UNews - geography professor

U of L geographers observe climate-related tipping point to accelerated permafrost thaw

caroline.zentner — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 18:22:05 +0000

Research by Drs. Laura Chasmer and Chris Hopkinson, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge geography professors, indicates that the 1997–1998 El Niño may have served as a tipping point for accelerating permafrost loss in their study area in the Northwest Territories.

The study, Threshold loss of discontinuous permafrost and landscape evolution, has been published in the latest issue of the prestigious journal Global Change Biology.

“What we’re seeing is that the permafrost thaw has accelerated since the severe El Niño that we had in 1998. Between 1970 and 1998, the area of permafrost in our study site shrunk by roughly four per cent. Between 1998 and 2015, it shrunk by an additional 13 per cent,” says Chasmer. “The research shows that unusually warm air temperatures, a shortened snow-cover period and the timing of snowfall may have shifted the watershed into a new state. This could have significant effects on greenhouse gas fluxes, water resources, wildfire and food security.”

“The extra energy during and following El Niño shifted the state of the system into an entirely new condition and created this accelerated rate of change,” says Hopkinson. “What we don’t know is whether the watershed system has readjusted to a new kind of steady state or whether it’s going to continue that rapid acceleration of loss.”

Chasmer and Hopkinson surveyed the Scotty Creek watershed, about 50 kilometres south of Fort Simpson in the Northwest Territories, using airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). They conducted surveys in 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2016. Their data, combined with increased runoff from this watershed and others nearby, indicate that similar patterns of permafrost loss may be occurring across the region. Within their study area, the snow-covered season is 35 days shorter than it was in the 1970s.

Permafrost, made up of layers of old moss and soil that remain continuously frozen for two years or more, contains a large store of carbon. When it starts to thaw, significant amounts of carbon and methane are released into the atmosphere. In addition, thawing permafrost saturates the ground, causing trees and infrastructure like houses to tip over and slump, and creates difficult terrain for animals and traditional hunters to traverse. Chasmer and Hopkinson also suspect the increase in shrubbery they’ve found is because water runoff from thawing plateaus gathers into small channels and streams, which could dry out some of the wetland areas.

“That has potentially big implications for forest fires,” she says. “If wetlands dry out they become a fuel source, which could be why much larger areas of northern ecosystems are starting to burn.”

“If this rate of loss continues, total permafrost loss within our study area could occur by around 2044,” says Hopkinson. “We need to continue monitoring this area by doing LiDAR surveys every few years to determine if the system is in a new steady state or if it’s continuing to decline.”

An illustration of the changes seen in the study area can be found on YouTube.

Boon appears on Alberta Primetime

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:40:39 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge geography professor Dr. Sarah Boon was featured on Access Television's Alberta Primetime program this week, debating the merits of pine beetle eradication and whether or not government funding should be upped to get rid of the pests.

Boon was part of a panel discussion that also included Nigel Douglas, a conservation specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association. The program first aired on Tuesday evening and is now available at the Access Television website by following this link.

Boon is currently studying the effects of mountain pine beetle infestation and wildfire on snow accumulation and melt, the role of snowpack evolution in driving Arctic glacier hydrology, and the effects of snowmelt runoff in mediating stream temperature in groundwater-dominated watersheds.

Jiskoot discusses glaciers, climate change

trevor.kenney — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:03:24 +0000

Renowned ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge geography professor Dr. Hester Jiskoot will discuss the hot button issue of climate change and how it is affecting the world's glaciers, Tuesday in Pincher Creek.

Presented by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Senate Outreach Committee, Jiskoot will present Slip-Sliding Away: Glaciers, Climate Change, and Environmental Effects on Tuesday, Mar. 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. at St. Michael's School gymnasium in Pincher Creek.

Jiskoot is a glacier researcher and associate professor in the Department of Geography at the U of L. Her free presentation will be followed by a question and answer period.

Rethinking the environment

trevor.kenney — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:55:31 +0000

Dr. Christopher Hugenholtz and his research team are discovering that wind erosion is essential to preserving a balanced ecosystem.

Thoughts of wind erosion bring to mind vivid imagery of the 1930s dust bowl – wind ripping away valuable topsoil as it blackens prairie skies and paints a picture of agricultural devastation.

Dr. Christopher Hugenholtz, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge geography professor, is creating a new portrait of wind erosion by examining its positive role in sustaining the biodiversity of prairie grassland ecosystems.

"Wind erosion has been given a bad rap, and rightfully so because it removes and relocates valuable soil constituents for agriculture and degrades air quality with fine particulate matter," says Hugenholtz.

What he and his research team are discovering, however, is that wind erosion is also essential to preserving a balanced ecosystem. Sand dune areas serve as a habitat for a variety of sensitive and endangered plant and animal species that need bare, sandy surfaces and a level of wind erosion to survive.

