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From Permafrost to Polar Bears: Churchill’s Changing Arctic

© Nat Hab Expedition Leader Leah Pengelly

LeeAnn Fishback, Ph.D. Resource Conservation Manager, Parks Canada

LeeAnn Fishback is an environmental geochemist based in Churchill, Manitoba, where she serves as Resource Conservation Manager for Wapusk National Park with Parks Canada. Her research focuses on freshwater lake and pond chemistry across Arctic and subarctic regions, examining how these systems respond to environmental change. Prior to joining Parks Canada in 2020, she spent 18 years in research management and as a research scientist at the Churchill Northern Studies Center. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario and is an adjunct professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Winnipeg.

Dr. Fishback's work centers on understanding how climate change is altering northern freshwater systems, from small tundra ponds to large lakes. By tracking changes in water chemistry over time, she identifies how shifts in temperature, permafrost and hydrology are reshaping Arctic landscapes. Her research contributes to long-term environmental monitoring in the North, providing data that help Parks Canada and the broader scientific community understand and manage the impacts of climate change on sensitive ecosystems.

In the field, she leads hands-on data collection in remote locations, working with research teams to sample water and analyze chemical changes across seasons. Early in her career, she spent months living on a glacier in the high Arctic, where record summer temperatures caused widespread surface melt—an experience that highlighted the pace and scale of change in northern environments. Through her work, she helps build a clearer picture of how Arctic freshwater systems are evolving, providing the long-term perspective needed to understand and respond to a changing climate.

Education

Ph.D., University of Western Ontario, Canada

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