To further the group’s hydrological research in intensively managed Prairie watersheds, Genevieve Ali was recently awarded funding by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for the establishment a new research platform to be called MHyLAB (Mobile Hydrobiogeochemical LABoratory). This new infrastructure will allow our group to examine the temporal variability of nutrient concentrations in surface waters, the relative importance of surface and subsurface flow processes in runoff generation, the factors that affect natural drainage (i.e. surface water travel times and groundwater residence times), and the exchange of water between soils and vegetation at a temporal frequency of 6 hours or less in targeted Prairie watershed. The MHyLAB will comprise instruments that are not only suitable for laboratory operation but also field-deployable for long-term and high-frequency in-situ data collection, thus providing technical capabilities that do not currently exist in the Prairies.
The MHyLAB related funding is provided by the CFI under the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), formerly known as the Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF). Additional information about this round of funding can be found in the CFI and University of Manitoba press releases.
University of Manitoba press release: http://news.umanitoba.ca/investing-in-the-future-research-leaders-get-funding/
CFI press release: http://www.innovation.ca/en/Media/News/Researchinfrastructurereceives63millionboostGovernmentCanada