The Opportunity

The holder of the Chair in Coastal Wetland Ecosystems at Acadia University will have the opportunity to be involved in leading world-class research on practical, applied solutions to climate change issues facing decision makers. The Chair will have access to numerous salt marsh environments and other wetland ecosystems located nearby and in the region. Areas of focus may include:

• Coastal wetland ecology.Local and regional opportunities are numerous and include research on salt marsh ecology, ecosystem services and function, and role in carbon sequestration and burial.
• Wetland conservation and restoration. It has been estimated that 80% of the salt marshes along the Bay of Fundy and 65% of salt marshes province-wide have been lost, mainly to dyking and agriculture.
• Impacts on, and adaptations of, wetlands due to environmental and anthropogenic influences (flooding, storm surges, sea level rise, coastal development etc).

Nova Scotia’s extensive coastline, including the salt marsh environment adjacent to Acadia University, represents a natural laboratory in which to experiment and to develop and test predictive models for climate change adaptation. Laboratory facilities on the Acadia campus that could support the research of a CRC include the Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research and the KC Irving Environmental Science Centre which houses state-of-the-art research laboratories, including wetland mesocosms and controlled environments specifically designed for climate change research (phytotrons). Acadia also offers three field stations (Bon Portage, Morton Centre and the newly established Beaubassin Field Station) which provide unique research facilities and a variety of opportunities for an incoming CRC.

The Canada Research Chair in Coastal Wetland Ecosystems is expected to enhance the university’s growing research contributions in the area of Coastal Environmental Research and build on work currently being conducted in several departments and research centres at Acadia. Acadia is on a path to establishing a strong marine science profile and, with a current focus on tidal power related environmental research, is poised to become a recognized leader in marine and coastal science. The CRC in Coastal Wetland Ecosystems will find numerous collaborators within and outside the university (nationally and internationally), and has the opportunity to attract significant support from a large range of funding agencies. The Coastal Wetland Ecosystems Chair will strengthen Acadia’s capacity to increase and enhance partnerships and funding support from a range of organizations that share an interest in coastal environments.