A unique experiment in a Canadian lake has found that the timing of when ice forms can have a big impact on the organisms that live in it the following year. The timing of when ice forms on lakes in the winter can have big knock-on effects on life in the water the next spring […]
climate change
Kelp Rafts Are Bringing Invaders to Antarctica
Animals have long rafted around the planet, but the southern continent was considered too remote, too isolated, and too cold for that to be a problem—until now. Antarctica is, for the most part, cut off from the rest of the planet by swirling ocean currents, raging winds, and frigid temperatures. The continent’s physical isolation has […]
Can negative emission technologies overcome climate catastrophe?
Humanity is running out of time to deal with the climate crisis. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that we need to limit atmospheric carbon dioxide to less than 450 parts per million in order to have a chance to keep average global surface temperatures from rising more than 1.5°C by the end […]
Climate facts subject to rules on partisan advertising in Canada
Environmental charities and campaigners in Canada’s upcoming federal election this fall say they are facing new restrictions on how they talk about climate change after a warning from the country’s election watchdog that the topic will be subject to rules around third party “issue advertising.” Read more in Science.
Acid rain: it’s not over yet for this tiny shrimp
Ecosystems have bounced back remarkably well from the environmental scourge of the ’70s and ’80s, but Canadian scientists are finding impacts to the food chain remain. Over the past year, Michael Rennie has dumped 30,000 tiny freshwater shrimp into a remote lake in northern Ontario. Rennie, a freshwater ecologist at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, […]
The Environmental Benefits of Making Gin from Peas
New distilling technique creates a new, refreshing use for mashed peas. A cold gin and tonic on a hot afternoon can really hit the spot, and now researchers in the U.K. have found a way to make that refreshing cocktail more environmentally friendly — by making the gin out of peas. Read more in Inside […]
With more than 150,000 kilometers already logged, the mobile Flux Lab keeps on trucking
From state-of-the-art research trucks to drones and satellites, Flux Lab uses an arsenal of tools in its quest to measure greenhouse gas emissions across Canada. In Western Canada’s oil and gas fields, Dave Risk’s trucks have become a familiar sight. These mobile labs, which resemble the trucks used by storm chasers and cost $250,000 each, […]
Virtual Reality Preserves Disappearing Land
Coastal communities are capturing their cultures and landscapes in virtual reality before sea level rise steals them for good. It’s a sunny day in southern Louisiana, and I’m sitting on a porch listening to 91-year-old Wenceslaus Billiot, the oldest member of the Isle de Jean Charles band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw, describe how the island has […]
Oysters to Fight Erosion and Help Preserve Southern Louisiana History
As erosion claims land, local scientists explore using oysters to preserve parts of the Mississippi delta. In southern Louisiana, the land is disappearing fast. The region loses 25,000 acres of coastal land every year — the equivalent of a football field every 15 minutes. The land loss is devastating for the people and economy of […]
Can We Hold Back the Glaciers?
Massive geoengineering projects to hold back glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica could slow sea level rise. A major threat from climate change is rising sea levels, and much of that threat comes from glaciers melting into the oceans. By the end of the century, sea levels are predicted to be a meter higher, causing frequent […]