Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

scientists

Researchers bring the 'Sudbury method' to Peru, to help clean up mine waste

Researchers bring the 'Sudbury method' to Peru, to help clean up mine waste

Researchers from northern Ontario are in Peru where they are sharing their knowledge of what has become known as the "Sudbury method." The Sudbury method refers to the community's work over decades to rehabilitate a landscape damaged by mining and smelting. "Sudbury has become recognized almost globally now for taking one of the most damaged landscapes on planet Earth and through a lot of work by citizens, community members, industry and government, turning it into actually a really, really nice place to live," said Graeme Spiers, an emeritus professor in environmental and earth sciences at Laurentian University.

‘Air-Conditioning’ Rivers and Streams Could Save Overheated Fish

‘Air-Conditioning’ Rivers and Streams Could Save Overheated Fish

And a new threat is gradually emerging. Water temperatures are warming, thanks to a combination of climate change and human water management techniques. And in some places they’re growing hot enough to kill the fish. “We’ve seen instances where we’ve had die-offs of coldwater species,” said Kathryn Smith, a doctoral candidate in the Coastal Hydrology Lab at Dalhousie University in Canada.

The 10 Countries With the Most Lakes in 2024

The 10 Countries With the Most Lakes in 2024

While it is incredibly difficult to count all the lakes in different countries on the planet due to conflicting ideas on what constitutes a lake, this has not stopped expert scientists and researchers from trying. Geographers from McGill University in Canada conducted a recent study on all lakes on Earth to study their effect on the global climate. From this study, a list of countries with the world’s largest number of lakes was created.

IAEA team gathers marine samples near Fukushima as treated radioactive water is released into sea

IAEA team gathers marine samples near Fukushima as treated radioactive water is released into sea

A member of the International Atomic Energy Agency team visiting Fukushima for its first marine sampling since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant started releasing treated radioactive wastewater into the sea said Thursday he does not expect any rise in radiation levels in the fish caught in the regional seas.

The Detroit River has been a dumping ground. Now, its health is improving

The Detroit River has been a dumping ground. Now, its health is improving

The Detroit River's reputation has become notorious over the decades due to pollution, but local scientists say restoration efforts are working, and they want to see those improvements reflected in the river's environmental status. The Detroit River has served as one of the vital economic links between Detroit and Windsor. In 1987, it was identified as an area of concern under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canadian and American federal governments.

Inspired by insects, scientists pull water from thin air

Inspired by insects, scientists pull water from thin air

Water scarcity is a pressing global challenge, and researchers at the University of Waterloo are turning to insects for inspiration to address the problem. A research team at the university has developed technology inspired by spiderwebs and Namib desert beetles, both of which capture moisture from the air and convert it to fresh water. The research is led by Prof. Michael Tam, University Research Chair in the chemical engineering department, and two students, Eva Wang and Weinan Zhao. The team aims to use the techniques perfected by insects and upscale them to deliver larger volumes of water for society.

Alberta scientists tracking blue-green algae blooms using satellite imagery

Alberta scientists tracking blue-green algae blooms using satellite imagery

A team of experts is working to better understand the spread of blue-green algae in Alberta lakes by combining satellite technology with near-simultaneous water sampling. The project, funded through Alberta Innovates, is a collaboration between several groups, including Alberta Lake Management Society (ALMS), the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI), and researcher Rolf Vinebrooke from the University of Alberta.

Hidden Beneath the Surface

Hidden Beneath the Surface

In just seven decades, the scientists say, humans have brought about greater changes than they did in more than seven millennia. Never in Earth’s history has the world changed this much, this fast. Never has a single species had the capacity to wreak so much damage — or the chance to prevent so much harm. “It’s a line in the sand,” said Francine McCarthy, a professor of Earth sciences at Brock University in Ontario, who has led research on Crawford Lake. “The Earth itself is playing by a different rule book. And it’s because of us.”

Why recent water temperatures in the North Atlantic have scientists buzzing

Why recent water temperatures in the North Atlantic have scientists buzzing

It's been well documented that ocean temperatures have been on the rise across the globe for the past few decades. However what's happening with the warming waters in the North Atlantic over the past few weeks has the science community buzzing.  Temperatures in the North Atlantic are warming at new record levels this spring, based on data compiled by NOAA satellites and produced by the University of Maine. In early June, sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic were as warm as 0.5 degrees above the previous record and more than one degree above the 1982-2011 average. 

Columbia Scientists Discover That Water Molecules Define the Materials Around Us

Columbia Scientists Discover That Water Molecules Define the Materials Around Us

For decades, the fields of physics and chemistry have maintained that the atoms and molecules that make up the natural world define the character of solid matter. Salt crystals get their crystalline quality from the ionic bond between sodium and chloride ions, metals like iron or copper get their strength from the metallic bonds between iron or copper atoms, and rubbers get their stretchiness from the flexible bonds within polymers that constitute the rubber. The same principle applies for materials like fungi, bacteria, and wood.