Through the innovative use of satellite imaging, Hugenholtz has observed a dramatic decrease in the number of active sand dunes across the southern prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

"We're seeing a step-by-step reduction in the number of species in a particular area, and we don't know what that's going to do in the long term to other species," says Hugenholtz.

Years of managing the dune areas by reducing stresses such as fire, the roaming of bison and the grazing of cattle have encouraged the growth of vegetation. Reduced wind erosion levels are a direct result.

"We need these disturbances to maintain biodiversity and keep the ecosystem functioning," says Hugenholtz.

His work aims to develop unique strategies for conserving habitat through a better understanding of wind erosion controls and processes.

"We want to provide land users with some adaptive strategies to manage the land with a goal of maintaining biodiversity," says Hugenholtz.

Memorial service for U of L alumnus

trevor.kenney — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:05:01 +0000

A memorial service will be held today for the late Patrick (Chi Ho) Chan, a U of L alumnus and research assistant who passed away recently at the age of 29.

The service begins at 2 p.m. in the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building (AWESB).

Chan, who studied under the tutelage of geography professor Dr. Dan Johnson, worked first as a summer student and then part-time on environmental research related to using natural agents to replace chemicals used in agriculture.

When he graduated at the 2009 Spring convocation, he was offered and accepted a full-time job as a research technician in the AWESB. Chan and Johnson worked closely together in both the lab and field, researching environmental safety testing and bioproduct production.

Chan was well known on campus with his refreshing combination of a sunny disposition and an unfailing dedication to hard work, accomplishment and always doing the right thing.

Always willing to do more than his share in the AWESB, as well as assist Johnson and graduate students Rob Sonnenberg, Paul Irvine and Chien Yang, Chan is survived by his parents Man Chit Chan and Jenny Chan, his sister Patty, and partner Joanna Huang.

Focused on water

trevor.kenney — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:39:13 +0000

Teaching upcoming generations about the environment is critical to ensuring a healthy future for all of us, says long-time educator Dr. Rick Mrazek.

"The bottom line is, you can't have healthy human beings in an unhealthy environment. We have to understand that relationship," he explains.

Mrazek, a veteran professor in the Faculty of Education and Board of Governors Teaching Chair, has been internationally recognized as a leading science, technology and environmental educator and researcher. For decades, he's dedicated his research to helping upcoming generations understand the world around them.

But he says traditional methods are proving to be less effective. His research now explores how to integrate new technologies into classroom learning.

"We know that this generation now thinks differently and uses information differently," he explains.

Mrazek isn't just researching the use of technology in education – he's creating digital resources too. With U of L geography professor Dr. Jim Byrne and George Gallant of Gallant Productions, he helped create the Canadian Wildlife Federation's Water Under Fire website from the Water Under Fire documentary series, which draws upon the knowledge of water scientists from coast-to-coast to create concise public service announcements and webisodes about our water systems and conservation topics.

The short videos provide key information about surface water, ground water, wastewater, and how to use water in a more sustainable way.

Water Under Fire public service announcements run on television networks across Canada to the general public, but the series is meant to also function as a teaching tool for educators, says Mrazek.

"It provides authentic information 'on demand' anywhere, anytime – which is what today's youth prefer," he says.

Mrazek is presently taking part in a national study, funded by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, which is examining levels of adoption of emerging technologies – particularly web applications like YouTube and TeacherTube – by teachers of conservation and environmental education.

"We know that a lot of people are being exposed to (online) information, but now we're trying to figure out how this is being used in classes."

The Water Under Fire webisodes and public service announcements are available online at www.waterunderfire.ca and cwf-fcf.org.

Rethinking the environment

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:35:54 +0000

Dr. Christopher Hugenholtz and his research team are discovering that wind erosion is essential to preserving a balanced ecosystem.

Thoughts of wind erosion bring to mind vivid imagery of the 1930s dust bowl – wind ripping away valuable topsoil as it blackens prairie skies and paints a picture of agricultural devastation.

Through the innovative use of satellite imaging, Hugenholtz has observed a dramatic decrease in the number of active sand dunes across the southern prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

"We're seeing a step-by-step reduction in the number of species in a particular area, and we don't know what that's going to do in the long term to other species," says Hugenholtz.

"We need these disturbances to maintain biodiversity and keep the ecosystem functioning," says Hugenholtz.

His work aims to develop unique strategies for conserving habitat through a better understanding of wind erosion controls and processes.

"We want to provide land users with some adaptive strategies to manage the land with a goal of maintaining biodiversity," says Hugenholtz.

UNews - geography professor

U of L geographers observe climate-related tipping point to accelerated permafrost thaw

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