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Opening of the permafrost exhibit at Dynamic Earth!

Written by pascaleroyleveillee

The permafrost exhibit “Under the Arctic” developed by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is now at Dynamic Earth, in Sudbury. The LU Permafrost Research Laboratory worked with Dynamic Earth to add a Canadian component, and participated in the opening events on Feburary 11th, 2020.

  • Virtual tour photo by OMSI
  • Photo by S Houle Drapeau for Radio Canada interview
  • Permafrost distribution in Canada

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!

Life at the permafrost lab, Media, Partnerships & collaborations, Teaching, Uncategorized, , , ,

Pascale en entrevue à Radio-Canada avec Marie Villeneuve pour Phare Ouest

Written by pascaleroyleveillee

On October 15th 2019, while doing field work in the Yukon, Pascale spoke with Radio-Canada’s Phare Ouest host, Marie Villeneuve, about her permafrost research in the Yukon and the recent $5.5 M funding received by PermafrostNet.

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/phare-ouest/segments/entrevue/138172/pascale-roy-leveillee-pergelisol-fonte-yukon?fbclid=IwAR2hTgbbJb895Gr6_cJk1FPgHRMlIxYO_NPvdaXaJAhtn17_kVGjc9Pt6vE

Blackstone Uplands, Field work, Funding announcement, Media, Partnerships & collaborations, PermafrostNet, Yukon,

NSERC funds PermafrostNet as a Strategic Partnership Network!

Written by pascaleroyleveillee

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) will provide more than $5 million over five years to fund PermafrostNet, a Canadian research network of 12 universities, including Laurentian University, and more than 40 partner organizations. “The network focuses on permafrost degradation to determine where, when, and how permafrost thaw is occurring and what are the consequences of this thaw for northern infrastructure and northerners across the Canadian North” says Dr. Pascale Roy-Leveillee of the Laurentian University Permafrost Research Laboratory, one of the Network co-principal investigators.

Permafrost underlies more than one-third of the Canadian land surface and nearly all of it will experience thaw during the 21st century. The resulting disruption to natural and human systems will influence the lives of northerners and access to natural resources.

The network research will focus on 5 themes: 1) characterization of permafrost, to fill important gaps in our knowledge of Canadian permafrost extent and characteristics (11 students); 2) monitoring, to ensure we have the means to detect and quantify change in permafrost conditions (8 students); 3) prediction, to improve simulations of changing permafrost and integration with Global Climate Models, and to insure stakeholders can use the model outputs (8 students); 4) hazards, to understand what impacts the observed and predicted permafrost degradation can have on infrastructure, environmental resources, ecosystems and health (9 students); 5) adaptation to permafrost degradation, to support northerners as they prepare for and deal with permafrost thaw and its consequences (9 students).

“The network has the research capacity that no single group or agency can provide and can transform knowledge and practice on a national scale to position Canada as a leader in permafrost research” Indicates Dr. Stephan Gruber, the PermafrostNet Lead, who is professor and Canada Research Chair in Climate Change Impacts/Adaptation in Northern Canada at Carleton University.

The objective of the highly competitive NSERC Strategic Partnership Grants for Networks is to increase research and training in targeted areas, contributing to a better quality of life in Canada. Only two networks were funded this year across Canada

Funding announcement, Hudson Bay Lowlands, Partnerships & collaborations, Students, Uncategorized, Yukon, , , ,

Entrevue à Radio-Canada, Boulevard du Pacificque

Written by pascaleroyleveillee

Ice wedges, degrading blackstoneLR

Thermokarst erosion in the Blackstone Uplands

 

Pascale parle pergélisol avec Jacques Dufresne, à Radio-Canada. Ils discutent de sa recherche à Old Crow Flats et d’un voyage récent dans la vallée de la rivière Blackstone, au Yukon.

*Contrairement à ce que dit Jacques Dufresne dans l’intro, Pascale n’était pas à Old Crow Flats cet été avec ses étudiants, mais dans la vallée de la Blackstone. Des résultats liés à Old Crow Flats ont été publiés récemment.

 

Pascale talks ‘pergélisol’ in French with Radio-Canada’s Jacques Dufresne. She discusses some of her research in Old Crow Flats and talks of her recent visit to the Blackstone Uplands, Yukon.

*Note that Pascale was not in Old Crow Flats with students this summer (unfortunately!), but in the Blackstone Uplands of central Yukon. Results from previous research in Old Crow Flats were recently published.

 

Media, , , ,

Summer 2016 field season in the Blackstone Uplands

Written by pascaleroyleveillee

In July and August, Emma, Nathan, and Pascale visited the Blackstone Uplands, Yukon, to investigate field conditions at sites that showed signs of increased permafrost degradation between the 1950s and early 2000s. The data collected will be used for Emma’s honor thesis, as she will examine the distribution of thermokarst features in the Blackstone River valley and discuss terrain characteristics at the affected sites.

Photographs of thermokarst features in the Blackstone Uplands and some field work photos are found here, and more pictures of students hard at work in the field are found here. Nathan and Emma’s field work was made possible by funding from the Goodman School of Mines and the Northern Scientific Training Program. Thanks to the Na-Cho Nyak Dun and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nations for allowing us to conduct field work on their traditional territories.

Nathan and Emma 2016

Clockwise from top left corner: Degrading ice wedges and thermokarst tunnels; Expanding ponds; Active-layer detachment slides; Developping beaded streams. All photos taken in the Blackstone Uplands in 2016, by Pascale Roy-Leveillee.

 

Blackstone Uplands, Field work, Yukon, , , , ,