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Intentional reflection is a key component of Community Service Learning (CSL) as it guides students to integrate knowledge of theory with experience in practice. A semester-long chemistry curriculum with an integrated CSL intervention was implemented in a Canadian university to investigate how reflection in the laboratory setting enhances post-secondary students' (n = 14) conscious awareness of their learning and their attitudes toward having reflection as part of a course. In typical chemistry laboratories, students follow cookbook recipes from the lab manual and are assessed through written lab reports. These lab reports are similar to a technical report with scientific writing where the design aims to communicate scientific information to other scientists. A case study was conducted with reflective essays, focus group interviews, and student observation to analyze qualitatively how students' attitudes changed in their learning over the course of the CSL activity and how they engaged in this type of reflection. The expected audience that may be interested in this study are those involved in teaching chemistry in higher education and those that are interested in Community Service Learning and experiential learning. The results demonstrate that science students are able to articulate their academic growth, civic engagement, and personal growth through reflective pieces. Furthermore, the reflective pieces support self-regulated learning with a positive engagement and attitude over time. The results support the integration of reflective pieces in laboratory settings.

The public's understanding of climate change has been plagued by poor communication, misinformation, and disinformation. Fortunately, there is a growing body of research on effective climate change communication strategies. A popular element of science communication is documentary film. Educational films produced for museums, planetariums, and other informal science education settings are especially important because they reach a more receptive audience. In making "A Place Like No Other," a fulldome documentary about climate change in Alaska, we employed best practices about climate change communication derived from the literature. Here we argue that producers of educational documentary film about climate change need to incorporate best practices established specifically for climate change to make their message more persuasive. Because of its highly politicized and controversial nature, climate change needs to be treated differently from other science topics. In this paper we review the scholarship on documentary film and its efficacy in causing attitudinal change. Existing research about educational film on climate change is limited but nonetheless shows that many fail to achieve their goal of motivating viewers. We identify strategies, such as employing incremental persuasion and connecting on values, that informed our filmmaking practice. To assess the efficacy of elements of our film, a ten-minute section that discusses ocean acidification was shown to a sample of undergraduates at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Pre- and post-surveys showed positive changes in awareness and attitudes. These results suggest that when these strategies are used, documentary films in an informal science education setting can create significant gains in educational and attitudinal goals.

Despite the essentiality of freshwater to all life on the planet, the populous has inadequate understandings of water. Formal education plays a key role in shaping how individuals and communities make sense of water, its accessibility, management, consumption, and hazards. This article seeks to bring attention to the infuence of cultural framings of freshwater and extreme freshwater events (such as food and drought) in government-mandated school curricula in two water-vulnerable geographical regions of Australia and Canada. We seek to identify and respond to hegemonic social constructions that become naturalised if left unexamined. By examining the agendas and language around freshwater and extreme freshwater events in formal educational curricula, we gain a better understanding of the perceptions and assumptions made about freshwater. The results highlight that freshwater and extreme freshwater events are minimally conceptualised within these curricula as 'nature-based', rather than being part of a dialectical relationship with societal agendas and practices. This article discusses the implications of this framing and the psychological barriers that may affect the acknowledgment and investigation of extreme freshwater events. We conclude by offering curricular suggestions that invite community-based understandings of the dialectic relationship freshwater has with communities and regional ecosystems.

The manner in which the built environment is constructed has a tremendous effect on the degree to which health, wealth and social outcomes are distributed within a society. This is particularly evident when a crisis of the natural environment affects the built environment, as was the case after the Haitian earthquake of 2010. Understanding the consequences of the earthquake as socially precipitated rather than a natural occurrence requires a paradigm shift, a project for educational policy, pedagogy and epistemology. In particular, education for democracy in its broadest sense can serve to re-align thinking towards understanding the connection between the built environment and social justice. In this article the authors present their research with teacher-education candidates and the candidates' perspectives and experiences of education for democracy at a Canadian university. In relating these perspectives to the possibilities for contextualizing the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, the authors propose educational policy solutions that highlight a thick democracy, social justice, the role of context and history, and a more concrete connection with public health.

Integrated water resources management is one of the major bottom-up alternatives that emerged during the 1980s in North America as part of the trend towards more holistic and participatory styles of environmental governance. It aims to protect surface and groundwater resources by focusing on the integrated and collaborative management of land and water resources and interests on a watershed basis. In this paper, we draw on the policy network perspective on governance to shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of watershed-based processes of collaboration and integration for water quality protection in agricultural areas. The policy network perspective focuses on the interaction of actors, institutions and ideas within and among policy sectors to capture the intricacies of the policy process in increasingly complex and fragmented societies. Empirically, this study is based on the analysis of agro-environmental strategies for water quality protection in the Province of Ontario over the last 15 years. The contamination of a rural municipal well in Ontario in 2000, with its tragic consequences, translated into an ongoing pluralistic debate and strong attempts to fundamentally change the provincial policy style for addressing drinking water threats, especially agricultural pollution. Based on our analysis, we suggest that meaningful scales for collaboration and integration of land and water resources and interests at the local level, from the point of view of Ontario's agricultural policy network, do not currently include the watershed. We conclude that, instead of forcing watershed-based governance structures, the exploration and examination of more creative and flexible ways of linking watershed imperatives to existing socially and politically meaningful scales in agricultural areas of Ontario and elsewhere is warranted.

