Post Doctoral Fellows, Students and Staff

Erika Hille. Ph.D. Student (co-supervised with Dr. Scott Lamoureux)

My research focuses on how landscape, hydrologic, and climatic conditions influence the water quality of Arctic streams and rivers. More specifically, I am examining spatial variability in the seasonal hydrochemistry of four Arctic rivers situated in contrasting permafrost landscapes (coastal tundra, low arctic polygonal, ice glaciated marginal, forested interior plain). Three rivers are located in the Beaufort Delta Region. The fourth is located on Baffin Island, in the Eastern Arctic. This information will be used to develop a conceptual framework that characterizes the sensitivity and response of aquatic systems to permafrost thaw.

In addition to being a PhD student, I work at the Western Arctic Research Centre (WARC) in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. In my role at WARC, I spend a lot of time working with community members, government, Indigenous, and co-management organizations to develop research programs that are relevant to the people of the Beaufort-Delta region. As a vital resource, understanding and mitigating the effects of climate change on freshwater systems is consistently a research priority. It’s my hope that this research can be used by community leaders to make informed decisions about northern freshwater resources.

Cedelle Pereira, Ph.D. student

My area of research focuses on the influence of hydrological processes and landscape characteristics on carbon and nutrient cycling, and carbon feedbacks in High Arctic surface waters. I am particularly interested in how permafrost disturbances and seasonal hydrological changes affect the composition and structure of dissolved organic matter, as well as the abundance and composition of key nutrients such as nitrogen, and phosphorus. Most of my work is conducted at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO) on Melville Island, Nunavut, with some additional research carried out on Bylot Island, Nunavut.

I hold an HBSc from the University of Toronto and an MSc in Geography, specializing in permafrost hydrology, from Queen's University. My research expertise encompasses geochemistry, paleoclimatology, and hydrology.

I am hopeful that working at a long-term integrated research facility will enable me to further develop my research and analytical skills, allowing me to provide quantitative data that supports the development of watershed-scale models. These models can be used to assess how changes in land cover, hydrology, and permafrost disturbances impact carbon and nutrient dynamics in surface waters.

Abigail Harrison, M.Sc. Student (Co-supervised with Dr. Mike Palmer, Aurora Research Institute)

Natural resource extraction has been an integral part of human development over the past century. However, in most cases resource extraction is accompanied by environmental degradation. My current research focuses on re-mobilization of aerially distributed arsenic pollution, a result of decades of gold mining, through snow melt and seasonal surface water runoff in the Pocket Lake catchment, Yellowknife NWT. This work will help to understand the transport of arsenic among surface layer soils into regional lakes and has the potential to inform local communities and potential future remediation efforts in the area. This work is particularly interesting in the face of ongoing climate change as northern seasonal patterns and environmental conditions continue to shift rapidly. 

I have a B.A. in Biology from Wellesley College. In the past, I have conducted research in astrobiology, limnology, immunology, and astronomy. I’m excited to now be developing my research capabilities and knowledge in the fields of permafrost hydrology and geochemistry as a member of the FaBRECC lab!

Natalie de Freitas, M.Sc. Student

Water quality and availability are critical in determining sources of drinking water. As climate change amplifies warming in the Arctic, surface water sources (rain and snow) and groundwater dynamics in permafrost regions are changing alongside it.

My research interests revolve around investigating the movement of sulphur and trace metals released through thawing permafrost and the resulting impacts on freshwater streams in High Arctic environments

My research focuses on how climate change and degrading permafrost will change nutrient loading in High Arctic watersheds. As part of my master’s thesis, I will be taking on two distinct but related projects. The first builds on previous work done in the Niaqunguk Watershed outside of Iqaluit where small-scale differences in geomorphology may have major impacts on water quality. My second project will be conducted in the West River Watershed on Melville Island Nunavut. A nitrogen budget of the watershed and some of its subsidiaries will be done to examine how a deepening active layer and changing precipitation regimes in the High Arctic are changing the export of nitrogen, an important nutrient for aquatic ecosystems.

I have a BASc in Climate and Environment from St. Francis Xavier University where my previous research focused on the surface monitoring of Canadian carbon capture and storage facilities as well as the economic modelling of carbon taxation across Canada. I am excited to be starting in this new discipline of research and to develop better field and lab skills.

Caitlin Lapalme, Laboratory Technician

I am the Laboratory Technician for the Arctic Watershed Biogeochemistry side of the FaBRECC laboratory. I work to ensure the lab, and its analytical instruments are running smoothly so as to facilitate the research being conducted by our research partners, undergraduate and graduate students.

My previous research focused on investigations of permafrost, ground ice conditions and environmental change in high latitude regions through field, lab, image processing and spatial analysis techniques. I have also participated in the installation and maintenance of an environmental monitoring network and employed permafrost geophysics techniques across Labrador. My most recent research contributions were associated with inventorying rock glaciers; reviewing literature associated with modelling hydrogeochemistry in permafrost environments; and constraining the ground thermal impacts of upright vegetation in northern environments.

I hold a Graduate Diploma in Bioenvironmental Monitoring from Trent University, a MSc in Geography with a Specialization in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Ottawa and a BA in Environmental Studies and Geography from the University of Ottawa. Prior to relocating to Ontario, I worked as a Laboratory Coordinator at the Labrador Institute of Memorial University where I was responsible for establishing and developing the physical science labs and research station at the Labrador Institute Research Station while coordinating and assisting with the associated research. I also worked to develop and lead science education and outreach activities for Labrador youth and families.