Research summary
Canada’s boreal region is home to some 2.7 million people, including about 600 Indigenous communities. It is also a significant contributor to Canada’s economy. Historically, this highly diverse landscape has enjoyed secure and clean water resources, but climatic and environmental disturbances, such as wildfires, threaten these. Exactly how these disturbances may interact to affect the clean water in boreal Canada is an unanswered question.
As Canada Research Chair in Climate and Environmental Change, Dr. Colin McCarter is drawing on his expertise in the movement of water, nutrients, carbon and contaminants in natural and disturbed boreal landscapes to try to answer this question. He and his research team are shedding light on how climate-related disturbances may affect the eco-hydrological interfaces that govern the function of catchment water quality in this region. Ultimately, their research will help secure clean water resources for millions of Canadians.