Describes River Watch, an award-winning floating river study project that gives students continuous contact with the river environment. (PVD)

The Gulf of Maine Institute (GOMI) is striving to empower youth to take on stewardship roles in their communities. Through its Community Based Initiative (CBI) program, GOMI addresses environmental degradation by working with teams of students, teachers, and community members from around the Gulf of Maine to inspire youth to be stewards of the gulf and its watershed. In preparing young enthusiastic leaders who will take on these stewardship roles in their communities, GOMI provides solid training in environmental sciences and civic engagement. As a result, students become more environmentally aware and actively contribute to environmental initiatives in their hometowns. This bioregional approach helps participants from urban, suburban, and rural communities in Canada and the United States relate to one another as they learn about the interconnectedness of their watershed and their dependence on its continued health.

A university-based researcher and a grade seven teacher collaborated to plan a science curriculum that would help elementary school students discover the world of salmon and understand its life cycle. Describes key components of the salmon-enhancement program and river-health project. A student's record of hatching chum fry in the classroom is presented in journal format. (PVD)

Examines problems associated with transboundary environmental pollution, focusing on problems arising between the United States and Mexico and between the United States and Canada. Also discusses new organizational forms developed to bring transboundary issues to a higher policy-making level. (JN)

The Don River watershed is located within Canada's most highly urbanized area--metropolitan Toronto. Many residential and commercial uses, including alterations to the river's course with bridges, have had a significant impact on the Don's fauna and flora. Pollutants have degraded the river's water quality, a situation exacerbated by the construction of the Don Valley Parkway, which turned the lower Don River into a major transportation corridor. This article describes the investigation conducted by biology students from Ontario Science Centre Science School on the main Don River tributaries using macroinvertebrates as indicators. As concerned investigators, they brought awareness to the community and especially to the nonbiology students who volunteered with the study. The macroinvertebrates assessment is based on the varied sensitivity to pollution among the species. All students helped collect data, and some volunteered to pursue library research. These amateur biologists collaborated in different areas of the project. Some pursued the environmental impact of the industries along the river and the highway. Others researched benthic macroinvertebrate life cycles. This community project has raised the awareness of pollution and how stream fauna can be used to assess pollution levels.

Conventional tile drainage is essential for crop production in Eastern Canada. It is of increasing interest for cereal and grain producers, especially in light of potential agronomic and environmental benefits. Based on data collected over a 13-year period at an intensive maize production site in southern Quebec, we found that controlled drainage has an overall positive effect on grain yield. In some years, depending on precipitation intensities and timing, nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes under controlled drainage were greater than under conventional tile drainage. In other years, controlled drainage had 43% lower N2O emissions. Controlled drainage significantly reduced NO3-N contamination and tended to increase crop yield. It can be a beneficial management practice to be adopted on subsurface-drained croplands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a key variable influencing aquatic ecosystem processes. The concentration and composition of DOM in streams depend on both the delivery of DOM from terrestrial sources and on aquatic DOM production and degradation. However, there is limited understanding of the variability of stream DOM composition at continental scales and the influence of landscape characteristics and disturbances on DOM across different regions. We assessed DOM composition in 52 streams at seven research sites across six forested ecozones in Canada in 2019–2022 using 26 indices derived from five analytical approaches: absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy, liquid chromatography—organic carbon detection, Fourier‐transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, and asymmetric flow field‐flow fractionation. Combined analyses showed clear clustering and redundancy across analytical techniques, and indicated that compositional variations were primarily related to three axes of DOM composition: (a) aromaticity, which was greater in low‐relief, wetland‐dominated catchments, (b) oxygenation, which was greater in colder and drier ecozones, and (c) biopolymer content, which was greater in lake‐influenced catchments. Variability in DOM composition among research sites was greater than variability of streams within a site and variability over time within a stream. Forest harvesting and wildfire disturbances had no common influence on DOM composition across research sites, emphasizing the need for regional studies. Our study provides a broad understanding of the variability of stream DOM composition and its associations with landscape and catchment characteristics at a subcontinental scale, and provides key insights for the choice and interpretation of DOM indices from various analytical approaches. Plain Language Summary: Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in surface waters influences water quality, aquatic organisms, and carbon cycling, but variability in its composition across different regions has not been extensively studied. We collected water samples from 52 streams across 6 different forested regions in Canada spanning from coast to coast, and analyzed them using five analytical approaches varying in complexity to characterize the composition of DOM in order to assess the differences in stream DOM among the forested regions, the environmental controls on DOM composition, and which approaches were most useful in our characterization. We found that many regions had distinct DOM composition, and climatic factors like mean annual temperature, the presence of wetlands and lakes explained most of the variations, but we were unable to detect any common effects of land disturbance. For assessing differences in DOM across regions, simple analytical approaches were as useful as the more complex approaches. Our findings are important for understanding the function of aquatic ecosystems, potential impacts of climate change and land