The permafrost exhibit “Under the Arctic” developed by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is now at Dynamic Earth, in Sudbury, and it is awesome. At the The LU Permafrost Research Laboratory , we had a chance to work with the Science North/Dynamic Earth team to make a new video for the exhibit, that highlights some local research focused on Canadian permafrost!
Virtual tour photo by OMSI
Virtual tour photo by OMSI
Virtual tour photo by OMSI
Rob Gagné and Dustin Liikane, from Science North and Dynamic Earth, came to the Living with Lakes Research Centre to film Adam, Chantae, and Pascale processing samples and talking about permafrost research (see photos below). Rob produced an awesome video by combining this footage with photos of permafrost research, and footage provided by Sam Hunter and by the Pascale’s research partners from the ArcticNet project ‘Humans in a thawing landscape’.
Be sure to go to the exhibit and check out this new video on permafrost research starring some local permafrost talent!
The Canadian component of the exhibit includes a large map of permafrost distribution in Canada, and photos of permafrost features found accross the country (thank you to A Lewkowicz, A Kirkwood, S Kokelj, N Mykytczuk, T Pretzlaw, N Basiliko, and A Boisson for providing photos from across the country!).
Talking permafrost distribution with the Dynamic Earth Bluecoats
Just before the opening, Pascale joined Dustin and Jennifer to help train the interpretive staff (the ‘Bluecoats‘) who will be working with the public in the permafrost exhibit.
A quick tour of Canadian permafrost landscapes
School kids look at drilling equipment
How do we study permafost if it is hidden beneath the surface?
On the day of the opening, Sudbury.com was there to make a video and article on the event, which included a press release and a presentation by Pascale, Adam, and Cassandra to a group of about 90 students (grades 4 to 6).
Pascale spoke briefly at the press conference
Showing core samples with segregated ice
An interview in front of the replica permafrost tunnel
We had a great time working with Dynamic Earth/Science North, and are happy to have contributed to this awesome permafrost exhibit in Sudbury!
On September 6th, 2019, Pascale visited the Radio-Canada studios in Sudbury, to discuss PermafrostNet with Frédéric Projean at ‘Les matins du Nord’. The interview can be heard on their website at by following this link.
Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, has announced the recipient projects of the highly competitive “Advancing Climate Change Science in Canada” initiative.
Peat cores from several canadian locations, including sites in Yukon, NWT, Manitoba, and Ontario, will be included in the study.
Project description: High latitude cold regions, including Arctic and northern areas of Canada, are warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet, with the greatest warming occurring during the winter. Canada’s temperate to subarctic wetlands and permafrost peatlands hold large stores of carbon which are susceptible to loss under future climate warming scenarios. Therefore, understanding the factors which regulate the processes controlling greenhouse gas emissions during the non-growing season is critical for predicting the fate of these vulnerable carbon stocks and for creating climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. With a focus on these critical ecosystems, the project brings together Canadian leaders from multiple disciplines from across universities with federal government scientists and policy makers to determine the drivers of non-growing season carbon cycling, develop process-based environmental models, and estimate CO2 emissions. In doing so, the project will address the knowledge gaps on emissions to provide data and tools to evaluate the impact of winter warming mitigation in controlling carbon losses from pan-Canadian wetland ecosystems.
