By understanding how our natural and urban environments are responding to a changing climate, McMaster experts are informing policy and supporting researchers around the world.
Along the shores of one of Canada’s Great Lakes, Altaf Arain is unlocking crucial insights about how different types of forests and agricultural crops absorb and release carbon dioxide.
Every half-hour, towers at the Turkey Point Environmental Observatory on Lake Erie have been collecting data that guide climate research worldwide.
“The goal is to see how much carbon can be absorbed or stored in these terrestrial ecosystems, so that we can offset greenhouse gas emissions,” said Arain, a professor in the School of Earth, Environment & Society at McMaster University.
“This provides us with nature-based climate solutions, and it will help us with net zero emission goals.”
Most of the carbon released during Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season came from burning soil and peat, rather than trees, according to McMaster researchers.
The study found that underground carbon stores accounted for 76 per cent of wildfire emissions, helping drive a fire season that released nearly a quarter of the world’s wildfire emissions that year.
Researchers estimate the 2023 wildfires burned 15.1 million hectares – seven times Canada’s 20-year average – and released 554 million tonnes of carbon.
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