management, and implications for drinking water treatment. Key Points: We analyzed dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition in samples from 52 streams across 6 forested regions in Canada using multiple analytical techniquesDOM composition varied in three dimensions: aromaticity, oxygenation and biopolymer content, linked to climate, wetlands and lakesOur subcontinental‐scale assessment provides insights for data interpretation, monitoring program design and land management [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater ecosystems are biologically important habitats that provide many ecosystem services. Calcium concentration and pH are two key variables that are linked to multiple chemical processes in these environments, influence the biology of organisms from diverse taxa, and can be important factors affecting the distribution of native and non-native species. However, it can be challenging to obtain high-resolution data for these variables at regional and national scales. To address this data gap, water quality data for lakes and rivers in Canada and the continental USA were compiled and used to generate high-resolution (10 × 10 km) interpolated raster layers, after comparing multiple spatial interpolation approaches. This is the first time that such data have been made available at this scale and resolution, providing a valuable resource for research, including projects evaluating risks from environmental change, pollution, and invasive species. This will aid the development of conservation and management strategies for these vital habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing movement options for confined dairy cows, like in tie-stall housing, may boost natural behaviour and welfare. Yet, limited data exists on the environmental impact of both indoor and outdoor exercise areas. This study investigates the impact of exercise pen type on effluent properties and gas emissions during winter and/or summer conditions in a northern country such as Canada. Forty-five Holstein dairy cows were randomly assigned to three treatments: (1) no exercise [cows kept indoors with tie-stalls (TSs)]; (2) indoor exercise [access to a 28 m2 cow−1 indoor pen (IP) for 1.5 h d−1] and (3) outdoor exercise [access to a 28 m2 cow−1 outside nonaerated (OnAP) or aerated stand-off pad (OAP) for 1.5 h d−1]. The effluent composition of OnAP and OAP varied notably between seasons. In winter, OAP leachates showed higher biological oxygen demand (+89 %), pH (+1.2 units), ammonium (+96 %) and total solids (+50 %), lower faecal but higher total coliforms (−120 % and +20 %, respectively) than OnAP during summer. In addition, OAP presented higher biological and chemical oxygen demand (+80 %) than OnAP in both seasons. Both OAP and OnAP showed higher carbon dioxide emissions (+150 %) and lower methane emissions during summer (−200 %) than IP and TS. Nitrous oxide emissions were higher for OnAP (+600 %) than in OAP, IP and TS, with no changes in ammonia emissions across treatments. Outdoor exercise for dairy cows using a filtering pen didn't meet environmental limits for removing leached contaminants. Exercise pens raised carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions but decreased methane emissions. • Non-aerated, aerated pads served as seasonal exercise areas for tie-stall cows. • Efficient woodchip matrix filters pad leachates by removing contaminants. • Aeration failed to enhance leachate contaminant removal in the stand-off pad. • Outside exercise pens reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy housing surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crustacean zooplankton occupy a key position as primary consumers within lake food webs, acting as early indicators of wider ecosystem shifts that can cascade to higher trophic levels. Their communities can be assessed via water column net hauls or via sediment samples containing preserved subfossil remnants from various time periods; the latter probably integrate multiple years of data, habitats within lakes, and seasonal patterns. The degree to which such samples do or do not correspond has never been assessed across a wide variety of lake types and gradients.As part of a larger sampling of over 600 lakes across lake‐rich Canada, 85 lakes were selected along a gradient of human impact, according to contemporary catchment land use, to analyse cladoceran zooplankton assemblage relatedness among snapshot water column, contemporary and pre‐industrial sediment samples.We used a combination of ordinations and matrix correlations (RV coefficients), along with partial redundancy analyses, to determine the degree to which the different sample types were comparable and whether they responded similarly to >30 environmental variables. We also compared conclusions obtained using the full cladoceran assemblages versus pelagic‐only taxa and whether our results varied according to degree of human impact.Overall, while all sample types were correlated, congruence was highest between contemporary and pre‐industrial sediment sample types. This result could arise from the under‐representation of littoral taxa in water column samples relative to those from the sediment. In high impacted catchments, however, we observed greater similarity between water column and contemporary sediment samples, as water quality stressors potentially structure assemblages in parallel directions over time. In these modern‐day sample types and among measured variables, we identified lake depth and pH as the most important structuring variables across Canada.In this first study comparing cladoceran assemblages in water column, contemporary and pre‐industrial sediments across many lakes, we conclude that water column and sediment samples respond similarly to environmental drivers but should not be considered entirely analogous or redundant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North temperate and boreal lakes are affected by a complex suite of anthropogenic stressors, yet little is known about how these ecosystems are faring across the most lake‐rich nation, Canada. The NSERC Canadian Lake Pulse Network is the first large‐scale national survey of its kind, with the aim of assessing the health of Canadian lakes, determined by the deviation of key variables from baseline pre‐industrial conditions (pre‐1880 CE).We examined midge remains (chironomids and Chaoborus) from modern and pre‐industrial sediment intervals in 67 lakes, spanning a range of sizes, ecozones, and degrees of catchment land‐use change. A marked northwest/southeast divide was evident in the modern chironomid assemblages, which was partially associated with water quality, physiographical and climatic variables, with a small portion of the variance explained by geography alone.Between the pre‐industrial and modern sediment intervals, taxa typically found in warmer waters increased across the country (p < 