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A climate warming warning (in Alberta)
http://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/climate-warming-warning[font face=Serif][font size=5]A climate warming warning[/font]
Monday May 2, 2016
By Anne Craig, Communications Officer
[font size=4]New study shows warmer temperatures are affecting lakes in the oilsands region[/font]
[font size=3]A recent collaborative research project between scientists from academia and government agencies has identified climate warming as the dominant driver of an increase in algal growth in the Athabasca oilsands region of northern Alberta.
Researchers used dated lake sediment cores to reconstruct past algal production and industrial impact at 23 remote, helicopter-accessed lakes in the oilsands region. Snowpack samples were also used to determine the nutrient deposition across the landscape.
…
“One of the biggest challenges we have in environmental work is the lack of reliable long-term monitoring data. Fortunately with lakes, their sediments act like a ‘history book’, archiving past environmental changes” says Dr. Smol, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change.
…
“Industrial activities still present a significant threat to freshwaters in the region, but increasing algal production driven directly by aerial nutrient fertilization does not appear to be the dominant stressor. Instead, we found much closer relationships with warmer air temperatures, which can lead to favourable conditions for algal growth, including decreased ice cover and an extended growing season.”
…[/font][/font]
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153987Monday May 2, 2016
By Anne Craig, Communications Officer
[font size=4]New study shows warmer temperatures are affecting lakes in the oilsands region[/font]
[font size=3]A recent collaborative research project between scientists from academia and government agencies has identified climate warming as the dominant driver of an increase in algal growth in the Athabasca oilsands region of northern Alberta.
Researchers used dated lake sediment cores to reconstruct past algal production and industrial impact at 23 remote, helicopter-accessed lakes in the oilsands region. Snowpack samples were also used to determine the nutrient deposition across the landscape.
…
“One of the biggest challenges we have in environmental work is the lack of reliable long-term monitoring data. Fortunately with lakes, their sediments act like a ‘history book’, archiving past environmental changes” says Dr. Smol, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change.
…
“Industrial activities still present a significant threat to freshwaters in the region, but increasing algal production driven directly by aerial nutrient fertilization does not appear to be the dominant stressor. Instead, we found much closer relationships with warmer air temperatures, which can lead to favourable conditions for algal growth, including decreased ice cover and an extended growing season.”
…[/font][/font]
