Tag Archives: Climate Change

Dear Canada, we are losing our wetlands, and it is affecting us more than we think

We don’t usually think about our wetlands.

They are not as beautiful as the Lake Louise nor as majestic as the Niagara Falls. Instead, wetlands come with benefits that serve beyond our aesthetic needs.

Wetland is a pool of water that exist because water accumulates in a basin after flooding or after the snow melts during spring that the water remains long enough to support plant growth. Wetlands have many benefits; they are some of the most productive ecosystems, they store floodwaters, act as natural water filters, the peats in wetlands help store carbon and most importantly, wetlands are the spots for groundwater recharge and discharge, protecting us from the droughts while transferring the water towards nearby surface waters.

Drainage of wetlands for agriculture and urbanization is the major cause of wetland loss. (Source: Ducks Unlimited Canada)

 

What is happening to our wetlands?

Despite being able to provide so much, wetlands can also be extremely vulnerable. About 70% of wetlands in settled areas in Canada are lost as they were drained out and destroyed to make way for unsustainable agriculture and new buildings. 

Dr. Ali Ameli, a hydrogeologist from the University of British Columbia, made a computer model to compare the number of wetlands in Beaverhill watershed in Alberta in 50-years period. From his research, he found that the loss of wetlands is causing a major shift in the movement of groundwater. Nearby river, for example, is gaining their water from further and older sources. This means that there is less groundwater recharge compared to discharge.

 

How does that affect us?

The lack of freshwater and clean water will impact economic needs such as irrigation for agriculture, water consumption at homes and even ecological needs like habitats for stream fishes and other aquatic animals. Without wetlands, nutrients like phosphorus that is released from farms cannot be filtered and will get into water bodies, which then lead to the blooming of harmful and toxic algae. Oxygen levels will reduce which result in dead aquatic animals. Alberta is also Canada’s 2nd largest agriculture producer. The loss of wetlands will cause loss of irrigation sources for the farms, which then will impact our food resources and Alberta’s economic as a whole.

A fish is dead because of the lack of oxygen in water contaminated with algal blooms. (Source: Tom Archer)

 

How do we save our wetlands?

From a scientist’s view, the goal is to produce more scientific research to better manage our watersheds with less environmental issues and more productivity for forestry and agriculture.

Meanwhile, the government should apply scientific methods in their policies. For example, the government of Alberta actually applied Dr. Ameli’s models and approach to see and calculate the locations in the watershed that wetlands are good to be drained, and the location that wetlands cannot be drained.

For individuals, we can share our thoughts with friends and various levels of government and the business community. It is time for us to think more and act on our dying wetlands.

By Katrina, Setareh, Gloria, and Syakirah from 212-6

Climate change may be wiping out the rainbow in our rivers

While you might still be able to see rainbows reflected in the rivers, rainbow trout may become a thing of the past.

A freshwater rainbow trout. [Photo Source: © Schwarzenarzisse under a Pixabay License.]

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are a species of salmonid fish. This means they are related to salmon and other trout species, they are found along the West Coast of North America. There are populations of rainbow trout all the way from Alaska down to Baja California. According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, habitat loss and climate change are two of the leading causes threatening our local populations of rainbow trout.

Range of rainbow trout along the West Coast of North America. [Photo Source: © 2008 Canadian Geographic/Signy Fridriksson under The Royal Canadian Geographical Society]

On a scale from “Not at Risk” to “Extinct”, the rainbow trout are considered endangered, which is the last step before extinction. While you may not be familiar with rainbow trout now, you should be paying more attention to them.

According to Dr. Patricia Schulte, a conservation zoologist from the University of British Columbia, rainbow trout are an especially important predatory fish, which means that they shape the ecosystems they live in. Crawfish and mussels are just a few of the aquatic species that count rainbow trout as an important part of their ecosystem. So while you may not have heard of rainbow trout before, you are bound to know at least one species that is affected directly or indirectly by them.

