Northwest Territories Research Database

Principal Investigator: Varner, Ruth K
Licensed Year(s): 2019
Summary: The aim of this project is to combine remote sensing data, field measurements and biogeochemical modeling to improve methane emissions estimates from thawing permafrost peatland landscapes at local, regional and global scales. To accomplish this, the research team will integrate data on water table and vegetation from remote sensing (satellites, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs)), with local measurem...

Principal Investigator: Sonnentag, Oliver
Licensed Year(s): 2019 2018 2018 2017 2016 2015
Summary: Through this project the following objectives will be addressed: What is the net effect of permafrost thawing-induced biophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks to the climate system? How do these two types of feedback differ between the sporadic and discontinuous permafrost zones? Is the reported decrease (increase) in net carbon dioxide (methane) exchange based on plot- (<1m2) and ecosystem-scale...

Principal Investigator: Sonnentag, Oliver
Licensed Year(s): 2019 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
Summary: The project of the present application is the continuation of year-round eddy covariance measurements of carbon, water and energy fluxes at Scotty Creek, established in 2013. The key methodology is tower-mounted micrometeorological measurements around the eddy covariance technique using an open-path infra-red gas analyzer and a sonic anemometer. These measurements are supported by measurements ...

Principal Investigator: Errington, Ruth
Licensed Year(s): 2018
Summary: After 10 years of warming climate conditions, the Canadian Fire Service is leading a field project to re-measure a series of permanent monitoring plots to identify any changes to the forest stand structure, tree growth rates, plant community composition, tree, shrub, herb, and lichen biomass. These changes will be associated with climate trends and environmental factors such as soil type, presence...

Principal Investigator: Bourgeau-Chavez, Laura L.
Licensed Year(s): 2018 2017 2016 2015
Summary: The goal of this project is to identify and collect remote sensing and field data to support the science necessary to investigate the impacts and consequences of the 2014-15 wildfires in Northwest Territories, Canada and to better understand the vulnerability of the Carbon-rich boreal peatlands to burning. Field crews will navigate to pre-selected sample locations and collect at each location: ...

Principal Investigator: Olefeldt, David
Licensed Year(s): 2017 2016 2015
Summary: The project team intend to study carbon cycling in peatland catchments, in order to determine whether the interactions between wildfire and permafrost thaw causes increased release of greenhouse gases from peatlands and aquatic ecosystems to the atmosphere, and thus cause amplified climate change. Given the overall objective of the project, the team intend to address five research questions: ...

Principal Investigator: Chetelat, John
Licensed Year(s): 2016
Summary: The research team will use natural environmental archives (lake sediment and peat cores) to characterize the forest fire history in the study region and test the relationship between fire events and metal accumulation over recent centuries. Study sites will be selected along a gradient of recent forest fire activity with some study sites located in areas of the latest burns (2014-15) to examine th...

Principal Investigator: Guêné-Nanchen, Mélina
Licensed Year(s): 2016
Summary: The objective of this project is to evaluate bryophytes regeneration in Northwest Territories burned peatlands to improve the understanding of the structure of mosses ecosystems. This new knowledge should improve the restoration method of disturbed peatlands where the reintroduction and regeneration mosses are problematic. Several sites will be studied in order to have a range of plant communit...

Principal Investigator: Turetsky, Merritt R.
Licensed Year(s): 2014 2013
Summary: The research team aims to study if permafrost thaw in peatlands is linked to rapid losses of organic matter. The field work will focus on extracting a number of cores from different peatland sites that differ in their permafrost status and in fire history. By examining the peat layers in the core the team will be able to reconstruct the history of the site and to link changes in permafrost conditi...

Principal Investigator: Turetsky, Merritt R.
Licensed Year(s): 2011
Summary: The objective is to quantify the amount of fuel combustion and carbon losses during wildfires in boreal conifer forests and peatlands. These data will allow us to quantify climatic and weather controls on the severity of biomass burning. Boreal forests and peatlands store a large amount of carbon in vegetation and soils. Climate change is predicted to increase summer drought, which could mak...