M.Sc. on the cryohydrogeophysics of a talik beneath the Kuuguluk River, Sal

at  Natural Resources Canada

Natural Resources Canada - Geological Survey of Canada - Lands and Minerals Sector - GSC - Quebec
Québec (Québec)
This MSc will start in February 2025 and end in December 2026.
Bursary of $24,000/year divided into 3 equal installments each year.
For further information on the organization, please visit Natural Resources Canada
Research Affiliate Program
Geological Survey of Canada
CLOSING DATE: 13 FEBRUARY 2025 - 23:59, PACIFIC TIMEWho can apply: Persons residing in Canada, and Canadian citizens and Permanent residents abroad.
Students enrolled or able to enroll in a in the Interuniversity M.Sc. program in Earth Sciences at Université Laval (Québec, QC, Canada). Proof will be required before the start date.
To be considered for RAP opportunities:
1. you are a full-time student in a post-secondary institution. This includes students with physical or emotional disabilities deemed to have full-time status by their academic institution. Adult students registered in education and retraining programs at the secondary level may also be eligible for student employment programs.
2. you are enrolled in an academic program that requires research as part of your curriculum
3. you meet the minimum age required in the province/territory of work

WORK ENVIRONMENT

At Natural Resources Canada, a Federal government job means developing leadership skills, fostering teamwork, and supporting creativity and innovation. We know it takes people from diverse pools of talent to make this happen. That is why we are looking for people like you. As an employee at Natural Resources Canada you can enjoy diverse employment opportunities, a range of career development programs, and a learning culture that supports you to learn on an ongoing basis. We support balancing your work and private life by offering the benefits of flexible work arrangements.

IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED, YOUR APPLICATION MUST CLEARLY EXPLAIN HOW YOU MEET THE FOLLOWING (ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS)

Essential Education:

• The candidate must have completed his/her B.Sc. degree in Earth Sciences from a recognized university, or be in his/her last session.
• The candidate must demonstrate his/her motivation on pursuing graduate studies.

Degree equivalency

Experience:

• Experience in applied and environmental geophysics*.
• Experience relevant to the acquisition, organization and analysis of geological data in a Geographic Information System (GIS) and 3D modeling environment.
• For the recruitment of students in the federal public service, experience may be acquired through studies, work experience or volunteer activities.

In the continuous permafrost zones at high northern latitudes in Canada, layers of permanently thawed ground, known as taliks, are present beneath lakes and rivers. If there is sufficient groundwater in these taliks, these aquifers can be tapped to supply drinking water to northern communities. For instance, groundwater from a fractured aquifer in the talik beneath the Kuguuluk River in Salluit, an Inuit community in Nunavik (Quebec), is used as a source of drinking water. However, uncertainties remain about the aquifer potential of this talik, the availability and quality of the groundwater, the vulnerability of this river-talik system to the impacts of climate change, and the sustainability of this talik as a source of drinking water. As part of the Geological Survey of Canada’s (GSC) GEM-GeoNorth program, the talik beneath the Kuuguluk River will be studied in detail to address the above uncertainties by delineating it with geophysical surveys, instrumenting it to monitor ground temperature and hydraulic head in the aquifer, installing wells to sample and measure groundwater quality, and carrying out numerical modelling of groundwater flow and heat transfer to assess the impact of global warming on the talik dynamics. The results of this study will be useful for other northern communities in continuous permafrost environments who wish to exploit the talik aquifers for sustainable access to drinking water of sufficient quality and quantity.
As part of the study of this river-talik system in Salluit, a M.Sc. research project is proposed to carry out a cryohydrogeophysical investigation of the talik beneath the Kuuguluk River. The main objectives of this research project are 1) to delineate the talik limits and adjacent permafrost conditions using various geophysical surveys, and 2) to improve a conceptual 3D cryohydrogeological model of the Salluit valley based on new constraints derived from mapping of Quaternary deposits, drilling and geophysical investigations. 2D and 3D ground-penetrating-radar profiles, as well as 2D and 3D electrical resistivity tomography using galvanic contact with the ground surface and capacitive coupling, will be carried out during the geophysical investigations.
This M.Sc. research project in cryohydrogeophysics is part of the study of the talik under the Kuuguluk River in Salluit. A Ph.D. research project and two other M.Sc. research projects are included in this study. As part of the PhD research project, the 3D cryohydrogeological conceptual model will be used to simulate groundwater flow and heat transfer by conduction and advection in the talik and adjacent permafrost for understanding the dynamics of cryohydrogeological processes taking place in the river-talik system in Salluit and assessing groundwater availability. The two other M.Sc.research projects will focus on groundwater geochemistry and quality, and organic matter remobilization and microbial activity. A team of experts from the GSC, the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and Centre d’études nordiques (CEN) at Université Laval will oversee these research projects. The person selected for this M.Sc. research project in cryohydrogeophysics will be actively involved in geophysical investigations of the talik beneath the Kuuguluk River in Salluit, processing and interpreting the geophysical data, and improving the 3D cryohydrogeological model.
The successful candidate will enroll in Interuniversity M.Sc. program in Earth Sciences at Université Laval. With the help of their supervisors and the scientists involved in this project, the successful candidate will be invited to publish the results of their research in GSC public reports and peer-reviewed scientific journals, give oral and/or poster presentations at scientific, government or industry conferences, and conduct outreach activities on their research to the Inuit stakeholders.