<div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><b><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">Graduate
opportunities – Interactions between fire and permafrost on peatland hydrology and
biogeochemistry. </font></b></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">The Taiga Plains Research Network (</font><a href="http://taigaplains.ca/"><font color="#0000ff" face="Calibri" size="3">http://taigaplains.ca/</font></a><div style="background:url("wot:unknown.png") no-repeat right;width:20px;padding-left:16px;text-decoration:none;display:inline"> </div><font face="Calibri"><font color="#000000" size="3">) is looking for a
number of motivated graduate students (MSc or PhD) to work on complementary
projects on the interaction between wildfire and permafrost on peatland
hydrology, soil thermal regimes and biogeochemistry.</font><span><font color="#000000" size="3"> </font></span><font color="#000000" size="3">Permafrost thaw is currently affecting large
areas of peatlands in boreal western Canada, a region which also experienced an
exceptional fire season in 2014 – which is in agreement with projections of
future fire regimes. In order to improve our understanding of the influence of
peatlands on water resources, water quality and climate change feedback
mechanisms through greenhouse gases, it is thus important to consider
interactions between fire and permafrost thaw. The following positions are
currently available at University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, supervised by Dr. David
Olefeldt at the department of Renewable Resources: </font></font><p></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><a href="http://www.rr.ualberta.ca/"><font color="#0000ff" face="Calibri" size="3">http://www.rr.ualberta.ca/</font></a><div style="background:url("wot:excellent.png") no-repeat right;width:20px;padding-left:16px;text-decoration:none;display:inline"> </div><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">,</font><p></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><a href="http://www.rr.ualberta.ca/StaffProfiles/AcademicStaff/Olefeldt.aspx"><font color="#0000ff" face="Calibri" size="3">http://www.rr.ualberta.ca/StaffProfiles/AcademicStaff/Olefeldt.aspx</font></a><div style="background:url("wot:excellent.png") no-repeat right;width:20px;padding-left:16px;text-decoration:none;display:inline"> </div><p></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><b><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">1. Effects of fire on
permafrost stability in peatlands – a chronosequence approach</font></b></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><font face="Calibri"><b><font color="#000000" size="3">Project description</font></b><font color="#000000" size="3">:
Both hydrology and carbon cycling in boreal peatlands is strongly affected by
permafrost conditions. It is known from peat archives that peatland fires,
common in western Canada, has the potential to trigger permafrost thaw – but it
is not known which mechanisms that are responsible, what time frames that are
involved or what the resulting rates of thaw are (both vertical and lateral).
These questions may be addressed though a chronosequence approach, where
permafrost conditions and soil thermal regimes in several nearby peatland sites
are studied – but where sites differ in their time since fire (1 - >50
years). There is potential to combine field work with GIS approaches. Field
work will be carried out in the vicinity of Fort Simpson, in the Northwest
Territories. </font></font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">Qualifications: BSc or MSc in physical geography or related
field. Willingness to work in remote locations. Driver’s license. GIS
experience an advantage. <span> </span></font></font></font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><b><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">2. Carbon cycling in
permafrost peatlands after fire</font></b></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><font face="Calibri"><b><font color="#000000" size="3">Project description:</font></b><font color="#000000" size="3">
I am seeking a motivated student with interests in soil science and greenhouse
gas exchange between land and atmosphere. Work will focus on soil respiration,
with work done both in field and lab experiments, and potentially linked to
isotope work. The central question is whether wildfire triggers the
mineralization and release of carbon previously stored inert in frozen peat
layers. Field work would be located in recently burned peatlands in southern
Northwest Territories. </font></font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">Qualifications: BSc or MSc in biology, physical geography or
related field. Willingness to work in remote locations. </font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><b><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">3. Export and fate of
terrestrial DOC in peatland catchments.</font></b></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">Project description: Export of dissolved organic carbon
(DOC) from peatlands is an important component of terrestrial ecosystem carbon
balances. Exported DOC is also a main source of energy in downstream aquatic
ecosystems, where it may be mineralized and released to the atmosphere as
greenhouse gases. Both fire and permafrost thaw may affect both the quantity
and quality of DOC exported from peatlands (including export of black carbon
associated with soil combustion during fire), with cascading effects on
downstream aquatic carbon cycling. Research will be conducted in the southern
Northwest Territories, in streams and lakes of a peatland region with
discontinuous permafrost and several recent fires. </font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">Qualifications: BSc or MSc in biology, chemistry, physical geography
or related field. Willingness to work in remote locations. Driver’s license. </font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><b><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3"> </font></b></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><font face="Calibri"><b><font color="#000000" size="3">How to apply:</font></b><font color="#000000" size="3">
Please send a letter of interest to </font></font><a href="mailto:olefeldt@ualberta.ca"><font color="#0000ff" face="Calibri" size="3">olefeldt@ualberta.ca</font></a><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">.
Include resume describing your skills end education, transcripts and names of
three referees.</font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt"><font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">Funding is available through a combination of stipends and
TAships, and there is funding for research and conference travel. Starting
dates are flexible, either January, May or September 2015. </font></p><font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div>David Olefeldt</div><div>Assistant Professor and CAIP Chair in Watershed Management and Wetland Restoration</div><div>Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta</div><div>Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3</div><div>Tel: (780) 248 1814</div></div>
</p></p></p></div>