Bright orange ocean water being tested by B.C. scientists

Bright orange ocean water being tested by B.C. scientists

Scientists are taking a close look at a bright orange algae bloom found in the ocean off Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Svetlana Esenkulova, a biologist with Pacific Salmon Foundation, is trying to determine if the phytoplankton bloom is negatively impacting salmon. “Noctiluca blooms can disrupt the overall balance of marine ecosystems as they ‘steal’ food from zooplankton,” she said. Under a microscope, the organisms "look like giant watermelons with pigtails and they wave those pigtails," said Esenkulova, who has a sample of the orange ocean water in her kitchen. When the water is cold, she can see the organisms trying to catch food.

This new tech is said to filter 99% of ‘forever chemicals’ from water

This new tech is said to filter 99% of ‘forever chemicals’ from water

The treatment was designed by researchers at the University of British Columbia, and it utilizes a silica-based material that can absorb up to 99 percent of the forever chemicals found in water. The PFAS are then removed from the material, which can be used again to remove even more toxins. The potential here is exceptional, allowing us to remove these dangerous chemicals from water completely.

The world’s largest lakes are shrinking dramatically and scientists say they have figured out why

The world’s largest lakes are shrinking dramatically and scientists say they have figured out why

More than half of the world’s largest lakes and reservoirs have lost significant amounts of water over the last three decades, according to a new study, which pins the blame largely on climate change and excessive water use. Roughly one-quarter of the world’s population lives in the basin of a drying lake, according to the study by a team of international scientists, published Thursday in the journal Science.

Indigenous Leaders, Environmental Groups, and Concerned Citizens Call on Canada to Shut Down Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline

Indigenous Leaders, Environmental Groups, and Concerned Citizens Call on Canada to Shut Down Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline

Line 5 transports crude oil through the heart of the Great Lakes, an invaluable cultural resource for residents and visitors to the region who benefit from the connection with the water and the land. The pipeline has already leaked 29 times, spilling over 4.5 million litres of oil and putting 84 percent of North America’s surface freshwater at risk. And yet, Canada continues to prioritize the ongoing operation of the pipeline over this critical global freshwater system.

USask-led Global Water Futures marks the end of an era and looks to the future

USask-led Global Water Futures marks the end of an era and looks to the future

The research coming out of Global Water Futures (GWF) is being presented at an open science meeting over three days from May 15–17, and will highlight some of the best science and knowledge addressing solutions for Canada’s water futures, including advancements in the forecasting and modelling of snow, glaciers, water quality, soil moisture, floods and droughts, in monitoring of water quality, in detection of the COVID-19 virus in community wastewater, in Indigenous co-creation of knowledge, and in how national and international policies could achieve water sustainability.

Ocean temperatures are off the charts right now, and scientists are alarmed

Ocean temperatures are off the charts right now, and scientists are alarmed

What’s behind this rapid increase isn’t totally clear yet. “These temperatures just rocketed up, people haven’t had a chance to puzzle it all out,” Johnson said. Some scientists are concerned the scale of these new records could mark the start of an alarming trend. Others say record-breaking temperatures like these are always concerning but to be expected given the human-caused climate crisis. All agree the consequences are likely to be significant. Warmer oceans bleach coral, kill marine life, increase sea level rise and make the ocean less efficient at absorbing planet-warming pollution – the warmer oceans get, the more the planet will heat.

A global movement is granting rivers legal personhood. Could the Gatineau River be next?

A global movement is granting rivers legal personhood. Could the Gatineau River be next?

A global movement to grant rivers legal personhood recently reached Canada, and a local Indigenous leader is asking whether the Gatineau River could be next. Former Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg chief Gilbert Whiteduck said such legal designation would provide the Gatineau River better environmental protection, and he's "pushing" to make it a reality. The movement, which is largely led by Indigenous communities, environmental groups and scientists, is designed to afford rivers and other ecological features stronger legal protections by granting them rights normally reserved for people.

They planned a water summit. Then Kearl happened.

They planned a water summit. Then Kearl happened.

A Dene Nation water summit being held this week has taken on new urgency as delegates deal with the fallout from Imperial Oil’s Kearl tailings spills. The northern Alberta oil sands mine continues to operate but has now been ordered by the federal government to take immediate action to stop months-long seepage of wastewater. A separate release of millions of litres of tailings at the same site was also revealed last month.

Scientists may have discovered the origin of water in our solar system

Scientists may have discovered the origin of water in our solar system

After gazing upon a distant star, an international team of scientists may have discovered the “missing link” behind the origins of water in our solar system. Their findings, published in Nature last week, suggest the water we drink, bathe in, originates from the space between solar systems, billions of years before the birth of our sun. “Carl Sagan once said we are all star stuff,” said John Tobin, the study’s principal investigator and a U.S.-based scientist for the National Radio Astronomy Laboratory, to the Star. “ … The water that's part of us is also, in some ways, star stuff as well.”

Toxic 'forever chemicals’ restricted for first time in the U.S.

Toxic 'forever chemicals’ restricted for first time in the U.S.

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose restrictions on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water after finding they are dangerous in amounts so small as to be undetectable. But experts say removing them will cost billions, a burden that will fall hardest on small communities with few resources. Concerned about the chemicals' ability to weaken children's immune systems, the EPA said last year that PFAS could cause harm at levels “much lower than previously understood.”

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