Research Projects

Over the past four years, Environment Canada scientists have been working closely with scientists from the University of Guelph to develop a new approach to study how changes in the pattern of living organisms in the biosphere can be used...

Space weather, fuelled by energetic particles and radiation from the Sun, can cause massive power outages, pipeline corrosion and radio blackouts, and can degrade GPS positioning and increase radiation dosage to airline pilots and passengers. The radiation can penetrate spacecraft...

The northern lights are powered by a stream of charged particles that flow out from the sun. Blown towards the earth at 400 kilometers a second, this solar wind causes storms in the magnetic field near the North and South...

A neutron monitor is an instrument that measures the number of high-energy particles impacting Earth from space. For historical reasons these particles, mostly protons and helium nuclei, are called "cosmic rays." Because the intensity of cosmic rays hitting Earth is...

Intimate partner violence is a serious social problem in the Prairie Provinces and Northwest Territories.  These regions report the highest rates of shelter utilization in Canada and the highest rates of sexual assault and intimate partner homicide. Despite sustained research into...

In 2010, the Aurora Research Institute (ARI) partnered with Environment Canada on the long-term Water Quality and Aquatic Ecosystems Health project. This collaboration, in effect until 2014, will result in new knowledge and data that will contribute to the conservation and...

Native plant species have the potential to be successful in the reclamation of northern habitats, because they are well adapted to local climatic conditions. This allows for better long-term survival, and fewer maintenance and fertilizer requirements. In the NWT, there...

The vision of AgNorth is to develop scalable modular farm stations that will be able to grow a full complement of nutritional foods and provide economic development opportunities and food security in remote and isolated communities of the NWT.