Crushing snowbanks could help to preserve permafrost and keep northern communities connected

By Patrick Jardine, new science communicator Northern field work 2:00 p.m. on March 9th, 2021: I was finishing sampling snow density along a mine access roadside in the central Yukon with my co-worker, Jen, when I heard branches breaking deep within the forest beside me. It was a balmy –15 °C out — a significant […]

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Tiny plants could be key to improving climate change predictions

By Rose Lefebvre, new science communicator Have you ever looked closely at moss? These tiny plants, described by F. E. Tripp in his 1868 book British Mosses, their homes, aspects, structure, and uses as “the soft green beds into which our feet sink”,  grow almost everywhere in the world. And yet mosses are often overlooked […]

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The changing landscape of permafrost data

By Nick Brown, new science communicator As permafrost research heats up, national and territorial geological surveys are digging up old data to help answer new questions about Canada’s cold regions. The need for permafrost data in Canada Permafrost – ground that is colder than 0°C for at least two years – is changing as Earth’s […]

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Why frozen mud is a technical challenge for climate scientists

By Charles Gauthier, new science communicator “So, it’s frozen mud?” my roommate asks when I try to explain my research topic to him. Since starting his own research in quantum physics, he has mastered the art of simple idioms. Perks of the trade, I suppose. This frozen mud, however, covers half of Canada’s land mass. […]

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Canadian researchers probe Lyme disease ecology to better understand the dynamics underlying this problematic illness

Brooklyn Bourgeois, new science communicator   A mysterious disease is creeping its way into Saskatchewan, and its diagnosis remains complicated and unstandardized. Lyme disease, a tick-borne bacterial infection, is spreading westwards and northwards into the province of Saskatchewan. The spread is due in part to climate change, which is increasing the range, abundance and activity […]

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