0.001); this pattern also was evident in the littoral assemblages (p = 0.01), providing additional support for the influence of warming.Turnover in chironomid assemblages varied across trophic classes. Mesotrophic lakes showed increases in macrophyte‐associated taxa, whereas eutrophic lakes showed declines in littoral taxa, perhaps reflecting increased turbidity, and the increase of low‐oxygen‐tolerant profundal taxa in eutrophic lakes with high human impacts.Overall, the distribution and dynamics of chironomid assemblages across Canadian lakes appear to be strongly linked to changes in climate and deep‐water oxygen conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With limited phosphorus (P) supplies, increasing P demand, and issues with P runoff and pollution, developing an ability to reuse the large amounts of residual P stored in agricultural soils is increasingly important. In this study, we investigated the potential for residual soil P to maintain crop yields while reducing P applications and losses in Canada. Using a P cycling model coupled with a soil P dynamics model, we analyzed soil P dynamics over 110 years across Canada's provinces. We found that using soil residual P may reduce mineral P demand as large as 132 Gg P year−1 (29%) in Canada, with the highest potential for reducing P applications in the Atlantic provinces, Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. Using residual soil P would result in a 21% increase in Canada's cropland P use efficiency. We expected that the Atlantic provinces and Quebec would have the greatest runoff P loss reduction with use of residual soil P, with the average P loss rate decreasing from 4.24 and 1.69 kg ha−1 to 3.45 and 1.38 kg ha−1, respectively. Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia would experience relatively lower reductions in P loss through use of residual soil P, with the average runoff P loss rate decreasing from 0.44, 0.36, and 4.33 kg ha−1 to 0.19, 0.26, and 4.14 kg ha−1, respectively. Our study highlights the importance of considering residual soil P as a valuable resource and its potential for reducing P pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue Canadienne des Ressources Hydriques is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue Canadienne des Ressources Hydriques is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Reduced tillage management conservation practices (No-till and Reduced-till) are widely adopted in agriculture; however, understanding their overall effectiveness for water quality protection is challenging. A meta-analysis was conducted to understand and quantify the effectiveness of residue and tillage management on runoff, sediment, and nutrient losses from agricultural fields. Annual runoff and the associated sediment, and nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) loads were compiled from 60 peer reviewed research articles published across the United States and Canada. A total of 1575 siteyears of data were categorized into tillage (<30% surface cover), no-tillage (<30% surface cover), tillage with residue (>30% surface cover), no-tillage with residue (>30% surface cover), and pasture management. No-tillage, no-tillage-residue, and tillage-residue managements were evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing runoff, nutrients, and sediment loads compared to tillage. Synthesized and surveyed corn yield data were used to evaluate the economic cost effectiveness of no-tillage-residue management with respect to tillage. Across the site years (1968-2019) studied, median runoff depth for no-tillage and no-tillage-residue were 84% and 70% greater than tillage and tillage-residue management, respectively. Notillage- residue management had up to 86% less sediment losses than tillage systems, on average, for both >30% and <30% surface cover. No-tillage-residue management was most effective, with a positive performance effectiveness of 65% to 90% in controlling sediments, particulate, and total nutrient losses in runoff compared to tillage. Cost effectiveness analysis revealed the benefits of no-tillage-residue management in reducing nutrient loads and increasing net-farm revenue by avoiding tillage operational costs. Except for dissolved phosphorus, no-tillage-residue management cost effectiveness for sediments and nutrient loads ranged from negative $6 to negative $102 per every Mg or kg of load reduction, indicating it had both economic and environmental benefits compared to tillage management. Overall, these results indicate that over the long-term, no-tillage and tillage, combined with greater than 30% residue cover, can effectively reduce sediment and nutrient losses. This work highlights the importance of crop residues on the soil surface to reduce runoff losses, even in notillage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Takeaways: Hamilton, Ont., has an older, elaborate water distribution system, with high levels of nonrevenue water (NRW). The city was determined to reduce its NRW, so it conducted a leak detection pilot study to explore advanced technologies that could improve detection efforts. With a 95.6% accuracy rate from the pilot test results, the city implemented a full‐scale, proactive leak detection program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and permafrost thaw may impact the mobilization of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC), mercury (Hg), and neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) into aquatic ecosystems; thus, understanding processes that control analyte export in northern catchments is needed. We monitored water chemistry for 3 years (2019–2021) at a peatland catchment (Scotty Creek) and a mixed catchment (Smith Creek) in the Dehcho (Northwest Territories), within the discontinuous permafrost zone of boreal western Canada. The peatland catchment had higher DOC and dissolved MeHg, but lower total Hg concentrations (mean ± standard deviation; 19 ± 2.6 mg DOC L−1; 0.08 ± 0.04 ng DMeHg L−1; 1.1 ± 0.3 ng THg L−1) than the mixed catchment (12 ± 4.4 mg DOC L−1; 0.05 ± 0.01 ng DMeHg L−1; 3.1 ± 2.2 ng THg L−1). Analyte concentrations increased with discharge at the mixed catchment, suggesting transport limitation and the flushing of near‐surface, organic‐rich flow paths during wet periods. In contrast, analyte concentrations in the peatland catchment were not primarily associated with discharge. MeHg concentrations, MeHg:THg, and MeHg:DOC increased with water temperature, suggesting enhanced Hg methylation during warmer periods. Mean open water season DOC and total MeHg yields were greater and more variable from the peatland than the mixed catchment (1.1–6.6 vs. 1.4–2.4 g DOC m−2; 5.2–36 vs. 6.1–10 ng MeHg m−2). Crucial storage thresholds controlling runoff generation likely drove greater inter‐annual variability in analyte yields from the peatland catchment. Our results suggest climate change may