The Cold Regions Research Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University will host Kevin Turner, from Brock University, as he gives a lecture on, "Evaluating Landscape Changes and Associated Influences on Lakes and Rivers in Old Crow Flats, Yukon."
Key topics covered
Lake-rich permafrost landscapes occupy significant proportions of northern regions in Canada and other circumpolar countries. These areas are ecological hotspots and provide important resources for northern communities. Changing climate conditions have induced widespread, yet variable responses across many of these landscapes. Old Crow Flats (OCF) is a lake-rich permafrost landscape that is regarded for its rich ecology and cultural heritage. Local observations of landscape changes include drastically fluctuating lake water levels, unpredictable weather, increasing shrub growth, and shoreline slumping. The influence of these changes on lake and river hydroecological conditions and carbon mobility remains uncertain. Our research aims to refine our knowledge of the influence of changing catchment characteristics on lake and downstream conditions so that we can improve predictions of how the hydrology and biogeochemistry (e.g., carbon mobility) will respond to future climate change.
Speaker bio
