Fifteen years ago, before people had heard of the "greenhouse effect," Kathy Young was in Canada's High Arctic studying another kind ­ a glass one. The York geography professor was investigating how hothouse veggies grew in Ellesmere Island's harsh climate. She's been in love with the Arctic ever since.

    "I like the space ­ it's quiet, and there's spectacular scenery. And I get to meet lots of world-famous researchers," says Young. These days she has embarked on more ambitious projects than watching carrots grow. One day her study of "late-lying snowbeds" on Cornwallis Island, NWT, may provide some clues to trends in global warming.

    The snowbeds, or banks, are perennial. "They can be anywhere from 40 to 50 years old," she says. Often they're big, up to one kilometre long, 500 feet wide and 12 to 13 feet deep.

    Snowbeds of this size affect the water table and plant life around them. How they do so is what interests Young. So far, she's the only researcher to look at the effects of world-wide warming on the banks, and on their microclimates. Her research will aid in understanding Arctic ecology and modelling climate change.

    The effects of global warming will be more noticeable in Canada's northern regions, than elsewhere. "The North plays an important role in our oceanic and atmospheric patterns," she says.

    More accurate climate models (which need as much specific data as possible in order to be useful) will directly benefit from her research. "This kind of work helps everyone understand the implication of climate warming on northern ecosystems," says Young.

Illustration: Carey Sookocheff