EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Kamloops in the Snow

Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

Explanation:  Please enjoy this late-winter snowy scene of the fine town of Kamloops, located in interior British Columbia, western Canada.  

Kamloops is situated mostly on the southern banks where the North Thompson River flows into the main stem of the Thompson River that, in turn, flows into Kamloops Lake to the west.  

Studies have shown that waters of the Thompson River tend to flow into Kamloops Lake either at the lake surface, mid-depth, or the bottom, depending on the water temperature.  

And, perhaps surprisingly, the Thompson River enters Kamloops Lake along the right-hand shoreline.  Can you guess why?  Apparently, it has to do with the Earth's rotation -- the so-called coriolis effect, that also influences rotational patterns of large storms and ocean currents.  Who knew?

According to the town's official web page, Kamloops derives from the Shuswap word Tk'emlúps, meaning "where the rivers meet."  The site has been home to the Tk’emlupsemc people for centuries, and their name means "people of the confluence."  (The Shuswap Nation Tribal Council is an organization of several bands of indigenous peoples based in Kamloops.)   

Kamloops is located along Canada Highway 1, the main artery stretching the width of the southern part of the country.  I once rode my motorcycle on a solo all-summer camping journey pretty much the length of Highway 1, and enjoyed visiting Kamloops when the snow was gone.  

Information:
    Carmack, E.C., C.B.J. Gray, C.H. Pharo, and R.J. Daley.  1979.  Importance of lake-river interaction on seasonal patterns in the general circulation of Kamloops Lake, British Columbia.  Limnology and Oceanography 24(4):634-644.