FASS Professor Awarded for Mer Bleue Wetland Conservation

Elyn Humphreys, professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University, is one of eight recipients of the Mer Bleue Wetland Conservation Award.

Humphreys was awarded for her contribution as a member of the Peatland Carbon Research Team. Her research tracks the exchange of carbon dioxide, water vapour and energy between ecosystems and the atmosphere, as well as the effects of natural and human-induced disturbances on this type of ecosystem function.

Mer Bleue, a northern boreal landscape just 15 minutes from Parliament Hill in Ottawa, plays an important role in protecting the diversity of plants and animals in the capital region and in stabilizing the climate globally. It may well be the single most studied bog in the world. It was acquired by the National Capital Commission more than 50 years ago.

“What could have been a landfill site is now the single-largest and most important ecosystem in the greenbelt,” said Marie Lemay, chief executive officer at the NCC. “This type of wetland is not usually found this far South; we actually have a piece of the Canadian Arctic right here in the capital.”