2005 Principal Investigator of the Year - Peter Kershaw
Earthwatch Award Recipient Summary
Awardee: Peter Kershaw, Ph.D.
Affiliation: University of Alberta
Project: Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge
Award: 2005 Principal Investigator of the Year
Project Synopsis
Dr. Peter Kershaw's research focuses on environmental impacts of climate change in Churchill, Manitoba, and the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, where he conducts studies on winter snowpack and permafrost. His data, collected with the help of Earthwatch volunteers, indicate that permafrost is degrading, or melting at a rate of approximately 1 percent per year, comparable to findings of other scientists in circumpolar countries. With almost a quarter of the Earth's landmass affected by permafrost, there are dire implications for both human developments in the arctic and northern ecology, from nutrient cycling to polar bear denning sites. In addition to these direct impacts, the thawing of frozen peatlands stands to release vast stores of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide and methane, greenhouse gasses that will further speed the process of global warming. Dr. Kershaw's research is sorting through these impacts to prepare natural resource managers for the future.
Award Outcomes
The Principal Investigator of the Year Award allowed Dr. Kershaw to:
· Purchase a new datalogger for year-round environmental monitoring
· Present his findings a conferences and meetings
Dr. Kershaw was able to buy a datalogger to establish a new, year-round permafrost temperature monitoring site, adding to the long-term environmental monitoring network operated out of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. This new site, in particular, will give valuable information on climate change over the past 50 years. Dr. Kershaw's team relocated a historic monitoring site established in the 1950s to monitor permafrost temperature, and the new datalogger will be used to reactivate this monitoring site. This incredible opportunity will extend Dr. Kershaw's environmental record back a half century, perhaps beyond the period of greatest warming for the region, putting current values into a much larger context.
Because of Dr. Kershaw's award, he received several invitations to present his work both to academic and lay audiences.
Publications and Papers
Pending
Quotes
"I was very surprised with the award since I don't think my project is any different from many that Earthwatch supports. I was also very pleased to be acknowledged in this way by a group of people I have a lot of respect for: the team members as well as the Earthwatch staffers. I learn a lot from team members. Their insightful questions always give me pause and can force me to reconsider ideas I take for granted. I hear new things and am richer for the experience."
"I believe the award will give my project greater profile both in the lay and scientific community, and this can be used to leverage greater support for the future. Because of the publicity, I have received many more questions about my work and about Earthwatch as well. This type of exposure I have never cultivated or encouraged so to have it happen without my pushing it has been a real eye-opener. After having experienced this I can see why this type of outreach is essential to keep the public informed. Winning this award has provided the vehicle for informing the public about this critical issue of our time and I believe more people have a better understanding of climate change as a result. This is because whenever I was interviewed I was always asked about 'what I do' and so was able to speak to the science."