Ian J. Walker - Associate Professor
BSc (Toronto), PhD (Guelph)

office: SS&M B124
phone: (250) 721-7347

email: ijwalker@uvic.ca

Research interests:
geomorphology (aeolian, coastal, fluvial), sedimentary processes, beach-dune dynamics, climate change impacts

Courses taught:
GEOG/EOS 120: Intro. to the Earth System II
GEOG 370: Hydrology
GEOG 376: Geomorphology I
GEOG 537: Seminar in Physical Geography

In general, my research expertise is process geomorphology - the scientific study of landforms by investigation of their formative processes, morphological &/or sedimentological responses, and broader
environmental context (past &/or present). As director of the Boundary Layer Airflow & Sediment Transport (BLAST) Research Unit, my main research interests are in studying the dynamics of wind flow, sediment transport & dune morphology in coastal, prairie, and desert environments. I also explore longer-term landscape responses to climate variability events (e.g., coastal storms) and longer-term changes such as sea-level rise on the British Columbia coast. This research involves collaborations with many university colleagues and various federal and provincial government agencies, including the Geological Survey of Canada, Parks Canada, and BC Parks.
This work involves 6 ongoing projects, the first 4 involving the BLAST
Unit:

• BLAST 1: Fetch effect, moisture content, and morphological controls on airflow dynamics and sand delivery within a vegetated coastal foredune system: Greenwich Dunes, Prince Edward Island National Park (GD-PEI).
  
• BLAST 2: Airflow and sand transport dynamics over a high-energy, driftwood-laden, macrotidal beach-dune system: Graham Island, Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), BC (HG-QCI).
• BLAST 3: Airflow and sand transport dynamics within parabolic and erosional blowout dune systems: Great Sand Hills, southern Saskatchewan (GSH)
  
• BLAST 4: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling of airflow over simplified dune forms.

5) Geoindicators monitoring and research for climate variability and change impacts in British Columbia's coastal parks: Gwaii Haanas NPR & Haida Heritage Site, Naikoon Provincial Park, Pacific Rim NPR, and Gulf Islands NPR.

6) Assessing the environmental & socio-economic impacts and adaptive capacity to climate change and sea-level rise on one of Canada's most 'sensitive' coastlines - Graham Island, Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) BC. This project was funded under Natural Resources Canada's Climate Change Impacts & Adaptation Program (CCIAP - Coastal, project A580) and was completed in April 2006. A copy of the final project report is available here.

Back to top

My research has broader applications for:

• examining landscape changes & hazards associated with fluid flow (air & water), sediment transport & erosion in natural sedimentary environments
  
• assessing management, protection & rehabilitation strategies in dune environments
  
• investigating impacts & responses of biophysical & human systems to climate variability & change
  

Funding for this research is provided by:

• Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
  
• Natural Resources Canada - Climate Change Action Fund (CCAF-Coastal)
  
• Parks Canada Ecosystem Science Fund
  
• Canada Foundation For Innovation (CFI)
  
• British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF)