Master's student Will Hein writes about his odyssey to the heart of the Arctic

Wonder found chasing bugs: A summer in the Yukon Arctic

In a new McGill Reporter article, Renewable Resources Master's student Will Hein writes about his journey to the heart of the remote Arctic wilderness to study wildlife interaction in the face of climate change.

Every year in the remote expanses of Northwestern Canada’s Arctic, the Porcupine Caribou Herd embarks on the planet’s longest land migration, an odyssey of a few thousand kilometers across the Arctic tundra, rugged Northern Rocky Mountains, coastal plains, and unique boreal forests spanning the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska.

During their short summer months of June and July, they face a relatable challenge: swarms of mosquitoes and other harassing insects chasing the herd’s unique carbon dioxide signature, believed to influence herds behavior and energy expenditure. This unique interaction is what Hein's research is centered around. Read his account of an incredible summer rich with field work and experience.