Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Oceans are essential to human life on Earth; they provide us with food and water, and regulate the planet’s weather. SDG 14 seeks to keep our oceans and coastlines healthy for all living beings who rely on them by reducing pollution and overfishing. EUC researchers are working to promote the conservation and sustainable development of our oceans and coastlines by diving into the environmental and human factors affecting water in our changing climate.
Algal assemblage change in a shallow boreal lake as a response to climate intensified permafrost thaw
The past half century of climate change has seen the Canadian boreal subarctic experience warming air temperatures, more thunderstorms, and changes to local vegetation, resulting in increased forest fires. This has accelerated permafrost thaw is altering water quality and how water flows throughout the landscape. Thomas Wu, a Geography MSc student in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, aims to reconstruct a comprehensive paleoenvironmental history of light/clarity shifts in a small lake (unofficially referred to as SC11) in the Dehcho, using analyses of diatom (algae of the class Bacillariophyceae) subfossils extracted from lake sediments. As the Canadian boreal subarctic continues to warm, brownification in important water resources may become another important consideration when assessing the next steps in mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Using paleolimnological methods to assess environmental change across Canada
Jennifer Korosi and her research team are conducting a range of research studies on the role of climate warming and permafrost thaw as drivers of terrestrial and lake ecosystem change in high-latitude regions. Looking into the role of climate change in influencing the cycling and ecotoxicity of industrial contaminants, they are examining regime shifts and ecosystem resilience in southern Ontario lakes impacted by multiple stressors like urbanization and land use activities, with a focus on the Kawartha Lakes watershed.
Impact of landscape disturbances and climate change in the Mackenzie Delta
Understanding the impact of climate change on our coastlines is an important step towards strengthening the resiliency of marine ecosystems. Joshua Thienpont’s research investigates the cumulative impact of ongoing environmental changes on aquatic ecosystems. His research has uncovered the critical impacts of climate change on our oceans through marine storm surge-induced coastal flooding in the outer Mackenzie Delta region in the Western Canadian Arctic. He relies on paleolimnology, the study of lake sediment archives, to reconstruct changes in the environment, with a focus on northern Canada.
Climate change impact on cyanobacteria bloom formation in oligotrophic systems
Rebecca Gasman’s doctoral research focuses on three topics. First is the use of paleo-limnological techniques to determine how environmental change has affected long-term cyanobacteria bloom formation in oligotrophic systems in Ontario study sites; second, use traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)/Indigenous knowledge to complement the scientific knowledge in her study sites; and third, assess shallow near-shore bays and deep offshore waters in oligotrophic systems for differences in thermal stability, anoxia and bloom formation using high frequency data loggers during the ice-free period.
Tracking catastrophic drainage due to permafrost thaw in a small lake of the western Canadian Arctic using sediment records
In this undergraduate research by Rachel Pellegrino, she utilized biological indicators within a lake sediment core (the science of paleolimnology) to examine recent changes and the consequences of permafrost thaw and drainage on a small lake in the Mackenzie Delta region of Canada’s western Arctic. The study focused on analyzing the response of diatoms (algae of the class Bacillariophyceae) to reconstruct environmental changes related to regional climate warming, permafrost thaw, and lake drainage occurring in the western Arctic region.
Restorative ocean farming: Possibilities and pitfalls for addressing food security with Metlakatla First Nation
MES student Mary Williams worked alongside the Metlakatla First Nation and EcoTrust Canada in advancing a Restorative Ocean Farming Project. This project aims to meet locally produced seafood demands in vertically grown ocean plots while increasing ocean-based food security, territorial stewardship, economic development and marine livelihoods. Partnering with coastal Indigenous communities is vital to ensuring the development of sustainable and resilient ocean food systems that can withstand economic and environmental challenges.
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