Elyn Humphreys

Professor Elyn Humphreys is a faculty member at the Geography and Environmental Studies Department of Carleton University. She earned her B.Sc. in Plant Biology from the University of Guelph, followed by her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biometeorology from the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on soil-plant-atmosphere interactions, microclimatology, and the impacts of climate change on peatland and Arctic tundra ecosystems.

Humphreys investigates how climate change affects the balance between carbon uptake through photosynthesis and loss via respiration in carbon-rich ecosystems. Her work spans diverse environments, including the Daring Lake Tundra Ecosystem Research Station in the Canadian Arctic and Mer Bleue bog near Ottawa. She leads field studies using eddy covariance towers and modeling approaches to quantify carbon, water, and energy fluxes.

Her recent publications highlight Arctic snowmelt effects, shrub expansion impacts, and peatland methane dynamics. She collaborates with institutions like Queen’s University and the Ontario Ministry of Environment, contributing to long-term projects such as the Canadian Tundra Carbon Exchange Study and Fluxnet Canada Research Network. She has received the NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship and actively seeks students/postdocs for ongoing research, with funding opportunities through NSERC and OGS.

• NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship

Humphreys’ research group operates multiple flux towers in the Canadian Arctic and Hudson Bay Lowlands, analyzing carbon dioxide and methane emissions under climate change. She co-develops models like CLASS3W-MWM and ORCHIDEE-PEAT to improve predictive understanding of northern peatlands.