CEN Boniface River Field Station
The Boniface River Field Station is situated within the forest tundra less than 30 km from the tree limit and some 50 km inland from Hudson Bay. Landscape features around the station of scientific interest are discontinuous permafrost, eskers, thermokarst ponds, palsas, the Boniface River, vegetation and the treeline.
The Boniface River Research Station was established in 1990 by the professor Serge Payette and his team to conduct research on past treeline and tree growth dynamics in the context of climate change. It was later upgraded by CEN during the 2007-2012 period. Presently, the station is comprised of three individual buildings (one with a shower) that serve primarily as laboratories, equipment storage and a kitchen, dining building.
Climate stations from the SILA Network are installed near the research station and have been recording the prevailing conditions at the tree limit, including the thermal contrast (air and soil) between tundra and forest environments, since 1988. In addition, tree growth has been measured with the aid of a dozen electronic dendrometers since the summer of 2005 (measured environmental variables).
CEN's Nordicana-D series freely and openly give access to online climate and environmental data reports archived at CEN, aiding the management of the wealth of environemental data sets produced by CEN's monitoring and research activities. The following data series is available for this area: CEN 2013. Environmental data from Boniface river region in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, v. 1.0 (1988-2012). Nordicana D7, doi: 10.5885/45129SL-DBDA2A77C0094963. Visit the Website www.cen.ulaval.ca/nordicanad/ to view the complete list of available data.
This station is part of the Canadian Network of Northern Research Operators (CNNRO, www.cnnro.ca) and the international network INTERACT (www.eu-interact.org).
| Institution | Université Laval |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Infrastructure type | Research station |
| Disciplines | Biology and biochemistry Environmental sciences Earth sciences Natural environments and wildlife |
| Language of operation | Inuktitut French English Cree |
| Keywords | permafrostpaleoclimategeomorphologygeologybiodiversity |
Availability
The research station is available to all researchers (university, college, governmental and private) conducting research in the area. The station can also accommodate small groups of students wishing to undertake training in the North.
Reservation: Contact the station manager to make a reservation. See calendar of reservations here.
Cost: See the rate schedule for pricing. Note that a weekly booking includes 7 nights.
Contact information
The station manager can be reached by email: station@cen.ulaval.ca or cen@cen.ulaval.ca, or at the station by telephone : +1-819-929-3319.