The biophysical significance of groundwater and ground ice in cold polar environments

远北地区是加拿大最具挑战性的研究环境之一，不仅其自然系统的表现与其他地方不同，而且北极实地考察（科学和后勤）的障碍也是巨大的。北极也是驱动海洋和大气环流的最重要的全球系统之一。它也被广泛认为是全球气候变化的“煤矿里的金丝雀”。 最近有迹象表明，北极气候变化的速度比几年前预测的要快。像北极这样的极端环境为我们理解地球上物理和生物过程的极限提供了重要线索。在地球极地地区学到的经验教训正被用来更好地了解火星等邻近行星。

The far North represents one of the most challenging research environments in Canada, not only does it's natural systems behave differently than elsewhere, but the obstacles to Arctic fieldwork (both scientific and logistical) are enormous. The Arctic is also one of the most important global systems driving ocean and atmospheric circulation. It is also widely recognised as "the canary in the coal mine" for global climate change. There are recent indications that Arctic climates are changing faster than predicted only a few years ago. Extreme environments like the Arctic provide important clues in our understanding about the limits of physical and biological processes on Earth. Lessons learned in Earth's Polar Regions are being used to develop a better understanding of neighboring planets like Mars.