influence the production and transport of MeHg from boreal‐Arctic catchments as temperatures increase, peatlands thaw, and runoff generation is altered. Plain Language Summary: Boreal rivers deliver dissolved organic carbon (DOC), mercury (Hg), and its neurotoxic form, methylmercury (MeHg), from contributing landscapes to downstream waters. In northern regions, thawing permafrost (i.e., perennially frozen ground) in peatland environments may release Hg, MeHg, and DOC from soils to rivers. Over 3 years, we measured the concentrations of water chemistry in two boreal creeks with differing contributing landscapes in the discontinuous permafrost region of the Dehcho (Northwest Territories, Canada). Our results showed different patterns in analyte concentrations versus yields (i.e., annual analyte mass delivered per unit area) between the sites. At the peatland‐dominated Scotty Creek, concentrations of MeHg and DOC were consistently high and not primarily controlled by discharge. Still, runoff and analyte yields varied annually as peatlands stored water in a dry year and discharged water in wet years. At Smith Creek, with a mixed landscape of mountains, peatlands, and forests, concentrations of DOC and Hg increased during high‐flow events as runoff contributions from peatlands increased. Over the monitoring period, analyte yields at the mixed catchment varied less due to consistent groundwater inputs and runoff generation from steeper slopes. Changing runoff due to climate change and permafrost thaw will likely alter analyte yields in the region. Key Points: Comparison of mercury, methylmercury, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations and yields for a peatland and a mixed‐landscape catchmentProduction of methylmercury in the peatland catchment was temperature‐dependent, and yields were limited by runoff generation thresholdsAnalyte concentrations in the mixed catchment increased with discharge, and had lower inter‐annual variability in analyte yields [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mass balance model is presented that links the total phosphorus concentration in lakes to the water residence time, Rw (lake volume divided by the annual water inflow) and the total phosphorus residence time, Rp (average standing stock of lake total phosphorous divided by the external annual total phosphorus input). Following a change in the external load, the lake total phosphorus concentration asymptotically approaches a new value that depends on the Rp:Rw ratio, with the rate of approach controlled by Rp. We applied this approach to a recent reanalysis of the water and total phosphorus budgets of the Lake Erie system of the Laurentian Great Lakes for the 2003-2016 period. We generated load–response relationships and response matrices that relate the steady state total phosphorus concentrations to external total phosphorus loads, for the whole Lake Erie system and for the individual basins (Lake St. Clair, western basin, central basin, eastern basin) and connecting channels (St. Clair River, Detroit River). These relationships and matrices provide a simple but robust framework to gauge the potential response of total phosphorus concentrations to total phosphorus load reductions, such as the 40% reduction proposed for Lake Erie under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The mass balance analysis further highlights the importance of inter-basin total phosphorus transfers. For example, around 70% of the total phosphorus concentration in the eastern basin is contributed by inflow from the central basin. Consequently, total phosphorus load abatements in watersheds upstream of the eastern basin, rather than in the direct watershed itself, will have the greatest impact on the eastern basin's concentration. Overall, our results illustrate how simple mass balance calculations can provide useful guidance to efforts to manage phosphorus enrichment of lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, plastic pollution has been documented throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes basin. Here, we demonstrate the application of a published ecological risk assessment and management framework for microplastics in aquatic environments by comparing proposed thresholds for risk to monitoring data from the Great Lakes region. Our results suggest that there may be measurable risks from microplastics to aquatic communities in parts of the Great Lakes where current concentrations are relatively high. For example, 89% of surface water samples collected across the region exceed the proposed risk thresholds for food dilution toxicity. However, all sediment samples remain below the proposed risk thresholds. Accordingly, we suggest that an appropriate and necessary next step for management may include convening a working group of local experts to develop an ecological risk assessment and management framework for the region comprising thresholds of concern for microplastics in surface water and sediment. Ultimately, microplastic pollution should be addressed in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to ensure coordinated and sustained efforts are taken by the governments of Canada and the United States to reduce their release and impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern regions are undergoing rapid change with wildfires increasing in frequency and severity alongside thawing permafrost and altered water balance. These disturbances could cause significant change in the export of carbon, nutrients, and metals to aquatic systems, with implications for food webs and ecosystem processes. Here, we examine chemical data from a series of 52 streams and rivers that were sampled across a 250,000 km2 expanse of the Taiga Plains and Taiga Shield ecozones of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Samples were collected immediately after and for 3 years following a "megafire" that occurred in this region in 2014, and included wildfire‐affected and non‐affected catchments. While wildfire has been observed to cause significant impacts on water quality in other regions, we here report weak relationships with percent watershed burn with minor to moderate effect sizes, the greatest being a reduction in dissolved organic carbon (−32% concentration). Watershed‐specific properties were a strong driver of large spatial variability in stream water chemistry, which may overwhelm or obscure lesser wildfire effects. The watershed chemical yield‐specific response to wildfire was weaker than the response for concentrations, due to substantial variation and uncertainty in runoff among sites and years. This suggests that watershed chemical yields in this region are more sensitive to changes in water balance due to climate than to altered wildfire regimes. Plain Language Summary: Our study examines how wildfires affect the chemistry of water in northern regions. We collected data from 52 