Dominic, MSc student

Who am I and what is my fieldwork project?

Hi there! I’m Dominic, and I’m a 1st-year MSc student in Dr. Paul Grogan’s Lab! I study tundra plant community change in response to experimental warming and low-level nutrient additions. At the Daring lake research station ~300 km North of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, birch hummock tundra is a quintessential ecosystem type, and is widespread at this latitude. The relatively cold soils hold tremendous amounts of carbon, and climate warming will likely affect this capacity directly by increasing microbial decomposition, and indirectly by some feedbacks with nutrient availability. I am looking into those indirect effects, where plant communities shift in response to changing nutrient availability and what that could mean for the future of the carbon balance in the tundra. This summer I was lucky enough to do some work at the station with Paul!

What was the best part of fieldwork?

Exploring a brand new environment was incredibly humbling! I was constantly learning about the natural processes at work, the research that has led to mine, and about the ways Inuit, Dene, and Metis peoples have lived on these lands for thousands of years. This summer I’ll have a chance to share some of my research with visiting high school students from the tundra science camp, as well as learn about traditional practices from Indigenous elders. I am unbelievably excited.

What was the most challenging part of fieldwork?

My short field visit this summer was pretty luxurious, though I’m looking forward to clouds of blackflies next year. The hardest day was a cold rainy day as our time came to an end and we needed to finish measuring birch new shoot extension in a few more plots. Paul’s hardiness, and our religious adherence to hot tea breaks were the only thing getting me through the day.