Seven Graduate students shared their research to the SFU Community at the Sustainability Opportunity Fair 2013 while competing for up to $1,000 dollars for travel support to a National or International Conference.
Participants/Abstracts and posters:
Tyler Herrington
MSc Candidate, Department of Geography
Supervisor: Dr. Kirsten Zickfeld
Research: "Cumulative Carbon Emissions Compatible With Avoiding Regional Climate Tipping Points"
Abstract: "Path Dependence of Regional Climate Change"
Research poster, January 2013Tyler Herrington is a Master’s of Science candidate in the Department of Geography. After completing his BSc Physical Geography in June of 2011, Tyler returned in the Fall of 2011 to begin his Master’s degree where he is currently researching the cumulative carbon emissions compatible with avoiding regional climate tipping points, since recent research has suggested that the Copenhagen 2oC target may not be enough to prevent the trigger of several high latitude tipping points. The research project will utilize the cumulative emissions approach that relates global mean temperature to cumulative emissions, in conjunction with an inverse modeling approach (which back-calculates compatible cumulative emissions from regional climate targets). The UVic Earth System Climate Model, a computationally efficient Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity will be used to explore cumulative emissions compatible with avoiding five tipping points: those responsible for the disappearance of summer Arctic sea ice, disintegration of the Greenland Ice Sheet, degradation of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the collapse of the Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation, and the dieback of Amazonian Rainforest.
Heather Munro
MRM Candidate, Resource and Environmental Management
Supervisor: Dr. Ken Lerztman
Heather Munro is a MRM student in the School of Resource and Environmental Management. She will be working in partnership with the Heiltsuk First Nation to aid in the design of forest management strategies that provide a mix of benefits to the community from alternative management scenarios involving timber harvest, carbon management, and conservation options. Heather will be using a decision analysis framework, which directly addresses the inherent uncertainty in forest management in a changing climate and arising from carbon markets. This is a novel application, which will be a tool for communities and managers to help realistically assess the economic opportunities and trade-offs of forest and carbon management. Heather completed her bachelor of science in civil engineering in the faculty of applied science at Queen’s University in 2011. She conducted her undergraduate thesis research at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory on Melville Island, Nunavut studying the impacts of changing climate and resulting permafrost disruption on water, sediment, carbon, nutrient and contaminant fluxes in high arctic watersheds. Her research interests are focused on how to work towards sustainable management of natural resources in the face of a highly uncertain future with local communities. Heather holds a fellowship from the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions.
Shannon Holding
PhD Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Diana Allen
Research: "Integrated Risk Framework for Water Security Assessment on Small Islands"
Abstract: “Water Security for Island Communities”
Shannon is a PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences and is a member of the Climate Change Impact Research Consortium (CCIRC) Research Group at Simon Fraser University. Her research aims to develop a comprehensive assessment methodology to assess the risk to water security for islands from climate change and human stressors. The research will focus on Andros Island, The Bahamas, as a proto-type for the assessment, however, the outcomes of the research will be applicable to other islands and coastal areas. Climate change stressors impacting water security include sea level rise and coastal inundation, changes to average climate conditions, and the frequency of events related to extreme weather such as storm surge. Human-induced stressors include over-extraction of groundwater and land-use activities that may lead to contamination of water sources. The nature of the impact these stressors may have on water security are evaluated through the use of numerical groundwater modelling as well as a geospatial survey of potential contaminant hazards and water demand. A spatial risk framework will be developed that integrates the results of the modelling and hazard survey to form an effective assessment tool to evaluate risk to water security for current and future scenarios and inform water management and policy decisions for Andros Island. The research is part of the UNESCO GRAPHIC (Groundwater Resources Assessment under the Pressures of Humanity and Climate Change) Programme and is being conducted in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy. Shannon completed her B.Sc. in Hydrogeology at the University of Waterloo before working in environmental consulting and water resources both in Canada and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Isabelle Laroque
MSc Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Diana Allen
Isabelle is a master’s student in the Department of Earth Sciences. Her research aims to develop a risk-based framework for identifying climate change impacts on groundwater resources and adaptation strategies for small coastal communities using Salt Spring Island as a case study. Given the highly valuable role of groundwater as a freshwater source for coastal and island communities and its vulnerability to climate change and saltwater intrusion, it is important to identify key issues and sensitivities in order to develop viable adaptation strategies for managing this resource. Field and numerical modeling studies will be used to develop an understanding of various stressors and effects related to climate change and development (groundwater recharge, saltwater intrusion, etc.) on Salt Spring Island. The local community will be involved to identify key issues and contribute to the design of a monitoring and development plan. This project is the first phase of a more comprehensive project that aims to develop a risk assessment methodology for coastal bedrock aquifers. She completed a bachelor of environmental sciences degree at McGill University during which she worked as an assistant to a glaciologist and a biologist. For the last two years she has been working as an environmental technician at a zinc-lead smelter where she was responsible for monitoring and sampling groundwater. Being directly exposed to the reality of groundwater protection and heavy industry, she wishes to further her knowledge of hydrogeology and take a more active role in the management and protection of groundwater resources. Isabel holds a fellowship from the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions
Mary Ann Middleton
PhD Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Diana Allen
Abstract: “Evaluating Climate Change Impacts on Groundwater Sensitive Streams”
Mary Ann is a PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences. Her research focuses on evaluating the impacts of climate change and water use on groundwater sensitive streams. Late summer flow is sustained by groundwater in many streams in British Columbia. At this time of year streams may be particularly sensitive to changes in groundwater input resulting from pumping, land use change or climate change. This project will use a combination of field and modelling techniques to characterize stream sensitivity to changes in the groundwater system during these low flow periods. The results will be used to develop criteria for assessing sensitive streams for protection of fish and aquatic habitat. She holds a fellowship from the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions and is a member of the Climate Change Impact Research Consortium - CCIRC Research Group at Simon Fraser University.
Vinu Subashini Rajus
PhD Candidate, School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Supervisor: Dr. Robert Woodbury
Abstract: “Ambient, Interactive Displays and Controls for Sustainable Living”
Vinu is an interdisciplinary doctoral student in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University. She holds a Masters in Digital Architecture from Anna University, India and a Bachelors of Architecture from Madras University. She has been awarded a PICS fellowship for her research on "Ambient, Interactive Displays and Controls for Sustainable Living". The goal of this research is to understand the usefulness of ambient and interactive display and controls in support of energy conservation and sustainability in a residential context. Such devices aim to reduce the effort required to understand and effectively control home energy use. The objectives of the research are to understand perceptions of users and determine possibilities for adaptive display prototypes. Vinu is also a member of the Climate Change Impact Research Consortium at Simon Fraser University.
Nat Wilson
Ms Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Gwenn Flowers
Abstract: “Characterization and interpretation of polythermal structure in two subartic glaciers”
Nat Wilson is a master's student in the Simon Fraser University Department of Earth Sciences. There, he uses field-based and modelling methods to study the temperature and water distribution in glaciers in order to better understand how changes in environment affect present and future glacier behaviour. Small glaciers account for a measurable fraction of modern sea level rise, and this is expected to remain the case as climate warms. The temperature and water content of ice affect glaciers by altering their mechanical properties, such that warmer and more temperate glaciers are less viscous and therefore tend to flow faster. This potentially sets up a feedback in which faster-flowing glaciers generate more heat by internal friction, causing further changes to the thermal regime. Understanding where and how these and related processes take place helps to make accurate predictions of future glacier dynamics.