Climate change is going to cause rivers to become depleted in oxygen, affecting living organisms including the rainbow trout. [Photo Source: © mistralfamilie under a Pixabay License.]

Dr. Schulte recently sat down to discuss the importance of funding projects geared towards conservation projects.

[Source: SoundCloud, Created by: Gillian Okura & Julie Zhu]

As mentioned in the podcast, Dr. Schulte is leading a team-based project in British Columbia, which received funding from Genome Canada to help carry out the research. They conducted a study to figure out whether different types of rainbow trout differ in their ability to tolerate climate change, specifically conditions where there is low oxygen and high temperatures.

Climate change is decreasing the numbers of fish populations, including rainbow trout which are a major source in the fish industry. In the video below, we delve deeper into the effects of climate change and how Dr. Schulte and her team’s research are making predictions and gathering information to help sustain rainbow trout in the future.

[Source: Youtube, Created by: Gillian Okura & Julie Zhu]

Hopefully, learning more about this rainbow brought a little more knowledge and sunshine to your day.

~ Group 4: Gillian Okura & Julie Zhu

Reef Warming in the Caribbean

Coral reefs play a major role in maintaining large marine ecosystems in many tropical environments. However, with ocean warming it has become hard for them to sustain themselves thus impacting fish habitats. With the death of these reefs and movement of fish it is also impacting tropical vacation getaways. What was once a fun way to take in local marine sites is now being affected by global warming. Tropical environments are the most susceptible to any changes in temperature as organisms in these environments have evolved to survive in these specific and narrow ranged temperatures. Due to slower stress response many coral reefs are dying off which in turn decreases the biodiversity of these coastal communities. The impact that the destruction of these reefs not only extends to the devastation of fish habitats but also to the loss of the economic value that they bring locals through tourism. This means those snorkelling pictures that you wanted to grab off the Bahamas, or that exotic fish specialty that you were dying to try on your next trip to the Caribbean is becoming a thing of the past due to the catastrophic effects of ocean warming.

Coral reef impacted by climate change.
Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

Current Research

We had a chance to interview Ravi Maharaj, a PhD student from the University of British Columbia. He conducted a study that looked at ocean warming in the Caribbean and how it expected to impact the biodiversity and fisheries there. In the video below, Ravi points out that climate change is a huge stressor on the ocean and the species in the ocean. He goes on to mention how ocean warming is evident not only on the global scale, but the regional scales as well. Coral reefs impacted by climate change aren’t as pretty as the coral reefs that aren’t impacted as much by climate change.

Source: YouTube

In the podcast below, Ravi speaks about how reef warming is impacting biodiversity and what this means for fish species.

Source: Soundcloud

Close to Home

Reef warming is seen to impact the tourism industry as mentioned in the video above. It also impacts the food industry and is seen in the west coast of North America. Ocean warming is causing northern migration of certain fish species that are swimming away from warmer waters. Some salmon runs in California have been seen as completely dry.

 

How Can You Make a Difference?

The threats of climate change on coral reefs is a major concern as mentioned by the National Ocean Service. We can make a difference at home by shrinking our carbon footprint to reduce greenhouse gases. A few things that one can do to make a difference in their own lives: recycling, driving less, purchasing energy-efficient appliances and lightbulbs, printing less, and using less water. Let’s hope to make a difference so that we can continue to enjoy those tropical excursions.

 

– Group 3: Kevin Rasode, Christina Melo, Nicola Popper

 

 

Mystery Behind the Pacific White Line Solved!

Modified image of a North American West Coast Map with the Pacific White Line highlighted. Source: Wikimedia Commons

For the longest time, scientists around the world never understood the phenomenon behind the Pacific White Line – a line off the coast of North America so large that it can be seen from space. Last year that all changed when marine researchers from the Oregon State University published their findings from their investigations on the Northern California coast. Using acoustic technology, they’re the first to discover that what was previously thought to be a random feature of the Pacific actually acts as a boundary for fish in the ocean. If not acted upon sooner, this boundary driven by climate change could threaten not only the lives of fish but ours, too.

