Sam Anderson

Dr. Sam Anderson | Scientist, writer, thinker

I am curious about the relationships between ice, water, and people. Trained as a geophysicist, data scientist, and engineer, I use data analysis, machine learning, and numerical modelling to ask:

Who is impacted by the loss of glacier ice?

What role to heat waves play in determining freshwater availability?

How will river flows change under climate change in Western Canada?

I am keen to think deeply and creatively about water in the era of the climate crisis. My writing and research has been featured in Nature Climate Change, Nature Communications, Water Resources Research, Hydrology and Earth System Science, The Globe and Mail, CBC News: The National, and elsewhere. If you would like to work together, collaborate, or discuss any of these topics, please send an email to anderson.sam.lucas@gmail.com.

Email: anderson.sam.lucas@gmail.com

Curriculum Vitae: CV

Twitter: @ice_rivers_sam

Github: andersonsam

LinkedIn: Sam Anderson

Publications: Google Scholar

Opinion: Glaciers are Western Canada’s best friends. We’ll need them against climate change – just as much as we’ll need each otherGlacier melt stabilizes and supports river flows, which helped determine which communities thrived or suffered in the wake of the 2021 heat wave

Study suggests retreating glaciers could impact Alberta municipal water supplies | Globalnews.caA new Canadian study identified four Alberta communities as being vulnerable to the loss of glaciers, especially as it relates to their drinking water.

Glacier loss will cause water shortages in Alberta: UBC study

Opinion: Walking in the shadow of the valley of death: What glaciers and grief leave behind

The retreat of glacier ice is more than an annual retelling of a familiar tale of advancing climate change -- it can guide us toward healing from tragedy in our own lives.

Melting ice and glaciers could lead to water crisisA new study finds that ice is disappearing around the globe at an alarming rate and glaciers represent a significant amount of ice loss. Researchers in Canada say the retreat of glaciers will have major impacts on water security in Canada.

Melting glaciers will bring instability to more than 1 million Albertans' water supply | CBC NewsA first of its kind study from the University of British Columbia has found that melting glaciers will bring water shortages to one in four people living in Alberta.

Opinion: Our federation helped make Alberta rich in water. Now, that dam is breaking Albertans seeking sovereignty forget that the province’s agricultural success is a gift of pan-governmental cooperation – something they can’t lose sight of, in the face of serious water shortages

How Arctic landscapes and Canadian cityscapes share a similar patternWhile a seemingly remote and unfamiliar landscape, the Arctic shares many surprising similarities with contemporary Canadian cityscapes.

On Earth with Sam Anderson - GeophysicistListen to this episode from On Earth on Spotify. Sam Anderson is a PhD candidate in geophysics working with Dr. Valentina Radic at the University of British Columbia. He is curious about the relationships between ice, water, and people. His research seeks to understand how community-scale water supplies in Western Canada will be shaped by climate change through experiences such as the loss of glaciers and heat waves, and he is interested in applying data science techniques such as deep machine learning to investigate environmental problems. Before his graduate work at UBC, Sam did his undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta, obtaining a BSc in Engineering Physics and specializing in nanoelectronic engineering.