On the Amplifying Role of Evaporation in Droughts across Quebec (Canada) - Implications for Summer Low Flows

Description

Despite its reputation for a cold, wet climate, Quebec in eastern Canada is likely to experience more frequent and intense droughts in the future. This will have significant consequences for the environment, the economy and human health. Droughts are caused by a lack of precipitation and are exacerbated by evaporation, which dries out the soil and leads to low river flows in summer. In a context of probable water resource scarcity and increasing demand, it is crucial to accurately understand the quantities of water available. This project, conducted in close collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MEFCCWP), aims to improve our understanding of the role of evaporation in amplifying droughts in Quebec, an issue that has been poorly documented to date.

This PhD project aims to model the evolution of evaporation and drought in various bioclimatic domains, mainly forests, in southern Quebec, in the context of a changing climate. We will use the Canadian surface model CLASSIC, which simulates interactions between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere. We will have previously parameterised this model for the context of eastern Canada, notably thanks to our experimental sites in the boreal forest. With this model, we will study drought episodes in recent and future climates to characterise their amplitude, frequency and duration, and thus understand their causes. This research project is at the crossroads of several disciplines related to water (hydrology, hydrometeorology), atmosphere (micrometeorology, climatology) and biosphere (forestry), and will combine the advancement of knowledge with practical benefits for water resource managers. Specifically, the project will propose improvements to evaporation calculations leading to low water flows in the future climate of the Hydroclimatic Atlas of Southern Quebec. This operational tool, supported by various research projects, enables climate change to be considered when assessing water availability and withdrawals.

Research Field

- Evaporation
- Land-atmosphere interactions
- Low flows
- Hydrology
- Climate change
- Modeling
- Wind
- Hydrolometeorology
- Cold regions hydrology

Research Supervisors

Daniel Nadeau
François Anctil

Research Environment

Departement of Civil and Water Engineering

Université Laval (UL) is the oldest French-speaking university in North America. It is home to some 47,000 students in 17 faculties, 60 departments and schools, and nearly 400 undergraduate and graduate programs in all fields of knowledge. Université Laval offers strong graduate programs in northern research. Although it is a French-speaking university, it is very common to complete graduate studies in English.

Web Site

Financial Aid Available by Program of Study

Doctorate in Water Engineering

Program description

Financial Aid Available*

Financial Aid Related to Research Project

$30000 per year for 4 years.

Funding of 30,000 CAD/year available for 4 years, plus a supplement of 3,000 CAD/year from Université Laval's Faculty of Science and Engineering. Possible start dates: September 2025 or January 2026. The student will be supervised by Prof. Daniel Nadeau (Université Laval) and co-supervised by Prof. François Anctil (Université Laval). The student will also collaborate with experts from the MEFCCWP and the Ouranos consortium.

Program-Specific Financial Aid

Graduate Studies Awards

Milestone	Amount
Progression scholarship 1 - 7	7 x $1,600
Progression scholarship 8	$800
Total	$12,000

Université Laval: Student Financial Aid

Funding source	Amount
Leadership and Comittment Scholarship (Canadians & permanent residents)	$30,000
Citizens of the World Scholarship (International students)	$30,000
Mobility Grant for Out-of-Province Internships or Research Visits (in French)	$1,500 to $3,000
Graduate Scholarships from Granting Agencies	$25,000 to $40,000$
Online Directory of Graduate Scholarships (in French)	$500 to $50,000

Supplemental Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship Program: Entitles international students to pay Canadian student tuition fees, for overall savings of around $49,000.

_{* Amounts shown represent maximum financial aid available. Certain conditions apply. Subject to change without prior notice. For further information, contact sponsoring organizations directly.}

Desired Profile

- Forestry, Geography and Geomatics
- Science and environment
- Engineering
- Civil and Water Engineering
- Geography
- Water Engineering

Requirements and Conditions

- MSc degree in engineering, physics, environmental sciences or geography
- Desirable: experience in data analysis and modeling
- Strong motivation, ability to work in a team and good communication skills
- Programming experience (Python, R, Matlab or equivalent)

Required Documentation

- Cover letter
- Curriculum vitæ
- Student transcript

Please email Prof. Daniel Nadeau (daniel.nadeau@gci.ulaval.ca) and Prof. François Anctil (francois.anctil@gci.ulaval.ca) with your CV, a short cover letter, examples of previous research (M.Sc. thesis or published articles), and the names of two references.

Application Deadline

August 4, 2025

Find Out More

Daniel Nadeau
Professeur titulaire
Département de génie civil et de génie des eaux
daniel.nadeau@gci.ulaval.ca