Chapter 01
Environment
Freshwater Systems & Catchment Flux
Multi-decadal tracking of thermal regime shifts, active-layer thaw, and solute transport across subarctic braided river networks.
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Ecology & Environment
Observe closely. Think in systems.
CIREE works across ecology, environment and field research, connects knowledge between disciplines, and shares what it learns through outreach and public engagement.
About CIREE
CIREE is a centre for interdisciplinary research in ecology and environment. The work begins in the field, moves across disciplines, and returns what it learns to the people and places it concerns.
Fig. 01 / Laurentian Highlands — Mixed conifer canopy emerging through radiation fog at 1,140m elevation.
Areas of work
- 01Ecology
- 02Environment
- 03Field research
- 04Interdisciplinary knowledge
- 05Outreach
- 06Public engagement
- The Specimen. Ecological inquiry begins at the organismal scale: measuring plumage spectral reflectance, physiological indicators, and chemical signatures of riverine bioaccumulation up close.
- The Catchment. Expanding outward, individual observations situate within the dendritic hydrological catchment—tracking snowpack melt pulses, sediment flux, and thermal transitions across 340 km of braided river reaches.
- The Coupled System. CIREE bridges catchment observations across forest canopies, coastal blue carbon sinks, and rural agro-ecological regimes—translating empirical field data into predictive environmental models.
From observation to system
Scale I / Individual & Bio-Indicator
The Specimen.
Ecological inquiry begins at the organismal scale: measuring plumage spectral reflectance, physiological indicators, and chemical signatures of riverine bioaccumulation up close.
Scale II / Topographic & Drainage Dynamics
The Catchment.
Expanding outward, individual observations situate within the dendritic hydrological catchment—tracking snowpack melt pulses, sediment flux, and thermal transitions across 340 km of braided river reaches.
- CIREEEcologyEnvironmentField ResearchInterdisciplinary KnowledgeOutreach & Engagement
Scale III / Cross-Thematic Synthesis
The Coupled System.
CIREE bridges catchment observations across forest canopies, coastal blue carbon sinks, and rural agro-ecological regimes—translating empirical field data into predictive environmental models.
Research themes
The research, theme by theme.
Each theme is a way into the work. Follow one to find its projects, people, publications and field media.
- 01Ecology
Species, habitats and the relationships that hold living systems together. - 02Environment
Water, soil, air and climate, read as one connected system. - 03Field Research
Patient observation in the places where change actually happens. - 04Interdisciplinary Knowledge
Questions too large for any single discipline. - 05Outreach & Engagement
Research shared openly with the people it concerns.
Research chapters
Projects, told as chapters.
Every project opens like a field journal: the question, the place, the methods, the people and what was found.
Chapter 02
Ecology
Forest Ecology & Canopy Buffering
High-density microclimate sensor networks measuring thermal buffering and drought resilience across mature boreal-temperate transition zones.
Chapter 03
Field Research
Coastal Wetlands & Blue Carbon
Quantifying vertical sediment accretion, tidal pulse mechanics, and long-term organic carbon sequestration in macro-tidal saltmarsh ecosystems.
Chapter 04
Interdisciplinary Knowledge
Grasslands & Agro-Ecological Regimes
Evaluating soil moisture retention, perennial root architecture, and microbial resilience under adaptive multi-paddock grazing regimes.
From the field
Seen first-hand.
Photographs and footage from fieldwork, sampling and public events. Videos play right here.
Open the media archiveSelected knowledge
Papers, reports and data.
Search the full register by author, theme, year or type, with citations, DOIs and downloads where supplied.
Search all publications- Journal articleThermal stratification and nutrient pulses during unseasonal snowmelt in subarctic river basinsDr. Elena Rostova, Dr. Marcus Vance, Prof. T. K. Bergmann
- ReportCatchment sediment flux monitoring protocol: Field acoustic sensing and manual grab sample integrationCIREE Field Methods Working Group (Ed. Dr. Marcus Vance)
- Policy briefBuffer strip efficacy and riparian restoration benchmarks for agricultural watershedsDr. Sarah Lindqvist, Dr. Elena Rostova, Prof. Julian Thorne
- DatasetHigh-frequency water temperature, conductivity and turbidity time series: Upper Mackenzie Catchment 2021–2024Dr. Elena Rostova, Dr. Marcus Vance, Dr. Sarah Lindqvist
Opportunities and events
Join the work.
Open roles, internships, calls and events for researchers, students, applicants and collaborators.
All opportunities and events