PhD on Peatland Land-use and the Exchange of Greenhouse Gases
Department of Geography or Department of Natural Resource Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
We are seeking a PhD (or M.Sc.) student who would work with us on a study of the changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from active peat extraction. Canada has a small but active peat industry where the extracted peat is used primarily for horticultural purposes. The Canadian peat industry has been very progressive in supporting research on the carbon footprint of their industry, including the restoration of peatlands after extraction has ceased. We have previously completed research on the carbon biogeochemistry of restored peatlands and are now beginning a research project on the GHG emissions while peat is being extracted and also during the use of the extracted peat. We have established sites in eastern and western Canada where we are measuring the GHG exchange by eddy covariance and manual chambers. We have also initiated studies on the changes in the environmental and biogeochemical environments during extraction. However, as these peatlands are being actively harvested, management and harvest practices will have an effect on the gas exchange. We envision a graduate student project that will use the temporally continuous eddy covariance data from the two sites, and design a manual measurement program to measure gas exchanges over time through the different stages of harrowing and vacuum harvesting. We also anticipate the emissions from the stockpiles of peat to be significant and important to quantify.
We invite applications from students with a Masters (or Bachelors) in environmental, earth and/or atmospheric science to apply. We anticipate a start date of winter or spring 2020. We provide competitive graduate stipends, and depending on your scholastic record there are many McGill scholarships that one can apply for.
Direct enquiries to Professor Nigel Roulet (nigel.roulet@mcgill.ca), Department of Geography (https://www.mcgill.ca/geography/), McGill University (https://www.mcgill.ca/), or Professor Ian Strachan (ian.strachan@mcgill.ca) (https://www.AERlab.ca), Department of Natural Resource Science (https://www.mcgill.ca/nrs/), McGill University.
Department of Geography or Department of Natural Resource Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
We are seeking a PhD (or M.Sc.) student who would work with us on a study of the changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from active peat extraction. Canada has a small but active peat industry where the extracted peat is used primarily for horticultural purposes. The Canadian peat industry has been very progressive in supporting research on the carbon footprint of their industry, including the restoration of peatlands after extraction has ceased. We have previously completed research on the carbon biogeochemistry of restored peatlands and are now beginning a research project on the GHG emissions while peat is being extracted and also during the use of the extracted peat. We have established sites in eastern and western Canada where we are measuring the GHG exchange by eddy covariance and manual chambers. We have also initiated studies on the changes in the environmental and biogeochemical environments during extraction. However, as these peatlands are being actively harvested, management and harvest practices will have an effect on the gas exchange. We envision a graduate student project that will use the temporally continuous eddy covariance data from the two sites, and design a manual measurement program to measure gas exchanges over time through the different stages of harrowing and vacuum harvesting. We also anticipate the emissions from the stockpiles of peat to be significant and important to quantify.
We invite applications from students with a Masters (or Bachelors) in environmental, earth and/or atmospheric science to apply. We anticipate a start date of winter or spring 2020. We provide competitive graduate stipends, and depending on your scholastic record there are many McGill scholarships that one can apply for.
Direct enquiries to Professor Nigel Roulet (nigel.roulet@mcgill.ca), Department of Geography (https://www.mcgill.ca/geography/), McGill University (https://www.mcgill.ca/), or Professor Ian Strachan (ian.strachan@mcgill.ca) (https://www.AERlab.ca), Department of Natural Resource Science (https://www.mcgill.ca/nrs/), McGill University.
