, research on the effect of global warming on recreational skiing has been rudimentary. The reason for this is the lack of quality climate data for analysis. This research project will use newly available climate data to determine the effect of global warming on selected ski resorts in Western Canada. The main goal of the research will be to answer the following two questions. How did 20th century global warming affect ski resorts in Western Canada? How will global warming in the 21st century affect these same ski resorts?
 

 

Scholarship

My website www.physicalgeography.net has received about 14 million page visits in five years and is the foremost web portal on the Internet for educational information dealing with Physical Geography. I plan on enhancing the information found on this site over the next few years. The content of the online textbook Fundamentals of Physical Geography found at this website is used in many university courses for reference. It has been very positively reviewed by several educational agencies and the journals Science and New Scientist. This freely available information source has also been cited about 40 times as a general source of information for “enhanced” online articles in the journal Science. Searching my name on Google reveals that my online resources are linked to well over 2000 web pages on the Internet. Over the next few years I plan on developing a second web portal this time dealing with environmental science and related issues. This site will be very similar to www.physicalgeography.net providing freely available information for general public consumption and enhancing the educational experience of university students seeking knowledge in this area of study.

My two self published electronic books have been quite successful. The e-book Physical Geography Glossary of Terms has been downloaded about 15,000 times. The two editions of World Geography Factbook (2000 and 2001) have been downloaded about 35,000 times. Both of these works are free. I plan continuing work on these two items in the future.

 

 

Education

B.Sc., 1980 - University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
B.A. (Hon.), 1982 - University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
M.A., 1984 - University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Ph.D., 1994 - Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

 

 

Teaching Interests

  • GEOG 108: Introduction to Physical Geography I - A first year course dealing with the study of the Earth's atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere.
  • GEOG 213: Introduction to Environmental Issues - A second year course introducing students to environmental issues and science.
  • GEOG 271: Geographic Data Analysis - A second year course introducing students to statistical techniques involving geographic data.
  • GEOG 310: Environment and Resources - A third year course analyzing and discussing the academic literature dealing with resource and environment issues.

 

 

Contact Information

Associate Professor, Physical Geography
Unit 2:  Biology and Physical Geography
Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences
University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus
Science Building, 1177 Research Road
Kelowna, British Columbia
CANADA V1V 1V7

