The Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) represent the second largest permafrost peatland area in the world. They encompass not only the transition from the boreal forest to the coastal tundra with a large area of palsas (organic permafrost mounds) in between, but also the boundary between discontinuous and continuous permafrost. Thousands of lakes occupy the landscape. Based on recent field observations and preliminary paleoenvironmental studies, several lakes have been drying up in recent decades, with severe ecological consequences. This might be unprecedented over the last centuries, even millennia. To answer to this question, i.e. to explore hydro-ecological lake dynamics in the past, we can use the paleolimnological approach based on the study of lake sediment archives.

Main goal and work
This internship aims at introducing the student to paleolimnological research (the history of lakes), focused on the physico-chemical properties of lake sediment cores collected in the HBL near Churchill (northern Manitoba). Laboratory analyses such as grain size, water/organic content (loss-on-ignition) and fossil diatoms (microscopic algae) will be conducted. To characterize the more recent context of this lake-rich landscape, satellite images and older aerial photographs will be analyzed.

Deliverables

Laboratory results in a usable format (.xls, .csv or equivalent)

Maps of the study area at different epochs (last decades)

How to apply

Send a CV, academic transcripts and a motivation letter to Prof. Frédéric Bouchard (Frederic.bouchard5@usherbrooke.ca). Internship will start as soon as possible.