Mining to Mitigate Climate Change: Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage in Mine Waste
Greg Dipple
Professor, University of British Columbia
March 28, 2019, 7:30 pm Beringia Centre, Whitehorse
Most carbon on Earth is held in carbonate minerals formed from weathering of the earth’s crust. Weathering, however, is too sluggish to affect the carbon budget on the timescale of human emissions. Mining changes all of that. The extraction of metals and minerals increases the reactivity of rocks so that they weather spontaneously, capturing carbon from air in the process. Join Greg Dipple as he explores how mine wastes can be deployed to lower the carbon footprint of industrial operations and perhaps even reduce the carbon content of our atmosphere globally.
Keynote Address, Yukon Biodiversity Forum
Tiny Plastic, Big Problem: Tracking marine microplastics to the Source and to the North
Stephen Chastain
Master of Resources Management, SFU, Research Technician, Ocean Wise Plastics Lab
February 28, 2019, Yukon College, Haines Junction
March 1, 2019, 7:30 pm Beringia Centre, Whitehorse
By the year 2050 there may be more plastic by weight in the ocean than fish, says one recent study. Microplastics -- small plastic pieces and fibres less than 5 mm long -- comprise a considerable portion of that weight and are a major threat to the marine ecosystem. Join Stephen Chastain as he explores how the Ocean Wise plastics lab uses high-tech, forensic crime scene investigation tools on particles five times smaller than a human hair to track the chemical components of microplastics and determine their origin products. He will focus, in part, on research into microplastics in fragile Arctic Ocean ecosystems.
3rd Annual Ian Church Memorial Lecture
Not your grandparents’ weather!
David Phillips
Senior Climatologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada
February 24, 2019, 7:30 pm Beringia Centre, Whitehorse
Deluges, ice rains, winter heat waves, megadroughts – if you think we’ve been cursed and clobbered a lot harder and a lot more often recently, you are not imagining it. It used to be that our weather was “normal” and dependable. Now, more and more Canadians are asking: What’s happening to our weather? If our weather is becoming weirder and wilder are people responsible or is it nature doing this to us? Or both? What has become clear is that the Earth is warming and the number of weather-related disasters appears on the rise. We can no longer assume that yesterday’s weather will apply tomorrow.
What did you do that for? How dogs, children and monkeys learn from others
Daphna Buchsbaum, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
February 17, 2019, 7:30 pm Beringia Centre, Whitehorse
February 18, 2019, 7:30 pm Dawson City Community Library
Whether retrieving a ball from under the couch or operating a microwave, dogs, as well as humans and other primates, are confronted with challenging physical reasoning problems every day, and they often solve these problems by learning from others. Join Daphna Buchsbaum as she explores how dogs, as well as other species understand both the physical and the social world.
Pollinator Peril: What’s Up with Wild Bees in Western Canada?
Dr. Paul Galpern, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary
February 14, 2019, 7:30 pm Beringia Centre, Whitehorse
February 15, 2019, 12:00 pm Yukon College, Haines Junction
What’s the buzz all about? Across Canada, three species of bumble bees are recognized federally as species at risk. Climate change, agricultural chemicals, diseases and even which crops farmers choose to plant may be contributing to the peril faced by wild pollinators. Though the headlines may be bleak, there is much we can do to support wild pollinator populations. Join Paul Galpern as he reviews the global and regional risks to pollinators and then turns his attention to recovery, focusing on the role of habitat conservation in agricultural areas.
Ice Age Horses of Western North America: the history and prehistory of an American icon
Eric Scott
Principal Paleontologist, Cogstone Resource Management, Inc., Adjunct Instructor, California State University, San Bernardino
January 27, 2019, 7:30 pm Beringia Centre, Whitehorse
January 28, 2019, 7:00 pm Yukon College, Haines Junction
Horses are icons of the American west. But their connection with the west goes far deeper than just human history, reaching all the way back to the Ice Ages and beyond. Native to North America, horses have been key players in ancient ecosystems for over fifty million years. Paleontologist Eric Scott has studied these amazing animals for decades – from the frozen expanses of the Yukon to the blistering deserts of the Americas and East Africa – and will review our current understanding of how horses evolved into the wonderful partners we know and love today.
Rivers and streams in winter: the love-hate relationship of water and ice
Benoit Turcotte, Ph.D., P.Eng, Senior Hydrologist, Yukon Government
December 9, 2018, 7:30 pm Beringia Centre, Whitehorse
Most people assume that once the cold season begins, streams freeze and rivers hibernate. However, winter is probably the most dynamic and fascinating period of the year from a hydrology point of view: the first cold nights initiate a tango between the water and the ice that can persist well into the winter season. With snowmelt, the dance recommences, this time leading to the most dramatic expression of northern rivers: breakup. Join Benoit Turcotte as he take you on a journey through winter along different watercourses, highlighting current Yukon hydrology challenges along the way.
Designing Yukon Growing Environments
Bob Sharp, Experiential Science Educator
November 25, 2018, 7:30 pm Beringia Centre, Whitehorse
It’s not just a greenhouse. Growing your own food in a Northern Climate requires some special arrangements designed to simulate optimal growth conditions for the plants you wish to grow. Join master tinkerer, Bob Sharp, as he runs through principles, designs and northern technologies used to create such environments. It’s never too early to start planning for the next season.
2nd Annual Ian Church Memorial Lecture
Applied climate research in northern Canada
Dr. Ronald Layden, Manager, North Slave Research Centre, Aurora College, Yellowknife
May 29, 2018, 7:30 pm Beringia Centre, Whitehorse
How is climate change directly affecting Northern communities today, and what are their research priorities as a result? Join Ronald Layden as he describes several related studies: 1) understanding how climate change is impacting basin hydrology and hydroelectric energy production in the NWT; 2) the challenges of using solid waste gasification systems for energy in Northern communities; 3) improving ice roads and increasing their efficiency and 4) a methane survey in the Mackenzie Delta from the Yukon to the Arctic Ocean.
Effects of dust storms on ancient and modern climates in proglacial valleys
James King, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Montreal
May 12, 2018, 7:30 pm Beringia Centre, Whitehorse
In the Yukon, and in other high latitude mountainous areas, warming temperatures within glaciated valleys are causing increased glacial melt. The eroded sediment thus left exposed frequently becomes wind-blown dust. Such events of the past are evident in layers of loess within the surrounding soils. This mineral-rich dust not only provides essential nutrients for aquatic and terrestrial productivity, but also affects the earth’s radiation balance. The extent of its effect is a major source of uncertainty in global climate change models. Join James King as he explores how these dynamics interoperate, with special reference to the Slims River (A'ay Chu) valley.
Energy Storage: the missing link for more wind and solar power in Yukon
Ravi Seethapathy
Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto
Executive Chairman, Biosirus Inc, Ontario.
April 19, 2018, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
This lecture was presented in partnership with Yukon Conservation Society and Stuart Clark