On thin ice: Are lakes feeling the heat?

Sapna Sharma

Professor and York Research Chair, Department of Biology, York University Director, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Global Water Academy

Abstract:

Our planet is experiencing accelerated climate warming, with dramatic consequences not only on lake ecology, but also on the ecosystem services we rely on from our freshwater resources. Lakes with seasonal ice cover, which represent more than half of the world’s lakes, are especially sensitive to a changing climate, as ice cover is a strong determinant of lake ecosystem functioning. Lakes are losing ice cover at unprecedented rates. On average, ice duration is shorter by 17 days/century. However, in the past 25 years, lake ice loss is 6 times faster, with some lakes not freezing every winter. By the end of the century, over 200,000 lakes may no longer regularly freeze and almost 6,000 lakes may permanently lose ice cover with climate warming. With reduced ice cover, lakes may stratify earlier which can lead to elevated water temperatures, primary production, and likelihood of algal blooms, some of which may be toxic. Mitigation of greenhouse gases is essential to preserving this ecological, cultural, and economically important resource.

Biography:

Sapna Sharma is a Professor in the Department of Biology at York University and York Research Chair in Global Change Biology. She is also the Inaugural Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Global Water Academy. Her research highlights how lakes worldwide respond to climate change, including rapid ice loss, warming water temperatures, degrading water quality, and changing fish distributions. Her research has led to an induction to the Royal Society of Canada – College of New Scholars and she has been named one of Canada’s Top 10 Women Water Scientists. She is a dedicated science communicator and is the founder of SEEDS, an outreach program for refugees.

ROVs for Science & Communications: The Making of the Documentary “All Too Clear: Beneath the Surface of the Great Lakes”

Producer Yvonne Drebert and Director/Cinematographer Zach Melnick are the founders of Inspired Planet Productions. From their home on the beautiful Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula in Ontario, The husband-and-wife team have created more than 40 hours of nature and history documentary spanning two decades, including the 2021 Canadian Screen Award nominated series, Striking Balance. Driven by a profound concern for the global decline of freshwater ecosystems, Drebert and Melnick have embarked on a dedicated mission into the underwater world. Using cutting-edge ROVs, they immerse themselves in rarely seen aquatic environments, capturing extraordinary wildlife behaviours, and even discovering the occasional shipwreck. Their upcoming documentary All Too Clear explores how quadrillions of tiny invasive mussels have re-engineered the Great Lakes at a scale not seen since the glaciers. Organisms of all kinds – from the tiniest plankton to the largest fish – are vanishing, creating vast biological deserts. From dazzling shallow water worlds that look more like the Caribbean than the Great Lakes, to the wreck of the steamer Africa, completely entombed in mussels, 300 feet beneath the surface – All Too Clear dives into freshwater like you’ve never seen before.

Abstract:

Remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) enable us to explore previously inaccessible underwater environments and observe animal behaviours in unprecedented ways, all while incurring zero animal mortalities. Recent advances in ROV and camera technology allow us to “swim” further, deeper, and longer than with older models, while viewing 4k results in real time from the surface. After more than 20 years creating documentary film and television, our team has taken a deep dive into the world of ROVs as tools for both filmmaking and research. For our most recent documentary series, “All Too Clear: Beneath the Surface of the Great Lakes,” we spent more than 150 days underwater with the Boxfish Robotics “Luna” ROV. The results are a compelling underwater tv series, as well as an archive of wildlife footage that has provided scientists with new insights into the spawning, feeding, and schooling behaviours of North American Great Lakes fishes, including the first-ever recording of lake whitefish spawning in the wild. “All Too Clear” also plunges into tributaries throughout the Great Lakes watershed and explores how rivers might be the key to helping lake whitefish populations bounce back.

We’re excited to share the successes and challenges of this work, as well as our learnings around techniques, gear, post-processing, and other tools to optimize our chances of capturing animal behaviours. 