streams and rivers in the Taiga Plains and Taiga Shield ecozones of Canada. The results show that the effects of wildfires on water quality are relatively small. Other factors, such as climate and the presence of wetlands, have a much stronger influence on water chemistry in each ecozone. Understanding these changes in water chemistry is crucial for managing aquatic ecosystems. However, we found that the impact of wildfires on water quality in this region differs from that in other locations. The variability in runoff among different sites and years also adds uncertainty to our findings. Looking ahead, climate change and altered hydrology may have more substantial impacts on fluvial networks compared to wildfires in this rapidly changing region. Our research provides valuable insights into the relative importance of various landscape factors in regulating water quality, including the effects of wildfires. By examining the chemical changes occurring due to wildfires and considering the broader environmental context, we contribute to a better understanding of how these factors influence water quality in northern regions. Key Points: Wildfires in the Taiga regions of Canada had modest effects on water chemistry, with the largest impact being a reduction in DOC (−32%)Variability in stream water chemistry was driven by watershed‐specific properties overshadowing the influence of wildfiresFuture impacts on streams are likely more substantially driven by climate and altered hydrology than increasing wildfire frequency [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake water quality plays a vital role in the lake ecosystem, including biotic (for living creatures, such as plants, animals, and micro-organisms) and abiotic interactions. In this research, various types of machine learning (ML) methodologies, such as classification and regression tree (CART), chi-squared automatic interaction detector (CHAID), C5 tree, quick, unbiased, and efficient statistical tree (QUEST), along with multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network, and radial basis function (RBF) neural network, are employed to predict the concentration of water quality parameters (P, EC, TDS, pH, DO, NH3, SO4, and θ). Lake Erie is situated at the international border of the USA and Canada. The C5 tree and QUEST tree are used to classify data and predict the number of groups, while the other methods are used to predict the concentration of water quality parameters in the form of a 3-year moving average. The greater matching between the observed and predicted data of dissolved oxygen (NSE = 0.978, bias = 0.126) shows that the CART decision tree has higher accuracy in correctly detecting the concentration of this parameter. The C5 tree could identify 33 groups correctly out of 36 total groups, which shows better accuracy for the C5 tree in classifying the data for this parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boreal wetlands within the oil sands region of Alberta, Canada, are subject to natural and anthropogenic pressures, resulting in the need for monitoring these sensitive ecosystems to ensure their protection. This study presents results from Canada's pilot Oil Sands Monitoring (OSM) Wetland Program. This study is part of a project that seeks to assess and determine which of a selection of wetland indicators is suitable for identifying changes to wetland ecosystem "states" within a regional wetland monitoring program resulting from the effects of oil sands development. Specifically, this study seeks to identify indicators that can detect changes in a wetland ecosystem "state" using data from a 3-year pilot of the OSM Wetland Program and identify potential high-level oil sands-related pathways through which changes in states may occur, where appropriate. The monitoring data acquired during the pilot program are synthesized to identify preliminary trends and programmatic knowledge gaps, and future recommendations for an improved long-term "core" monitoring program are discussed. This study does not seek to attribute changes in wetland states measured via indicators to specific oil sands pressures but focuses on identifying those indicators that are sensitive enough to identify change over time. The results suggest that water quality, benthic invertebrates, and vegetation indicators can identify changes in wetland states over time, whereas wildlife indicators are inconclusive. Further, it is recommended that hydrometeorology data are acquired in parallel to other indicator data for contextualizing climate conditions. The findings from this work provide insights for developing and transitioning the OSM Wetland Program to a long-term effort, in addition to providing information for other regional wetland monitoring programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial control charts are used in manufacturing to quickly and robustly indicate the status of production and to prompt any necessary corrective actions. The library of tools available for these tasks has grown over time and many have been used in other disciplines with similar objectives, including environmental monitoring. While the utility of control charts in environmental monitoring has been recognized, and the tools have already been used in many individual studies, they may be underutilized in some types of programs. For example, control charts may be especially useful for reporting and evaluating data from regional surveillance monitoring programs, but they are not yet routinely used. The purpose of this study was to promote the use of control charts in regional environmental monitoring by surveying the literature for control charting techniques suitable for the various types of data available from large programs measuring multiple indicators at multiple locations across various physical environments. Example datasets were obtained for Canada's Oil Sands Region, including water quality, air quality, facility production and performance, and bird communities, and were analyzed using univariate (e.g., x-bar) and multivariate (e.g., Hotelling's T2) control charts. The control charts indicated multiple instances of unexpected observations and highlighted subtle patterns in all of the example data. While control charts are not uniquely able to identify potentially relevant patterns in data and can be challenging to apply in some monitoring analyses, this work emphasizes the broad utility of the tools for straightforwardly presenting the results from standardized and routine surveillance monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue Canadienne des Ressources Hydriques is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

