FORMER STUDENTS

Jaclyn Cockburn Ph.D. 2008 (Queen's University) My research interests are in past and contemporary, cold region landscape processes and how climate variability has affected these landscapes. I am also interested in the formation of clastic varve (annually laminated sedimentary) records and the isolation of the different process signals (e.g., climatological, hydrological, geomorphological) from these records to evaluate landscape changes (e.g., permafrost degradation or destabilization) through time. In the context of future global change, high resolution records will help us understand how surface processes in the past have responded to climate change. I have carried out a multi-year study of the hydroclimatic and geomorphic processes that control snowmelt runoff and sediment transfer from the watershed and deposition into the lakes Cape Bounty. In addition to improving interpretations of the long sedimentary records, this first aspect of my research contributes to our understanding of sediment transfer dynamics in systems with short-lived runoff events (e.g., high arctic, semi-arid regions, flash floods in deforested regions). Secondly, evaluating the long sedimentary records from paired catchments facilitates the development of two independent paleoenvironmental records and to quantify the strength of the climate signal in sedimentary record proxies through time.

Stephanie Cuven Ph.D. (2009) The new ITRAXTM Core Scanner provides continuous and non-destructive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements from sediment cores with a spacial resolution equal or greater than 100 µm. In this project, I compare chemical measurements obtained with the ITRAX from the varved lacustrine sediment from Cape Bounty with direct geochemical methods such as ICP-AES (Inductively Coupled Plasma – Atomic Emission Spectrometry) and EDS analysis (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) to validate the elemental profiles produced by the ITRAX. is use. These sediments are characterized by 3 facies: silt layers corresponding to snow melt period, clay layers deposited during winter period and fine sand layers corresponding during to abrupt events. At centimetric scale, there is a link between grain-size measured by particle size analyzer and relative abundance of chemical elements measured by the ITRAX and. At microscopic scale, grain-size measured by image analysis on SEM images of thin-sections is correlated with similar variations in the chemical profiles. Finally, EDS analyses confirm the presence of these relative chemical element abundances in different seasonal deposits. Varve counts using XRF-profiles variations is tempted and compared with the classical counting method on thin-sections. This new method of varve-counting is used on long core from East Lake which covers the last 3000 years and will be validated at the top of the core with 137Cs and 210Pb dating.

Dana McDonald M.Sc. 2007, B.Sc 2005 (Queen's University) My research interest relates to suspended sediment dynamics in high arctic rivers and the impacts of hydroclimatic variability on sensitive northern landscapes. My Master’s research involves examining the annual and interannual relationships that exist between climate, river discharge and suspended sediment transport in a high arctic river system at Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut. Through this project, I hope to develop an understanding of the complex relationships between snowpack distribution, sediment availability and accessibility, and river discharge in this enivronment. This project contributes to the integrated watershed study at Cape Bounty through collecting and analyzing high resolution suspended sediment concentration, particle size, river discharge and weather data in order to characterize spatial and temporal variability in sediment erosion and transport through the melt season.

Brock McLeod M.Sc. 2008 (Queen's University) The purpose of my research project is to evaluate the effect of variable snowcover distributions on the timing and magnitude of nutrient fluxes from two parallel watersheds at Cape Bounty. The two watersheds are comparable in size, slope, aspect, vegetation cover and surficial geology, however, the snow distribution and snowmelt regimes are often dissimilar. The variability in snowmelt rates will largely determine soil temperatures, active layer development, meltwater routing and thus the flux of nutrients.Through the use of a terrain classification model to assess snow distribution, and an intensive multi-site sampling regime, I intend to improve our understanding of the relationship between snowcover and snowmelt regime, and the flushing of carbon and nitrogen from High Arctic watersheds.

Jake Wall (M.Sc. 2005 Queen's University) I investigated soil moisture at Cape Bounty with Radarsat SAR imagery during the 2004 season.

Andrew Forbes ( M.Sc. 2003 Queen's University) As a technician 2003, I initiated the snow survey network and stream gauging on the two primary streams at Cape Bounty. Now I am currently a Hydrologist with Golder and Associates, Toronto.

Patrick Lafleche B.Sc. 2009 (Queen's University) Following a chemistry filled summer at Cape Bounty, I moved to Ottawa to start my first year of medical school.

Alex Hincke B.Sc. 2009(Queen's University) My research involves examining how plant community type influences soil properties, such as carbon and nitrogen storage, over a moisture gradient in high-Arctic ecosystems. The variability of soil properties over a moisture gradient could give long-term indications as to how Arctic ecosystems will respond to climate warming in the future and how this will influence the global carbon balance. My research is being carried out at Cape Bounty on Melville Island, Nunavut.

Joshua See B.Sc. 2009 (Queen's University)

Mandy Chong B.Sc. 2007(Queen's University) I am exploring how microclimatic factors and vegetation community type interact to regulate soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in the arctic. Her work is based on four different plant community types located at Cape Bounty. Specifically, she is looking at seasonal changes in trace gas production and soil nutrient availability in three plant communities with different vegetation characteristics and soil types.

Allison Reid B.Eng. 2007(Queen's University) I was a field assistant during the 2006 season. This season saw big snow, big rivers, and endless water sampling! Now I work with an environmental consulting firm in the Toronto area.

Catherine Middleton B.Sc. 2007 (Queen's University) I worked as a field assistant during the 2006 season and processed many hydrochemical samples.

Freya Forsythe B.Sc. 2005(Queen's University) My research is based on data collected from Cape Bounty, Nunavut. My undergraduate thesis involves characterixing the relationship between soil moisture and biomass, percent cover and biodiversity. Understanding this relationship will not only provide insight into vegetation community development and orientation but will also be helpful in the process of using spectral indices from satellite imagery to estimate biomass and plant density.

Elizabeth Wells B.Sc. 2005 (Queen's University) I was a field assistant during the 2004 season and developed the original catchment snowpack scheme. Currently, I am a teacher in eastern Ontario and enjoy sharing stories with my students about the exciting adventures at Cape Bounty.

Greg Hambley B.Sc. 2004 (Queen's University)

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