Email: Michael Pidwirny

User Content

Title Role Type Website Date
Air masses and frontal transitional zones Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2009-02-16 13:51:15
Alaska Gyre Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-09-09 20:39:08
Albedo Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-05-07 10:20:13
Atlantic meridional overturning circulation Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-05-31 17:31:49
Atmosphere layers Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2010-01-04 00:15:24
Atmospheric composition Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-04-04 17:45:52
Atmospheric effects on incoming solar radiation Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2007-07-19 01:56:19
Atmospheric humidity Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-09-30 21:18:00
Atmospheric pressure Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2006-10-11 19:26:10
Bathypelagic zone Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-04-25 12:10:33
Bedrock Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-04-15 01:29:22
Biogeochemical cycles Contributing Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-10-03 11:47:43
Body wave magnitude Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-16 10:45:48
Carbon cycle Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-05-07 11:29:26
Carbon dioxide Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-02-22 12:48:51
Causes of climate change Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-02-26 12:14:04
Cloud formation processes Contributing Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-03-10 11:38:11
Coastal landform processes Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2010-04-12 22:28:24
Composition of rocks Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-03-19 21:59:16
Daily and annual cycles of temperature Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-21 13:42:43
Drainage basin Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2007-01-27 17:57:12
Dry Climates - B Climate Type Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-05-07 19:11:29
Earth's climatic history Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-10-29 15:17:42
Earth-Sun geometry Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-25 14:20:26
Earth-Sun relationships and insolation Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-02-18 16:42:58
Earthquake Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-09-18 17:06:52
Earthquake Science Chronology Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-21 13:51:25
El Niño, La Niña and the southern oscillation Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2010-02-19 00:39:23
Electromagnetic radiation Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-26 16:48:37
Energy balance of Earth Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-27 15:56:04
Eolian processes and landforms Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2007-02-02 18:24:39
Epicenter Contributing Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-12-28 13:00:20
Evaporation Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-05-22 19:24:31
Evapotranspiration Contributing Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-21 18:53:32
Factors Influencing Surface Air Temperature Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-12-28 05:55:35
Fault Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-13 18:55:15
Fluvial landforms Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-10-19 12:06:16
Folding and faulting in the Earth's crust Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-25 15:15:34
Form and process in physical geography Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2008-01-09 16:45:37
Formation of the Earth's crust Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-07-15 00:56:46
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-01-31 11:48:23
Geologic time Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-06-21 09:38:24
Glacial landforms Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-05-07 19:17:25
Glacier Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-07-16 21:16:10
Global distribution of precipitation Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2006-10-12 21:10:11
Global surface temperature distribution Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-07-09 12:18:01
Global-scale circulation of the atmosphere Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-10-01 08:59:00
Greenhouse effect Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-07-17 20:52:08
Greenhouse gas Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-09-22 11:56:18
Helheim Glacier, Greenland Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-07-27 08:02:24
Highland Climates - H Climate Type Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-25 11:08:36
Hillslope processes and mass movement of soils Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2006-10-12 21:27:55
History of Seismometry Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-22 13:07:26
Hydrologic cycle Contributing Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-10-03 16:48:20
Hypocenter Contributing Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-12-28 13:01:41
Hypothesis testing Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-02-16 05:01:39
Hypothetico-Deductive Method Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-02-23 11:28:19
Ice Age Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-07-27 08:53:39
Ice Shelf Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-07-27 08:57:30
Igneous rock Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-02-04 15:09:20
Indian Ocean Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-05-13 19:35:06
Infiltration and soil water storage Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-11-03 09:24:15
Ionosphere Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-02-07 10:45:15
Köppen Climate Classification System Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-11-10 08:31:13
Landform development Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2006-10-12 22:06:22
Landforms of glaciation Author Article Climate Change 2012-08-21 12:36:29
Local and regional wind systems Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-08-16 20:07:53
Location, distance, and direction on maps Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2006-10-12 22:13:10
Map location and time zones Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2006-10-12 22:14:04
Maps Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2008-12-09 20:25:20
Matter Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-11-15 09:47:21
Measuring Precipitation Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-06-13 13:38:45
Metamorphic rock Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-03-19 11:39:32
Mid-ocean ridges Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-04-08 07:27:42
Miocene Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-10-30 16:26:46
Moist Continental Mid-latitude Climates - D Climate Type Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-25 10:26:37
Moist Mid-latitude Climates with Mild Winters - C Climate Type Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-25 10:23:48
Moment magnitude Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-16 10:28:36
Mountain Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-27 16:06:51
Nitrogen cycle Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-09-10 14:00:12
Ocean Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-02-28 18:54:33
Ocean circulation Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-26 15:33:20
Periglacial processes and landforms Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2008-10-07 16:10:18
Physical properties of water Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-25 16:07:11
Physiography of the Earth's terrestrial surface Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2006-10-16 22:55:09
Physiography of the ocean basins Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2008-08-22 13:32:12
Plate tectonics Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-28 19:16:55
Polar Climates - E Climate Type Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-25 10:30:12
Precipitation and fog Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-09-10 10:40:45
Proterozoic Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-06-22 05:33:44
Qattara Depression Contributing Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-11-23 11:53:28
Remote sensing Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-29 14:31:00
Richter scale Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-29 16:32:04
Rill Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2006-10-10 17:07:27
Rock cycle Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-04-04 14:30:49
San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-04-15 01:28:25
Sea of Crete Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-05-13 22:28:18
Seawater Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-28 17:22:23
Sedimentary rock Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-06-14 17:26:39
Seismic Wave Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-22 11:04:34
Seismograph Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-22 10:37:05
Seismology Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-27 14:36:20
Siwa Oasis Contributing Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-06-28 13:42:16
Soil Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-02-21 12:47:59
Soil erosion and deposition Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-29 16:52:45
Solar radiation Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-05-24 16:12:41
Solar System Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-10-04 15:53:12
Southern Ocean Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-05-13 19:39:09
Stemflow, canopy drip, and throughfall Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-04-14 19:56:20
Stream Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-02-04 17:06:50
Stream morphometry Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2008-01-18 16:54:57
Structure of the Earth Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-28 17:09:16
Subduction Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-01-28 12:36:26
Sun Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-02-10 16:43:46
Surface runoff of water Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-05-08 08:03:45
Surface wave magnitude Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-29 16:31:31
Temperature Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-11-09 15:22:45
Terrestrial biome Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-02-22 12:20:58
Thunderstorm Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-28 19:33:38
Tide Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2007-02-23 21:28:25
Topographic maps Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-11-25 18:00:43
Topography Topic Editor Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-05-12 11:21:20
Tornadoes Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-05-10 17:27:12
Transpiration Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-03-26 16:57:55
Tropical Moist Climates - A Climate Type Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-03-25 10:16:02
Tropical weather and hurricanes Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-10-31 00:45:47
Uniformitarianism Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2006-10-17 15:10:49
Urban climatology Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-06-13 11:31:28
Volcano Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2011-12-04 09:22:46
Weathering Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2012-03-20 14:47:57
Wind Author Article Encyclopedia of Earth 2013-04-30 18:01:26