Research Positions
MSc Student - Team Shrub, Dr. Isla Myers-Smith / 2024
In the summer of 2024, I will be conducting research on Herschel-Qikiqtaruk Island to understand changes to plant communities as a result of changing hydrological regimes due to climate change.
Research Assistant - MAC EcoHydrology Group, Dr. Micheal Waddington / 2023
In the summer of 2023, I will be working as a RA on a wildfire project in Northern Alberta and Nobel (Ontario). Specifically, I will be studying peat burn severity and peatland hydrology at the Pelican Mountain Research Site. In Ontario, I support the Ecohydrology Lab with ongoing research at a variety of peatlands.
Research Assistant - McMaster Center for Climate Change and HydroMeteorology Lab, Dr. Altaf Arain / 2022
In 2022, I have been working as a RA for MCCC and the HydroMet Lab at McMaster. I am in charge of publishing media content and letters for MCCC, and am involved in outreach and events prepared by the group. Additionally, I built SAP sensors for the HydroMet lab, to study environmental fluxes in Turkey Point Provincial Park.
Research Assistant - Avian Behavioural and Molecular Ecology Lab, Dr. James Quinn / 2021-2022
I have been working on the Hamilton Harbour Avian Management Project for two years. This project entails extensive fieldwork to collect data on the status of the colonies of migratory birds which reside in the area near the Canadian Center for Inland Waters. Species that are investigated are Double Crested Cormorants, Ring-Billed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Black-Crowned Night Herons, Caspian Terns, and Common Terns. This job involves authorship of an annual management report (40 pages) on the status of the colonies.
Thesis Projects
EP Thesis Project - Carly Burrow, Chad Harvey
For my second-year Enrichment Project (EP) I studied the geospatial spread of the order Ixodidae (Hard Shell Ticks) in Ontario and its implication to public health. For this project I collaborated with my associate Carly Burow, and supervisor Dr Chad Harvey. This project involved the analysis of current trends of ticks in Ontario in order to predict their future distribution in the year 2040. The methods of this project involved ArcGIS Pro, for climate simulations and distribution mapping, and iNaturalist and NCAR data for data collection. This project was selected to present at the McMaster Synthesis Symposium.
IP Thesis Project - Mike Waddington and Alex Furukawa
For my third-year Independent Project (IP) I worked on delineating peatlands using remote sensing indices and machine learning. In particular, my research centered on the spectral differences between grounded of floating peat, as floating peat is particularly important due to its resistance to wildfires and droughts. Remote sensing indices like LiDAR intensity, NDVI, SAGA Wetness Index, Topographic Position Index and Canopy Height were implemented.
Thesis (4th Year) - Mike Waddington
My fourth-year thesis investigated the impacts of artificial drainage on peatland burn severity. This study is conducted in a peatland near Tomahawk, Alberta which burned in 2021. This site was drained using drainage pits in the late 80s, leading to a variety of ecological and hydrological alterations, leading to an increased fuel load. The peatland is primarily changed through the resulting drop in the water table, leading to increased tree density, dryer soil, and increased ecological decay. This research implements a variety of remotely sensed data, such as high-resolution LiDAR, multispectral imagery, and historical air photos. Results suggest a near-linear relationship between the distance to drainage ditches and forest fuel-loading, exacerbating wildfire severity near drainage systems.