Uncategorized

GeoManitoba 2025

78th Annual CGS Conference & 9th Canadian Permafrost Conference
September 21 – 24, 2025 

This Fall NSERC PermafrostNet attended GeoManitoba2025 at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg, with an exhibitor booth, presentations and the launch of the Network Research Summaries.

The conference started on Monday with Canadian Permafrost Association case studies featuring a “Preliminary Assessment of the Flood Risk Potential Along the Hudson Bay Railway with Consideration of Climate Change Effects” by Adeleh Zafranchi Zadeh Moqadam, followed in the afternoon by Scientific Director, Stephan Gruber, talking about “Permafrost simulations can more effectively support adaptation decisions when they are contextualized, localized, reliable, and informed by uncertainty analyses“.

The afternoon also featured the culmination of the network’s Theme 5 with a panel session “Experiences in adapting to permafrost change.” featuring former network student Astrid Schetselaar.

The conference saw the launch of the Glossary of Permafrost Science and Engineering at a special lunch on Tuesday the 23rd of September.

The Tuesday afternoon highlights were the talks in the Geomorphology section by network members, Tabatha Rahman on “Late Holocene ice-wedge development in the Barrens of northern Manitoba“, and Zhina Rezvani’s research into the “Effect of the peat layer on the ground thermal regime along the Hudson Bay Railway“.

By Tristan MacLean, ago

Field work training at Foret Montmorency

The network recently hosted a fieldwork training event at the Fort Montmorency research station of Université Laval.

The first day was packed with exciting and valuable sessions, from navigation training by Pia Blake to hands-on installation and location of ground temperature sensors by Galina Jonat and Olivia Meier-Legault, followed by discussions about field safety and situations led by Tristan MacLean.

The navigation session started off with everyone creating 3D models of their topographic maps, followed by outdoor location of waypoints, on and off the trails, using maps, compass and GPS.

In the afternoon, after an introduction to temperature sensors and their use in permafrost terrain by Galina and Olivia, the trainees were split into two groups, to test out their abilities at finding buried sensors based on location information and the use of a metal detector to find associated nails.

Day two was even more action packed, featuring drone flying, lectures on detecting ground ice and a competitive shelter building session followed by fire making practice with the ferro rods and some good old marshmallow toasting.

The morning featured a session on demystifying remotely piloted aircraft for field research with Frederic Brieger. Thankfully the rain held off and we were able to get out and get the drones up in the air.

The afternoon started off with a presentation on ERT and Spectral Induced Polarization by Hosein Fereydooni, before we headed out to see the flux tower and learn about eddy co-variance with Bruno Lecavalier. The group then took part in a competitive but very friendly time-limited challenge to construct a shelter in the wild with limited resources. The session was led, and each teams efforts carefully assessed by Frederic and Galina.

The day was completed with a tricky but satisfying fire-making session using a variety of survival tools and natural kindling.

By Tristan MacLean, ago

Le secret des tourbières par Radio-Canada

Un reportage à Découverte de Radio-Canada avec Oliver Sonnentag.

Face au réchauffement de la planète, les scientifiques tirent la sonnette d’alarme : il est temps de prendre conscience des pouvoirs de la tourbe. D’un labo de biopharmacie en Irlande à la plus grande tourbière d’Europe, en passant par la cabane d’un piégeur et la plus vaste expérience sur le changement climatique, Le secret des tourbières nous dévoile la beauté et les merveilles des tourbières. Avec Oliver Sonnentag, à la minute 22:45.

Regarder ici: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/tele/decouverte/site/episodes/865999/tourbieres-foret-amazonie-planete
By Tristan MacLean, ago

Ottawa-Carleton Northern Research Symposium

The OCSNRS is an annual student academic conference focusing on Subarctic, Arctic and Antarctic research from natural & physical sciences, social sciences, humanities and applied sciences.

This year the University of Ottawa hosted the meeting which featured a number of permafrost presentations from the network:

  • Galina Jonat – A proposed Framework for Improved Simulations of Permafrost Change.
  • Frederic Brieger – Permafrost Terrain Disturbance Mapping and Susceptibility Modeling in the Na-Cho Nyäk Ge (Stewart River) Watershed, Yukon.
  • Rae Landriau – Performance of Drilling Waste Sumps – Mackenzie Delta NT.
  • Pia Blake – Effects of Snow and Surface Material on Surface Offset of Intermediate Slopes.

Read more about the symposium here:

Eng: https://www.uottawa.ca/en/events-all/ottawa-carleton-student-northern-research-symposium-ocsnrs

Fr: https://www.uottawa.ca/fr/tous-evenements/symposium-recherche-nordique-ottawa-carleton-sernoc

By Tristan MacLean, ago

NSERC CREATE LEAP

Taking Climate Action through Permafrost Training

“What happens in the North, doesn’t stay in the North”

The LEAP program aims to train tomorrow’s Leaders in Permafrost thaw and northern research by training and providing research funding to graduate students who will work alongside co-applicants or partnered universities across Canada on permafrost science and research. Undergraduate students are also welcome to apply for unfunded research opportunities alongside the program’s co-grantee and collaborators, which they can use to complete their thesis.

You can read more about the NSERC CREATE LEAP program in the feature on Carleton University’s news on experiential learning.

By Tristan MacLean, ago