Rate My Professor Colin Whitfield

Colin Whitfield is an Associate Professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan and a member of the Global Institute for Water Security. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Watershed Ecosystems and a Master of Science in Watershed Ecosystems from Trent University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with Co-operative Education from Simon Fraser University. His research focuses on catchment hydrochemistry, ecosystem biogeochemistry, biogeochemical modelling, climate change impacts, biogenic greenhouse gas emissions, acidification, mineral weathering, and ecosystem responses to stressors. Whitfield investigates aquatic systems in southern Saskatchewan, including biogenic greenhouse gas emissions from Wascana Creek and dissolved organic carbon in Buffalo Pound Lake, while also leading projects on the biogeochemistry of boreal and taiga regions of Saskatchewan to improve understanding of upland forests and headwater lakes under atmospheric pollution, climate change, and landscape disturbance. He contributes to the GIWS BERMS group by applying a coupled biogeochemical-vegetation model to assess forest ecosystem responses to climate and atmospheric deposition.

Selected publications include Murray, C.A., Whitfield, C.J., and Watmough, S.A. (2017) on uncertainty-based terrestrial critical loads of nutrient nitrogen for northern Saskatchewan in Boreal Environment Research; Whitfield, C.J., Mowat, A.C., Scott, K.A., and Watmough, S.A. (2016) on a modified approach for assessing the aquatic critical load of acid deposition in northern Saskatchewan in Atmospheric Environment; Whitfield, C.J. and Watmough, S.A. (2015) on acid deposition in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment; Ireson, A.M., et al. including Whitfield, C.J. (2015) on the changing water cycle in the Boreal Plains ecozone in WIREs Water; and Whitfield, C.J., Baulch, H.M., Chun, K.P., and Westbrook, C.J. (2015) on beaver-mediated methane emission in Ambio. Earlier works address regional mineral soil weathering estimation and critical load assessment in boreal Saskatchewan (2012), controls on greenhouse gas concentrations in polymictic headwater lakes in Ireland (2011), and related topics in catchment hydrochemistry and acidification. Whitfield teaches courses such as ENVS 201 – Foundations of Sustainability.