First and foremost, operational environmental prediction capabilities are a government responsibility - in Canada this responsibility lies with ECCC for national products and with provinces/territories for regional prediction products. Rather, we suggest that there is an urgent need to unify and modernize the prediction "ecosystem" for Canada - specifically, to create a modular and interoperable computational framework that can integrate modelling contributions from research and operations groups across Canada. Keywords: Canada Water Agency; environmental prediction; floods; drought; water quality EN Canada Water Agency environmental prediction floods drought water quality 280 282 3 08/22/23 20230901 NES 230901 Introduction The formation of the Canada Water Agency (CWA) will enable Canada to substantially advance how we understand and manage our most precious resource - water. [Extracted from the article]

Increasing river water temperature in response to the warming climate is concerning for water quality and ecosystem health of rivers. This study provides an assessment of the spatio‐temporal variability of the ongoing and potential future river water temperature (Tw) change in western Canada. We use the air2stream model to reconstruct historical Tw dataset for 17 stations across six rivers, and employ the reconstructed Tw to analyze hydro‐climatic controls, trends, and sensitivities in relation to air temperature (Ta) and discharge. Results provide insights on the contrasting summer (July and August) Tw responses. While Tw is primarily Ta controlled for the northern rivers, discharge exerts increasing influence that approaches Ta control for the southern rivers. Trends in Tw are increasing and spatially varied, with significant increases and occurrences above the critical 18 and 20°C thresholds for the southern Fraser and Similkameen Rivers. A sensitivity analysis indicated 0.5–1.5°C Tw increases for a 2.0°C Ta increase, and 0.2–0.6°C Tw increases for a 20% summer discharge decline. Overall, the results provide critical information for understanding the river ecosystem health, such as cold‐water species habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the modernization of the Fisheries Act, DFO committed to producing 'State of Fish and Fish Habitat' (SOFFH) reports for Canada's freshwater ecosystems. As part of this initiative, DFO's Ontario and Prairie (O&P) Region selected the Lake Erie and Lake Ontario drainage basins (Lower Great Lakes Area; LGLA) and the Alberta East Slopes Area (AESA) as focal areas for reporting on in 2023. A Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat meeting was held June 29-30, 2021, to elicit input from academic, environmental practitioners, FFHPP, and DFO Science on the appropriate indicators, metrics, and data that could be used for the O&P SOFFH report. The five indicators selected by DFO O&P were: Biodiversity, Water Quality, Connectivity, Land Use and Land Cover, and Climate Change. Data for up to six metrics per indicator were summarized for each of the reporting areas. The findings indicated that LGLA has high fish species richness. However, a number of fishes and mussel species have been listed as species at risk. Water quality parameters often exceeded thresholds in areas with the greatest urban and agricultural development, and there was also an absence of natural riparian cover in those areas. Ninety-two per cent of the barriers within the LGLA are known to prevent fish movement. Forward and backward bioclimatic velocities were found to be highest in the assessment units surrounding the Greater Toronto Area and assessment units in the Lake Ontario basin. Flood forecasts showed variable changes in the location and heights of 100-yr floods with climate change. The AESA has lower fish species richness relative to the LGLA and a correspondingly, lower number of species at risk. Water quality parameters were often consistent with guidelines for the protection of aquatic life and connectivity varied amongst watercourses in the area. Land use and land cover in the AESA showed high spatial variance, with rangeland and crops in the southeast and trees and snow/ice in the western and northeastern regions. Due to the presence of large national and provincial parks, entire assessment units were protected in the mountainous regions of AESA. Forward bioclimatic velocities were two times faster and flood heights were also higher in the AESA compared to LGLA. This report provides insight into the SOFFH within the AESA and LGLA. However, limited data were available for some metrics, resulting in high uncertainty related to the SOFFH in some assessment units. As such, we identified key data gaps and limitations of the selected indicators and metrics. This information could be used to prioritize spatial extents and items for future research and monitoring projects. The process outlined in this report demonstrates how a quantitative approach to reporting on the SOFFH could be applied by DFO in other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Water Resources Journal / Revue Canadienne des Ressources Hydriques is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Effective determination of water quality and water pollution assessment is crucial and challenging processes. Evaluating water quality in rivers, researchers have referred to various statistical, probabilistic and stochastic methods to obtain efficient information from the monitoring network. As data are greatly random, the information content can be obtained by utilizing various methods including but not limited to the "entropy." Monitoring is a difficult process due to high measurement costs, while it is also difficult to optimize the network in terms of time, space, and especially the variable to be monitored. In the presented study, it is aimed to create an effective approach to be used in optimizing the monitoring network by determining the "prior" variables by entropy that measures the uncertainty by using all the data without time difference. The presented study proposes an alternative method to define the water quality variables that should be monitored much more frequently. Study is exemplified for demonstrating its potential use in a case study level, Grand River in Canada, by assessing water quality data obtained from 15 water quality monitoring stations. Results showed that BOD, Cl, and NO2-N among examined 8 different variables are as the "prior" variables should be monitored. It is being proven that the prior variable that should be monitored for optimization of the network can be easily determined with the information obtained from the data statistically evaluated with entropy, and it can be stated as an effective method for managers to use in the decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water treatment plant operators need to understand manganese's effects on the DPD method when measuring free chlorine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water distribution networks (WDNs) are complex interconnected networks that require extensive planning and maintenance to ensure good quality water is delivered to all