Footage example: https://vimeo.com/871465906/4caed4807a

Great River Rapport: In service to community while breaking new ground in scientific discovery

Leigh J. McGaughey

Leigh is an ecologist who currently leads the ‘Great River Rapport’ – an ecosystem health report on the Upper St. Lawrence River. Leigh’s career started as a biologist working on krill in Antarctica, invasive mussels in Africa, and shellfish in Australia. A PhD in ecological modelling in Canada was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship with the European Commission in Italy as a Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Analyst. Work with the Commission involved developing ecological indicators for conservation and fisheries initiatives combining satellite remote sensing with ecological models. Leigh’s global perspective through past work experience in research and government agencies is now rooted locally in eastern Ontario, and along with an exceptional team, is focused on making scientific findings accessible to the public through the Great River Rapport project.

Abstract:

CAN community-led environmental projects lead to scientific discoveries? As the Great River Rapport project moves into its 7th year, the answer is yes. The project is a scientific undertaking initiated in response to community questions regarding the health of a complex corner of the world – the Upper St. Lawrence River. At the centre of this project is the recognition and appreciation that all forms of knowledge are of great value. Novel scientific findings have been made that demonstrate that an inclusive approach to knowledge gathering and interpretation can have impactful outcomes for scientific discovery. Of equal importance is the empowerment of communities, which this project has achieved by providing knowledge on environmental issues brought forth by community members and providing relevant calls to action. This presentation will include progress, guiding principles, and future ambitions.

Ollie Smallie’s Fish Tales: An introduction to the St. Lawrence River and all of her blessings via Early Reader Picture Books.

Patricia grew up on the shores of Lake Ontario in Kingston. She raised her family on Wolfe Island, which is in the mouth of the Upper St. Lawrence River, known as the Great River. She worked for Kraft Canada and was transferred to Cornwall, Ontario which is where she lives today.

Very early Patricia was aware of her passion for the water world. She dreamed of becoming a scuba diver. Her dream came true. She began scuba diving on the shores of the Great River in Cornwall. Her sense of adventure and curiosity has taken her to many shores, reefs and all of the Great Lakes, but the Great River is home.

Patricia has volunteered for numerous in-water cleanups and has assisted with other science-based projects. This has earned her the distinction of “citizen scientist”. Now in retirement, she has the luxury of getting in the water as frequently as Mother Nature allows.

Through her children’s books, Patricia wants to share her adventures and discoveries of this world with you. Her books will take you to the world of the Great River. You will experience the life of those who live here, encounter their challenges with them, and come away with life lessons that apply to all of us everywhere. There are also science-based facts intertwined in these stories.

Pick up one of her books (or all of them as they are published) and take the plunge into understanding the creatures and the ways of the Great River.

Sheila grew up on the shores of Lake Ontario in Kingston. Now she divides her time between homes in Seeley’s Bay and Cornwall, Ontario.

Sheila studied visual arts at Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College. She continues to work with various artists through community courses and has participated in numerous juried art shows. During her career as an elementary school teacher, Sheila spent hours reading and sharing stories with her students. Through these experiences she gained an awareness of what makes a good story, both verbally and visually. She also loves everything nature; when the seasons allow, she is either on or in the water.

Sheila skillfully brings the “Ollie Smallie’s Fish Tales” characters to life on backgrounds of original mixed media and water colour paintings.

Abstract:

As a scuba diver, Patricia has had many opportunities to get “up close and personal” with some of the creatures who call the St. Lawrence River home. The anticipation of chance encounters pulls Patricia back into this happy place over and over again. This world may not be as colourful as other underwater worlds, but it is uniquely interesting, exciting and awe inspiring. There is so much to learn as you watch them interact with each other, the current, the changes in the River herself and, yes, sometimes the divers. When Patricia returns to the shore, she is always asked, “What did you see down there?”

Patricia is four times a Grammy and has always enjoyed telling her granddaughters stories about her adventures. Now it is time to share these stories with other young children.

Sheila, Patricia’s sister, shares this water passion, she is the creator of the artwork that brings life to Ollie Smallie, his friends and their world. Her years of experience teaching primary school has been a huge asset in keeping this project on track.

Together we will be reading Ollie’s first adventure, “Ollie Smallie’s Dangerous Discovery”. We invite you to listen to how these young fish experience a curious adventure which includes facts about everyday life in the river.

We hope you enjoy listening to the story as much as we enjoyed creating it!