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Barry Smit

b. 1948

Canadian geographer

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About Barry Smit

Born 1948. Barry Smit is a Canadian and New Zealand geographer.

Barry Edward Smit is a Canadian geographer who served as the Canada Research Chair in Global Environmental Change. His research focuses are largely on the interactions of agriculture and irrigation on the climate, as well as climate change adaptation, especially in arctic regions. He has been described by the Toronto Star as a "top scientist" and additionally by the Government of Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSRC) as "a pioneer and world leader in research on the human impacts of climate change".

Smit is a Professor Emeritus at University of Guelph, Department of Geography. Smit's awards and honors including being inducted into both the Order of Ontario and the Royal Society of Canada, winning a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, a Scholarly Distinction Award in Geography from the Canadian Association of Geographers, and the SSRC Gold Medal.

In 2015, he appeared on The Agenda to describe the changing climate's effects on wine viticulture in Canada. He was also a scientist featured on CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks.

Dr. Barry Smit was appointed to the Order of Canada for his contributions to understanding of climate change and for his mentorship of the next generation of climate change scientists. Smit was one of the first researchers in 1980 to study the effects of climate change.

His research has additionally been applied to study water resources in Chile.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Employers
University of Guelph
Awards
Order of Ontario; Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
Also known as
Barry E. Smit, Barry Edward Smit

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Barry Smit's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Barry Smit?

Canadian geographer

When was Barry Smit born?

Barry Smit was born on 24 September 1948 in Auckland.

What is Barry Smit's occupation?

Barry Smit is a geographer.

What nationality is Barry Smit?

Barry Smit is Canadian and New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Barry Smit

· Wikidata: Q58212631

· DBpedia: Barry Smit

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Barry Smit. https://biography.guide/barry-smit/

MLA: "Barry Smit." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/barry-smit/.

Chicago: "Barry Smit." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/barry-smit/.

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