Dr. Wesley Van Wychen
Assistant Professor
wesley.van.wychen@uwaterloo.ca
Wesley joined the department in 2019, after leading the Canadian Cryospheric Information Network and Polar Data Catalogue at the University of Waterloo. Prior to this, he worked as a Research Scientist within the Public Service of Canada (2016-2018). His research interests are broad, but largely related to remote sensing of the cryosphere (in particular glaciers and glacier dynamics) and oceans (currents and oil spills), geospatial data management and historical climate data rescue.
My primary research interests relate to utilizing remote sensing (satellite imagery) and field data to observe variability in glaciers and glacier motion. My work largely utilizes Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) data to create regional scale monitoring of ice masses in Canada. In support of this work, I have undertaken fieldwork in Yukon, Nunavut, the Rocky Mountains and Svalbard (Norwegian Arctic). This research is critical for understanding how glaciers in Canada (and worldwide) are responding to a changing climate.
In addition to this, I am also interested in the application of SAR remote sensing datasets to observe ocean processes (currents, sea ice) and monitor human activities (detection of oil spills). Further, I am also interested in research projects related to data management and long-term data preservation as well as historical climate data rescue projects.
University of Waterloo Glaciology 