Paula is an environmental engineer living in Somba K’e (Yellowknife) and working on the remediation of contaminated sites across the territories that primarily consist of contaminated soil in areas of continuous or discontinuous permafrost. Historic contamination events from industry, exploration, and military activities are common in permafrost regions such as northern Canada. Contaminant transport can be influenced by annual freeze and thaw cycles and with permafrost thaw those patterns can change and mobilization may occur in previously unexpected ways.
Paula joined the NSERC CREATE LEAP program to deepen their understanding of permafrost and environmental interactions through an interdisciplinary lens. They are hoping to apply the knowledge gained through the program to minimize permafrost disturbance and design climate-resilient long-term solutions under changing climate and permafrost conditions to better manage historic contamination and prevent it from mobilizing further into the environment.
