I have worked on wetlands and peatlands for ~20 years. You will find publications and various media interviews and articles on this site. Below are summaries of some of my work and key talks.
Director of WCS Canada's Forests, Peatlands, and Climate Change Program
I established and developed this new program for WCS Canada, leading a team of interdisciplinary researchers on key challenges and solutions for peatlands and forests in Canada and globally. This unique program combines field and geospatial data collection and analyses with policy research to determine the risks to peatlands and land carbon across Canada. Field-based research included work in the Hudson Bay Lowland and Yukon in collaboration with multiple partners.
Threats to land carbon in the Northwest Territories – a focus on industry disturbances to peatlands. Invited talk for Government of NWT Landscape Carbon Workshop, Yellowknife, Canada (February 2025).
Policy gaps and solutions for land carbon in the Northwest Territories – a focus on peatlands. Invited talk for Government of NWT Landscape Carbon Workshop, Yellowknife, Canada (February 2025).
Five reasons we depend on wetlands: the case for protecting peatlands in Canada. Invited keynote talk and panel for World Wetlands Day Symposium, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada (February 2024).
Quantifying the effects of different disturbances on peatland carbon stocks and fluxes: connecting science and policy. Invited talk for CGU Spring Meeting, Banff, Canada (May 2023).
Quantifying the essential carbon service provided by the Hudson Bay Lowland peatlands.Invited talk for AGU Fall Meeting session ‘Carbon Cycling in Global Peatlands’, Chicago, USA (online - December 2022).
Protecting global peatlands for climate and biodiversity. Invited talk for panel Q&A session organised by IUCN and partners in Canada Pavilion at COP15, Montreal, Canada (December 2022).
Protecting peatlands in Canada for climate and biodiversity. Invited talk for panel Q&A session organised by IUCN and partners in Nature Positive Pavilion at COP15, Montreal, Canada (December 2022).
I established and developed this new program for WCS Canada, leading a team of interdisciplinary researchers on key challenges and solutions for peatlands and forests in Canada and globally. This unique program combines field and geospatial data collection and analyses with policy research to determine the risks to peatlands and land carbon across Canada. Field-based research included work in the Hudson Bay Lowland and Yukon in collaboration with multiple partners.
Threats to land carbon in the Northwest Territories – a focus on industry disturbances to peatlands. Invited talk for Government of NWT Landscape Carbon Workshop, Yellowknife, Canada (February 2025).
Policy gaps and solutions for land carbon in the Northwest Territories – a focus on peatlands. Invited talk for Government of NWT Landscape Carbon Workshop, Yellowknife, Canada (February 2025).
Five reasons we depend on wetlands: the case for protecting peatlands in Canada. Invited keynote talk and panel for World Wetlands Day Symposium, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada (February 2024).
Quantifying the effects of different disturbances on peatland carbon stocks and fluxes: connecting science and policy. Invited talk for CGU Spring Meeting, Banff, Canada (May 2023).
Quantifying the essential carbon service provided by the Hudson Bay Lowland peatlands.Invited talk for AGU Fall Meeting session ‘Carbon Cycling in Global Peatlands’, Chicago, USA (online - December 2022).
Protecting global peatlands for climate and biodiversity. Invited talk for panel Q&A session organised by IUCN and partners in Canada Pavilion at COP15, Montreal, Canada (December 2022).
Protecting peatlands in Canada for climate and biodiversity. Invited talk for panel Q&A session organised by IUCN and partners in Nature Positive Pavilion at COP15, Montreal, Canada (December 2022).
Permafrost peatland plateau in northern Alberta
Postdoctoral Fellow - University of Alberta
I led research in northern Alberta on methane fluxes in fens in thawing permafrost landscapes, and on ecosystem shifts in forests and wetlands following permafrost thaw and fire. Collaborative projects led by PhD students included carbon fluxes in thawing and burned permafrost peatlands, and the impacts of permafrost thaw on water quality, with study sites across northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Peatlands in Canada. Invited talk for 'Peatland rights and cultures' panel Q&A session organised by Scottish Government at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online - November 2021).
Forested Peatlands in Canada. Invited talk for 'Why intact forests for climate change?' panel Q&A session organised by WCS and IUCN Nature Zone at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online - November 2021).
The essential carbon service provided by northern peatlands and the case study of the Hudson Bay Lowland. Talk and panel session in Peatland Pavilion at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online - November 2021).
The changing North: Developing a conceptual framework for ecosystem state shifts in thawing and burned permafrost peatlands. Talk at Mer Bleue and Beyond Peatland Science Meeting – online (June 2021).
