Hannah Thibault

2021 Weston Family Awards in Northern Research recipient

Master’s student
University of Waterloo

Hannah Thibault is in her first year of her master’s of science degree in biology at the University of Waterloo. Her research takes place in northern Alberta and centres around the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), which is an internationally recognized wetland that supports diverse wildlife.

As multiple stressors, including climate change and hydroelectric regulation, continue to threaten the PAD, observable long-term drying trends and decreased freshwater availability remain major concerns brought forth by local Indigenous communities. Upstream of the PAD are the Smoky and Wabasca rivers – key trigger tributaries contributing large amounts of flow to the Peace River, which helps flood lakes of the PAD. By studying lake sediment cores from these upstream watersheds, she aims to understand past temporal variation in local climate conditions and identify climate events that align with drying downstream at the PAD.

Learn more about the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research.