Patricia Pernica holds a MSc in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta and a PhD in physics from the University of Toronto. Her research interests are focused on understanding the role of lakes in regional climate systems through identifying and modelling key physical processes. Lakes can influence local and regional climate as they have significantly different radiative and thermal properties compared with soil or vegetated surfaces. Incorporating a lake model into a regional climate model is necessary to understand the influence of lake systems on atmospheric processes.
Through her research, Pernica aims to improve understanding of the feedbacks between lakes and atmospheric processes. Assessing the effect of lakes on the regional climate system is key to identifying the impacts of climate variability. This work will contribute to the institute's goal of understanding the impacts of a changing climate on water resources.