consumers. The main task of WDNs is to provide consumers with a minimum acceptable level of supply (in terms of pressure, availability, and water quality) at all times under a range of operating conditions. However, the water infrastructure in North America signifies an urgent need of upgrading the aging and deteriorating distribution systems if they are to continue to provide consumers with reliable and safe water supplies. In this context, this research is proposing a new reliability model for assessing the mechanical/structural as well as hydraulic conditions of a WDN to identify failure-prone components and prioritize their renewal. The developed model provides a systematic and practical methodology to calculate the mechanical/structural reliability of the pipe and its accessories (valves, hydrants, and so on) through the consideration of historical failures of components. The research deployed pressure-dependent demand analysis to determine the hydraulic reliability of the network in meeting the pressure requirements and overall hydraulics of the network. The minimum-cut-set theory was implemented in both reliability assessments, and the outputs of the two models were integrated to provide a representative reliability of the network. A sensitivity analysis was followed to study the change in segments' attributes on the mechanical/structural and hydraulic reliabilities. The approach was implemented on the City of London, Canada, network (north and south) to test its applicability. The developed model is expected to assist decision makers in integrating the failure records with the hydraulic simulation to plan for optimum intervention actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) rich runoff from agricultural landscapes is a major contributor to freshwater eutrophication. Vegetated riparian zones are often employed to retain P from field runoff before it enters streams. In cold regions, vegetation has the potential to release P to runoff following freezing; however, it is unclear if this differs with winter frost severity, riparian zone local topography, vegetation type, and/or exposure to flooding/inundation. To explore the vulnerability of riparian vegetation to winter P losses, this study quantified soil and vegetation P concentrations from 8 riparian zones in Canada at different topographic positions within each riparian site (upper/field edge, lower/water edge) in both the fall and spring seasons and related this to observed surface temperatures and water levels throughout the non-growing season. This was complemented by two laboratory mesocosm experiments in which (1) plant samples were subjected to moderate (-4 0 C) and severe (-25 0 C) simulated winter frost treatments to quantify changes in their water extractable P (WEP) content, and (2) mesocosms were inundated with water to determine if dissolved P concentrations in flood water differed when plants were left intact, clipped but left on the soil surface, or harvested. Greater soil and vegetation P concentrations were observed at upper locations (field edge), and this remained consistent following freezing; however, vegetation WEP concentrations increased with greater simulated frost severity. In the field, temperatures were moderated by snow cover and although differences with riparian zone position were apparent between fall and spring collected samples, changes in P pools did not appear to be related to frost severity or inundation in the field. The mesocosm experiment revealed that harvesting vegetation considerably reduced dissolved P concentrations in flood water. This study shows that vegetated riparian zones can act as a source of P to streams during the winter non-growing season, and highlights the potential for riparian vegetation management in reducing P losses from riparian zones in cold climates., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Canada is considered a freshwater-rich country, despite this, several Indigenous reserves struggle with household water insecurity. In fact, some of these communities have lacked access to safe water for almost 30 years. Water quality in Canadian Indigenous reserves is influenced by several factors including source water quality, drinking water treatments applied, water distribution systems, and water storage tanks when piped water is unavailable. The objective of this multifaceted review is to spot the challenges and consequences of inadequate drinking water systems (DWS) and the available technical and microbiological alternatives to address water sanitation coverage in Indigenous reserves of Canada, North America (also known as Turtle Island). A comprehensive literature review was conducted using national web portals from both federal and provincial governments, as well as academic databases to identify the following topics: The status of water insecurity in Indigenous communities across Canada; Microbiological, chemical, and natural causes contributing to water insecurity; Limitations of applying urban-style drinking water systems in Indigenous reserves in Canada and the management of DWS for Indigenous communities in other high-income countries; and the importance of determining the microbiome inhabiting drinking water systems along with the cutting-edge technology available for its analysis. A total of 169 scientific articles matched the inclusion criteria. The major themes discussed include: The status of water insecurity and water advisories in Canada; the risks of pathogenic microorganisms ( i.e. , Escherichia coli and total coliforms) and other chemicals ( i.e. , disinfection by-products) found in water storage tanks; the most common technologies available for water treatment including coagulation, high- and low-pressure membrane filtration procedures, ozone, ion exchange, and biological ion exchange and their limitations when applying them in remote Indigenous communities. Furthermore, we reviewed the benefits and drawbacks that high throughput tools such as metagenomics (the study of genomes of microbial communities), culturomics (a high-efficiency culture approach), and microfluidics devices (microminiaturized instruments) and what they could represent for water monitoring in Indigenous reserves. This multifaceted review demonstrates that water insecurity in Canada is a reflection of the institutional structures of marginalization that persist in the country and other parts of Turtle Island. DWS on Indigenous reserves are in urgent need of upgrades. Source water protection, and drinking water monitoring plus a comprehensive design of culturally adapted, and sustainable water services are required. Collaborative efforts between First Nations authorities and federal, provincial, and territorial governments are imperative to ensure equitable access to safe drinking water in Indigenous reserves., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2024 Zambrano-Alvarado and Uyaguari-Diaz.)