Estimating the magnitude of carbon loss due to permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands. Talk at American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting - online (December 2020).
Peatlands in Canada: Linking science, policy, and practice to protect an essential carbon service. Guest talk for the Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) National Boreal Program - Wetland Knowledge Exchange webinar series (online - September 2020).
Northern peatlands in Canada: an essential carbon service. Talk at Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) seminar series - online (May 2020).
I led research in northern Alberta on methane fluxes in fens in thawing permafrost landscapes, and on ecosystem shifts in forests and wetlands following permafrost thaw and fire. Collaborative projects led by PhD students included carbon fluxes in thawing and burned permafrost peatlands, and the impacts of permafrost thaw on water quality, with study sites across northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Peatlands in Canada. Invited talk for 'Peatland rights and cultures' panel Q&A session organised by Scottish Government at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online - November 2021).
Forested Peatlands in Canada. Invited talk for 'Why intact forests for climate change?' panel Q&A session organised by WCS and IUCN Nature Zone at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online - November 2021).
The essential carbon service provided by northern peatlands and the case study of the Hudson Bay Lowland. Talk and panel session in Peatland Pavilion at COP26, Glasgow, UK (online - November 2021).
The changing North: Developing a conceptual framework for ecosystem state shifts in thawing and burned permafrost peatlands. Talk at Mer Bleue and Beyond Peatland Science Meeting – online (June 2021).
Estimating the magnitude of carbon loss due to permafrost thaw in boreal peatlands. Talk at American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting - online (December 2020).
Peatlands in Canada: Linking science, policy, and practice to protect an essential carbon service. Guest talk for the Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) National Boreal Program - Wetland Knowledge Exchange webinar series (online - September 2020).
Northern peatlands in Canada: an essential carbon service. Talk at Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) seminar series - online (May 2020).
Postdoctoral Fellow - McMaster University
Researched hydrological constraints on the development of small basin peatlands within the rock barrens of Eastern Georgian Bay in Ontario, and on restoring Sphagnum moss in heavy-metal damaged peatlands in the Sudbury area.
Ecohydrology constrains microform development in small basin peatlands. Talk at European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria (April 2019).
Researched hydrological constraints on the development of small basin peatlands within the rock barrens of Eastern Georgian Bay in Ontario, and on restoring Sphagnum moss in heavy-metal damaged peatlands in the Sudbury area.
Ecohydrology constrains microform development in small basin peatlands. Talk at European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria (April 2019).
Sphagnum moss transplant plot in heavy-metal damaged peatland in Sudbury area
|
Natural recovery of Sphagnum moss in a heavy-metal damaged peatland in Sudbury area
|
Heavy-metal damaged peatland with natural Sphagnum moss recovery in Sudbury area
|
Peatlands (bogs and fens) near the Attawapiskat River in the Hudson Bay Lowlands
PhD Research at McGill University
Peatlands are important carbon stores but our knowledge of the hydrological and biogeochemical processes controlling carbon dynamics in these systems is limited. To understand the processes controlling carbon accumulation and loss in peatland systems, it is essential to understand how peatlands develop, and how the structure and function of these ecosystems are controlled by internal and external forces. For my PhD research I examined the feedback mechanisms controlling spatial heterogeneity within peatlands in the Attawapiskat River area of the Hudson Bay Lowland, and also carbon dynamics (including CO2 and CH4 fluxes). The microtopography of peatlands is visually distinct, particularly in the Hudson Bay Lowland where typical hummock-hollow microforms occur along with parallel sequences of ridges and pools.
I was also a course instructor for 'Analysing Sustainability' in 2015 and a teaching assistant for multiple courses in the Department of Geography from 2012 to 2016.
Canada’s huge peatland carbon stores. Invited speaker with Prof. Nigel Roulet for the McGill Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences ‘Food for Thought’ public lecture series (November 2016).
Science for a Sustainable Society. Invited panel speaker at Science for a Sustainable Society Symposium, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (January 2016).
Sensitivity of peatlands of the Hudson Bay Lowland to climate change. Talk at Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US (August 2016).
Quantifying the capacity of Canadian peatlands for the provision of ecosystem services. Poster at Mer Bleue Peatland Science Workshop, Montreal, Canada (March 2016).
The role of lichen on peatland development in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Canada. Talk at European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria (April 2015).
The structure and function of peatlands in the Hudson Bay Lowlands - comparing a pristine and a hydrologically impacted site. Poster at AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, US (December 2014).
