Nicola Houtman

Nicola Houtman

Contact: nicolahoutman@gmail.com

MSc Geography, University of Victoria

BSc Geography, University of Victoria

Nicola Houtman is a Master’s candidate interested in mapping important forage fish species in the Strait of Georgia in order to learn about important areas for conservation for their endangered predators (Chinook and marbled murrelets). The ecology and distribution of many of British Columbia’s forage fish are undocumented due to limited fisheries targeting forage fish, the focus on species or stock specific management rather than ecosystem-based management, and the highly mobile or migratory life history of forage fish species. In particular, the distribution of pelagic (i.e. water column) foraging habitats of forage fish is virtually undocumented for Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), Northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), and surf smelt (Hypomensus pretiosus).

The main research goal of this project is to map forage fish distributions in pelagic habitats in the Strait of Georgia. The project will be accomplished by:

1) Creating species distribution models that can predict the locations of Pacific sand lance, surf smelt, and Northern anchovy (three key forage species with little distribution data).

2) Developing a methodology for using remotely piloted aircrafts (RPAs, i.e. unmanned aerial vehicles or drones) to map schools of forage fish in the field, and identify species and school metrics (e.g., average fish size, school size). 

3) Visiting the areas predicted as high and low probability of fish presence by the models and using the RPA methodology I develop to ground-truth the models (i.e. try to find fish). 

This project is in collaboration with Project Watershed, Parks Canada, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. 

Sejal Pramlall

Sejal Pramlall

MSc Geography

Contact: sejalpramlall@uvic.ca

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BSc Honours in Ocean & Atmosphere Science (University of Cape Town, South Africa)

BSc in Ocean & Atmosphere Science, Marine Biology and Environmental & Geographical Science (University of Cape Town, South Africa)

Sejal Pramlall is a Master’s candidate with an interest in using satellite remote sensing tools to quantitatively analyze bio-physical oceanographic processes.

The main objectives of her MSc research is to

i) determine the long term spatio-temporal dynamics of phytoplankton phenology along the British Columbia and South East Alaskan coastal waters, with a particular focus on the Queen Charlotte Sound region,

ii) to determine the environmental drivers most strongly influencing phytoplankton dynamics, and lastly

iii) to quantitatively delineate regions with similar phenological indices into distinct ‘phenoregions’ along the migration route of juvenile salmon.

The outcome of this research can redefine some of what we know about seasonal cycles of phytoplankton over the past two decades, which could in turn provide valuable insight into trophic linkages between phytoplankton and juvenile salmon populations in this region. This study is a collaborative effort between the Spectral Remote Sensing Laboratory and the Hakai Institute, and contributes to the overarching MEOPAR and Canadian Space agency project: ‘Spatiotemporal dynamics of the coastal ocean biogeochemical domains of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska - following the migration route of juvenile salmon.’

Sejal has a background in physical oceanography, meteorology and marine ecology. She graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BSc Honours degree in Ocean & Atmosphere Science, for which she has attained the class medal for being the top achiever in her academic year. Her previous research involved applying algorithms to detect the presence of cyclones, analysis of storm tracks in the Southern Ocean and their relationship with Antarctic sea ice distribution. During this time, she contributed to the 2019 SCALE (Southern Ocean Seasonal Experiment) research expedition to the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone. Throughout her academic career Sejal has accumulated numerous accolades, including the ZSSA (Zoological Society of South Africa) student award, various class medals, the Deans merit list and is a member of the Golden Key society.

Lianna Gendall

Lianna Gendall

MSc Geography, University of Victoria
BSc Biology, University of Alberta      
Contact

Lianna Gendall is a Master’s candidate with interests in kelp forest ecology, ecosystem-based management and the use of remote sensing to answer important ecological questions. Kelp forests are some of the most diverse and productive habitats on earth and provide many important ecosystem services to humans. Lianna’s research is focused on creating a baseline map of kelp forest distributions along the coast of Haida Gwaii and exploring environmental drivers of change in these ecosystems. This project is a collaborative effort between the SPECTRAL remote sensing laboratory, the Hakai Institute and the Marine Plan Partnership for the North Pacific Coast (MaPP) and will help to improve management strategies for kelp forest ecosystems in the future.

Lianna has a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Biology from the University of Alberta. Throughout her degree, Lianna’s curiosity and love for the ocean grew while working as a research assistant and Dive Master on several international marine research bases.  She spent the last semester of her BSc. at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, where she fell in love with the complex and beautiful temperate ecosystems of the west coast of Canada.  Since graduating, she has worked as a coral reef ecology instructor in Mexico and with the Salmon Coded Wire Tag Laboratory of J.O. Thomas & Associated Ltd. All of these experiences have solidified her desire to identify and monitor long-term change in coastal marine ecosystems and she is excited for the new experiences and challenges that lie ahead. 

Click HERE to learn more about Lianna’s Project

Brian Timmer

MSc Geography    
BSc Biology       
Contact: briantimmer@uvic.ca | twitter: @Scuba_Timmer |   

Brian’s MSc was focused on quantifying uncertainties of kelp bed metrics associated with changes in tidal height and current, as detected by remote sensing. Brian used data from in situ hyperspectral radiometers, multispectral UAV, high-resolution WorldView imagery, and supplementary data acquired from established Hakai kelp monitoring sites near Calvert Island to complete his thesis.

Click Here to learn more about Brian’s project.

Andrea Hilborn

MSc in Geography
BSc Major in Geography, Minor in Mathematics (University of Victoria)
Contact

Research Areas:
ocean colour remote sensing, atmospheric corrections, multi-satellite time series, geospatial analysis

Thesis Project:
My master's project extends the local atmospheric correction from MODIS Aqua to the Suomi-NPP VIIRS sensor in order to identify phytoplankton bloom phenology throughout the Salish Sea. 

We are excited to have partnerships with the Pacific Salmon Foundation, MITACS and MEOPAR to help make this possible!

Publications and Presentations:

Contributor: Geomorphic and geologic controls of geohazards induced by Nepal’s 2015 Gorkha earthquake, Science 2015.

Affiliations:

Mitacs
MEOPAR
Pacific Salmon Foundation
Salish Sea Marine Survival Project
Ocean Networks Canada
Science Venture, University of Victoria
University of Victoria Campus Community Garden