Draft:Stuart Arthur Harris

Stuart Arthur Harris is a British-Canadian geographer, geologist, and emeritus professor at the University of Calgary. His research focuses on climatology, biogeography, geocryology, and paleoclimatology, with fieldwork conducted across Asia and North America. He is known for his contributions to understanding alpine permafrost and climate change impacts on cold environments. In 1996, he received Alberta Centennial Medal for his work for the preservation of Nose Hill Park in Calgary.

Early Life and Education

Harris earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and Master of Science in Geology, followed by a PhD from Queen Mary University of London. Later, he received a Doctor of Science (DSc) in Geography from the same institution.

Career

Harris began his career in applied geology and engineering, advising the British military in Egypt and Jordan on geological and hydrological challenges during the 1950s. He later worked as a soil surveyor for Hunting Technical Services and the Government of Guyana.

Transitioning to academia, Harris taught geography at the University of Chicago, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of Kansas. He joined the University of Calgary in 1969 and remained there until his retirement. His interdisciplinary work bridges geology, geography, and environmental science.

Research

Harris’s environmental research focuses on permafrost dynamics, climate change, and alpine environments. He has published extensively on geocryology, including the 2017 book Geocryology: Characteristics and Use of Frozen Ground and Permafrost Landforms, which was later translated into Russian. His fieldwork includes studies in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, where he organized international conferences and field trips to advance periglacial, glacial and environmental research.

Selected publications

• A. Harris, Stuart, ed. (2022-03-09). The Nature, Causes, Effects and Mitigation of Climate Change on the Environment. IntechOpen. Bibcode:2022ncem.book.....H. doi:10.5772/intechopen.94777. ISBN 978-1-83968-611-5.
• Harris, Stuart A. (2019-08-08). "The Subdivision, Dynamics, and History of the Late Wisconsin Cold Event in Northeast Asia and Northern North America during the Last 75 ka B.P." Cold Regions Engineering 2019. Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers: 570–578. doi:10.1061/9780784482599.066. ISBN 978-0-7844-8259-9.
• A. Harris, Stuart (2019). "The relationship of sea level changes to climatic change in northeast Asia and northern North America during the last 75 ka B.P." AIMS Environmental Science. 6 (1): 14–40. Bibcode:2019AIMES...6...14H. doi:10.3934/environsci.2019.1.14. ISSN 2372-0352.
• A., Stuart (2012-08-29), "The Role that Diastrophism and Climatic Change Have Played in Determining Biodiversity in Continental North America", Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization in a Diverse World, InTech, doi:10.5772/50286, ISBN 978-953-51-0719-4, retrieved 2025-05-23
• Harris, Stuart A. (2010-12-30), "Mega-Hydroelectric Power Generation on the Yangtze River: The Three Gorges Dam", Engineering Earth, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 1569–1581, doi:10.1007/978-90-481-9920-4_90, ISBN 978-90-481-9919-8, retrieved 2025-05-23
• Harris, Stuart A. (2010-12-30), "The Qinghai–Tibetan Railroad: Innovative Construction on Warm Permafrost in a Low-Latitude, High-Elevation Region", Engineering Earth, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 747–765, doi:10.1007/978-90-481-9920-4_43, ISBN 978-90-481-9919-8, retrieved 2025-05-23
• Stuart, A. Harris (2013). "Climatic change: Causal correlations over the last 240 Ma". Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions. 5 (3): 259. Bibcode:2013SCAR....5..259S. doi:10.3724/sp.j.1226.2013.00259. ISSN 1674-3822.
• Harris, Stuart A. (2008-04-01). "Diversity of vascular plant species in the montane boreal forest of western Canada in response to climatic changes during the last 25 ka, fire, and land use". Erdkunde. 62 (1): 59–73. Bibcode:2008Erdk...62...59H. doi:10.3112/erdkunde.2008.01.05. ISSN 0014-0015.
• Peng, Haidong; Mayer, Bernhard; Harris, Stuart; Krouse, H. Roy (2007-01-01). "The influence of below-cloud secondary effects on the stable isotope composition of hydrogen and oxygen in precipitation at Calgary, Alberta, Canada". Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology. 59 (4): 698. Bibcode:2007TellB..59..698P. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0889.2007.00291.x. ISSN 1600-0889.

External links

• Harris profile at ResearchGate
• Orcid Profile

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• Academic staff of the University of Calgary
• Queen Mary University of London alumni
• University of Chicago faculty
• Academic staff of Wilfrid Laurier University
• University of Kansas faculty
• American geologists