Grant: Canada Excellence Research Chairs

The rapidly warming climate is reshaping the planet’s biodiversity. At northern latitudes, change is most rapid and impacts are pronounced, yet under-documented. Myers-Smith’s research program aims to identify tundra and boreal forest ecosystem responses to climate change, capture landscape transformations using novel technologies, and synthesize research on the impacts of Arctic climate change. This CERC program aligns directly with federal research priorities including climate change, Arctic science, biodiversity conservation and Indigenous research. The Arctic has warmed four times more than the rest of the planet. Trees and shrubs are increasing and advancing northward. This ecological change is altering carbon cycling and energy flows in the North, affecting the global climate, altering wildlife habitat, and impacting the livelihoods of Indigenous people and communities. This CERC program will quantify how warming temperatures and shifting seasons in Arctic ecosystems are altering the timing of plant growth, the composition of habitats, the expansion of species ranges, and the collective impact of these changes on Indigenous livelihoods. The CERC program will integrate field research, remote sensing, data synthesis and community engagement to address critical research questions about northern ecosystems experiencing rapid and accelerating climate change and the resulting implications for northern communities. This CERC will strengthen Canada’s place as a global leader in Arctic and northern global change science and contribute towards reconciliation and Indigenous-led research in Canada’s North. The program will establish a Climate Change Ecology Research Hub in the Western Canadian North to bring together experts from Indigenous communities, government agencies and academic researchers to establish common infrastructure and data collection to facilitate ecological and drone monitoring capabilities in research centres in the Yukon and NWT. This research will create capacity to support monitoring and research conducted by northern organizations and communities. Prof. Isla Myers-Smith is a global change ecologist and international leader in global change drivers and impacts on northern and tundra ecosystems. Her work is cited widely including in global policy assessments including the IPCC. She works collaboratively with Indigenous expert knowledge holders from the Western Canadian Arctic, government agencies and universities across Canada.