Chris Derksen is a research scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Climate Research Division, and holds an adjunct faculty position with the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at University of Waterloo. His research focuses on the use of satellite derived datasets and climate models to understand how snow cover and sea ice interact with the global climate system. Chris is a lead author of the upcoming International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. Chris received his Ph.D from the University of Waterloo in 2001.
Current research and/or projects
Develop new knowledge on the state, variability, and change in the cryosphere, including the role in the climate system
Retrieval of information on the cryosphere from airborne and satellite remote sensing
Application of satellite datasets to climatological, hydrological, and modelling studies of the cryosphere
Field studies of snow cover and sea ice

Professional activities / interests
Lead Author, International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on the Cryosphere and Oceans in a Changing Climate (Chapter 3: Polar regions)
Principal Investigator, “Terrestrial Snow Mass Mission – Phase 0”. Canadian Space Agency.
Co-investigator, “Climate Change Indicators – Snow”, European Space Agency.
Co-chair, Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP-6) "Land Surface, Snow and Soil Moisture Model Intercomparison Project (LS3MIP)"
Associate Editor, The Cryosphere
Editorial board member, Remote Sensing of Environment
Associate Editor, Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing