Dr. Melissa Bunn

Melissa Bunn is a research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada. She completed her B.A.Sc. in Geological Engineering (2006) and her PhD in Earth Sciences (2011) both at the University of Waterloo. Melissa’s PhD research focused on modelling of vadose zone flow processes in response to pumping at a field scale.  As a practicing consulting hydrogeologist she developed her career using groundwater models to forecast human induced changes to groundwater flow regimes in support of environmental assessment processes. Since joining the GSC in 2019 she continues to provide technical support to the Federal Impact Assessment process, and progresses research in the conceptualization and modelling of groundwater flow processes at a variety of scales, in northern Canada.

What is your role in the C1W project?

I will conduct complementary research to support the conceptualization of groundwater flow processes, particularly within the Mackenzie Basin.

What benefits do you think C1W will bring to Canada/Canadians?

C1W will be a vast amalgamation of data and forecasting power in a system that it accessible to Canadians. Results will provide a strong overview of shallow groundwater and surface water conditions at large scales while generating a common data set to support detailed local studies.