How does this affect us?

The Pacific White Line is one of many tidelines, which form due to strong winds and colliding bodies of water. These regions are nutrient-rich, attracting and accumulating marine life. Although tidelines altogether only make up 1% of the world’s oceans, this 1% contributes to 20% of the global fishing in the world, making it “one of the most productive areas for fisheries” according to Dr. Mei Sato who led the research team.

The problem, however, is that as global warming worsens, this pushes the line further off the coast where fish such as sea bass, tuna, and mackerel can’t reach their prey residing at the line. If fish don’t have food, they can’t survive, and this puts a dent in the food web, the fishing industry, and our food resources. In the following podcast, Dr. Sato further discusses the tidelines, which she refers to as ‘upwelling fronts’, and how they are impacted by climate change.

What can we do moving forward?

With this new discovery comes a scare. Previously, it was thought that the Pacific White Line equally attracted smaller marine life, such as plankton, and larger organisms, such as fish. Clearly, the researchers discovered that wasn’t the case; fish are farther from their prey than they’d like to be. Using acoustic equipment, Dr. Sato and her team were able to determine how marine life was distributed at and around the line, which she explains in the following video:

Video Credit: Breyanne Bautista, Nicole Bostan & Ryan Chang; Source: Youtube

While the research demonstrates that fish are unable to reach their prey at the Pacific White Line, Dr. Sato believes that some other mechanism must be at work allowing them access to food since it’s not like fish populations are instantly depleting. “The mechanism is important to understand to be able to predict the future,” she says. She hypothesizes that plankton may be able to migrate to and from the line at different times of the day but added that higher resolution equipment is needed to explore this.

(By Breyanne Bautista, Nicole Bostan & Ryan Chang)

On the Climate Change Doom and Gloom

I was insomniac for the last three months.

See, if the world is inevitably inhospitable for the humans in the next decade, why should I put so much effort on my college studies? I kept on being reminded in my class about how the doomsday is going to happen during my lifetime. No matter what I do, I probably can’t save my country in South East Asia from sinking due to the global sea level rise. Also, the future generation is going to suffer more, so why should I give birth to new ones? Why add to the population if the world can’t handle it? I felt so alone because I don’t think people close to me understand my concerns. I’m overwhelmed and depressed – and it’s all because of climate change.

What if we lose all of this? (Image: Syakirah Zainal)

Many people are actually familiar with this feeling. There is even a scientific term being widely used to describe these blues.

It’s called eco-anxiety.

What is eco-anxiety?

Robert Gifford,  a professor of Psychology in the University of Victoria described eco-anxiety as “a kind of fear what’s next.”

“The fear that nature is changing permanently or at least permanently within the lifetime of the people who are alive,” he said. “Fear for children.”

People who are experiencing this often feel alienated because we are not used to blaming climate change for our mental health problems. We have seen unfortunate individuals fleeing from civil wars caused by scarcity of natural resources in their areas. They lost their homes, families, and the ability to work. We can imagine them being stressed out and depressed. But what we don’t usually understand is, eco-anxiety affects fortunate people too, i.e., people in first-world countries with no war.

This is because the world is a complex network of systems. Whatever affects one system would definitely affect another; news of extinction of floras and faunas, and sufferings all over the world will reach us at least once in our lifetime. With more understanding of what it really is and personally experiencing it, we can’t help but worry if this problem is bigger than we thought.

Does that mean we should stop spreading climate news?

This is a worse option. Everyone needs to be educated to make an effective change. We must accept the reality of climate change, and we should also acknowledge the fear that comes with it. Kim Knowlton, a senior scientist from National Resources Defense Council perfectly summarised this in the video below: 

I also started to find hope when I talk to others about this. Some may listen, some may take it with a grain a salt. But hey, at least they are hearing about it. We should always focus on hope. When the network for change is strong, we’ll have more impact on a cleaner environment. Getting involved is great because I can see that people care and I’m not doing this alone.

I know this. Because I sleep better now.

Syakirah Zainal