Chantal MedaA volcanic eruption that occurred 1,200 years ago in what is now the southwest
Yukon Territory significantly altered the geographic landscape of the region. This eruption, known as the White River ash event, is the subject of research conducted by
University of Ottawa PhD candidate Joan Bunbury.
Working under the supervision of Professor Konrad Gajewski of the Laboratory for Paleoclimatology and Climatology in the Department of Geography, Bunbury’s thesis explores the impact that the White River ash eruption had on the southwest
Yukon’s aquatic ecosystems.
Bunbury recently received the Malcolm Ramsay Memorial Award for her work on the
Yukon. The award, named after internationally renowned scientist Malcolm Ramsay, is awarded to one student nationally and works in conjunction with the Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP) grant. Managed by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, the NSTP supports scientific training provided by Canadian universities by allowing advanced students to gain professional experience in the North, and encouraging them to develop a commitment to northern work.
The program aims to increase the number of graduate and senior undergraduate students in Canadian universities who have specialized in some aspect of northern scientific studies and who have northern research experience. Bunbury has been researching the
Yukon since her undergraduate degree at the University, and was influenced by a fourth-year geography field course taught by Professor Antoni Lewkowicz. Her undergraduate thesis and subsequent master’s of science thesis both explored the area surrounding the southwest
Yukon Territory, and introduced her to the complexities of Northern geography.
“Some of the challenges faced in this research has been establishing field sites,” Bunbury explains. “Due to the vastness of the region, being able to get to field sites and needing to sample at different distances has been difficult.”
Bunbury is trying to understand the ecosystem evolution in the southwest
Yukon in order to see how climate change has impacted the region. She hopes that her research will allow her a greater understanding of the effects that catastrophic events can have on the natural world.
“Hopefully this would allow us to see what effects climate change has by looking at differences and similarities responding to environmental stresses,” she explains.
By looking at how quickly organisms respond to climate changes of different duration and frequency, Bunbury is paving the way to a greater understanding of the vast northern Canadian landscape and the delicate balance that exists between environment and evolution.
Related link:
Laboratory for Paleoclimatology and Climatology
