Dr. John Orwin

My research sits at the interface of hydrology and geomorphology with a particular focus on high latitude and high elevation landscapes and the fluvial/hydrologic response to geomorphic and climatic perturbation. As a result,  I have three broad research themes:  1) the use of changing sediment flux from cold regions as an environmental response metric, 2) the role that mass movement plays in modifying landscapes and their impact on the fluvial and sediment system and 3) the use of novel geomorphic and statistical techniques to establish past and present environmental response to climatic perturbation. Projects on these themes have been completed or are ongoing in Canada, Iceland, New Zealand and Antarctica. Current research initiatives are focused on gaining a better understanding of Arctic landscape response to a changing climate at larger spatial scales using a combination of instrumentation and remote sensing to characterize spatiotemporal changes in geomorphic and hydrological systems (Queen’s University) and coupling of landuse/land-cover and climate change  models to predict impacts to boreal water resources (University of Calgary, Alberta Environment and Parks).