Peatlands are important carbon stores but our knowledge of the hydrological and biogeochemical processes controlling carbon dynamics in these systems is limited. To understand the processes controlling carbon accumulation and loss in peatland systems, it is essential to understand how peatlands develop, and how the structure and function of these ecosystems are controlled by internal and external forces. For my PhD research I examined the feedback mechanisms controlling spatial heterogeneity within peatlands in the Attawapiskat River area of the Hudson Bay Lowland, and also carbon dynamics (including CO2 and CH4 fluxes). The microtopography of peatlands is visually distinct, particularly in the Hudson Bay Lowland where typical hummock-hollow microforms occur along with parallel sequences of ridges and pools.
I was also a course instructor for 'Analysing Sustainability' in 2015 and a teaching assistant for multiple courses in the Department of Geography from 2012 to 2016.
Canada’s huge peatland carbon stores. Invited speaker with Prof. Nigel Roulet for the McGill Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences ‘Food for Thought’ public lecture series (November 2016).
Science for a Sustainable Society. Invited panel speaker at Science for a Sustainable Society Symposium, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (January 2016).
Sensitivity of peatlands of the Hudson Bay Lowland to climate change. Talk at Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US (August 2016).
Quantifying the capacity of Canadian peatlands for the provision of ecosystem services. Poster at Mer Bleue Peatland Science Workshop, Montreal, Canada (March 2016).
The role of lichen on peatland development in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Canada. Talk at European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, Vienna, Austria (April 2015).
The structure and function of peatlands in the Hudson Bay Lowlands - comparing a pristine and a hydrologically impacted site. Poster at AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, US (December 2014).
Wind farm development on peatland in south-west Scotland
Wetland Ecologist/Senior Scientist - Scottish Environment Protection Agency
Prior to starting my research in Canada, I worked for 6 years as a Wetland Ecologist for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). In this national role, I provided specialist scientific and policy advice for wetlands in regulation and land-use planning in Scotland. I reviewed many Environment Impact Assessments (EIA) for developments impacting wetlands, including renewable energy projects (mostly wind farms) and mining developments. As well as questions on how to determine, assess, and minimise damage to wetlands from proposed development, questions on how to successfully restore wetlands and to what purpose became prominent. Wetland restoration can be particularly difficult due to the complex hydrological requirements of different wetland types, such as groundwater dependent fens and rain/snow-fed bogs.
Peatlands, wind farms, and the aquatic environment. Guest talk at Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Scottish Hydrological Group evening seminar, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK (March 2012).
The purpose of peatland restoration – a regulatory overview. Invited speaker at Carbon Landscape and Drainage (CLAD) network meeting, Glasgow University, UK (January 2011).
A Functional Wetland Typology for Scotland. Poster at SAC-SEPA Biennial Conference: Climate, Water and Soil: Science, Policy and Practice, Edinburgh, UK (April 2010).
Climate Change and Land Management – SEPA’s role. Invited speaker at inaugural Carbon Landscape and Drainage (CLAD) network meeting, Glasgow University, UK (October 2009).
Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems (GWDTE) – assessment of significant damage. Poster at Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) Annual Conference, Washington DC, US (May 2008).
Prior to starting my research in Canada, I worked for 6 years as a Wetland Ecologist for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). In this national role, I provided specialist scientific and policy advice for wetlands in regulation and land-use planning in Scotland. I reviewed many Environment Impact Assessments (EIA) for developments impacting wetlands, including renewable energy projects (mostly wind farms) and mining developments. As well as questions on how to determine, assess, and minimise damage to wetlands from proposed development, questions on how to successfully restore wetlands and to what purpose became prominent. Wetland restoration can be particularly difficult due to the complex hydrological requirements of different wetland types, such as groundwater dependent fens and rain/snow-fed bogs.
Peatlands, wind farms, and the aquatic environment. Guest talk at Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Scottish Hydrological Group evening seminar, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK (March 2012).
The purpose of peatland restoration – a regulatory overview. Invited speaker at Carbon Landscape and Drainage (CLAD) network meeting, Glasgow University, UK (January 2011).
A Functional Wetland Typology for Scotland. Poster at SAC-SEPA Biennial Conference: Climate, Water and Soil: Science, Policy and Practice, Edinburgh, UK (April 2010).
Climate Change and Land Management – SEPA’s role. Invited speaker at inaugural Carbon Landscape and Drainage (CLAD) network meeting, Glasgow University, UK (October 2009).
Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems (GWDTE) – assessment of significant damage. Poster at Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) Annual Conference, Washington DC, US (May 2008).