TORONTO, Sept. 22, 2020 – Although less than one per cent of all water in the world is freshwater, it is what we drink and use for agriculture. In other words, it’s vital to human survival. 91ŃÇÉ« researchers have just created a publicly available water quality database for close to 12,000 freshwater lakes globally – almost half of the world’s freshwater supply – that will help scientists monitor and manage the health of these lakes.

A sunset caught over Boundary Lake in Killarney Provincial Park. Photo by Amanda Liczner

The study, led by Faculty of Science Postdoctoral Fellow Alessandro Filazzola and master’s student Octavia Mahdiyan, collected data for lakes in 72 countries, from Antarctica to the United States and Canada. Hundreds of the lakes are in Ontario.

“The database can be used by scientists to answer questions about what lakes or regions may be faring worse than others, how water quality has changed over the years and which environmental stressors are most important in driving changes in water quality,” says Filazzola.

The team included a host of graduate and undergraduate students working in the laboratory of Associate Professor in addition to a collaboration with Assistant Professor of Wilfrid Laurier University, Associate Professor of Illinois State University and 91ŃÇÉ« Associate Professor .

The researchers reviewed 3,322 studies from as far back as the 1950s along with online data repositories to collect data on chlorophyll levels, a commonly used marker to determine lake and ecosystem health. Chlorophyll is a predictor of the amount of vegetation and algae in lakes, known as primary production, including invasive species such as milfoil.

“Human activity, climate warming, agricultural, urban runoff and phosphorus from land use can all increase the level of chlorophyll in lakes. The primary production is most represented by the amount of chlorophyll in the lake, which has a cascading impact on the phytoplankton that eat the algae and the fish that eat the phytoplankton and the fish that eat those fish,” says Filazzola. “If the chlorophyll is too low, it can have cascading negative effects on the entire ecosystem, while too much can cause an abundance of algae growth, which is not always good.”

Warming summer temperatures and increased solar radiation from decreased cloud cover in the northern hemisphere also contributes to an increase in chlorophyll, while more storm events caused by climate change contribute to degraded water quality, says Sharma. “Agricultural areas and urban watersheds are more associated with degraded water quality conditions because of the amount of nutrients input into these lakes.”

David Lake as the sun goes down in Killarney Provincial Park. Photo by Amanda Liczner

The researchers also gathered data on phosphorous and nitrogen levels – often a predictor of chlorophyll – as well as lake characteristics, land use variables, and climate data for each lake. Freshwater lakes are particularly vulnerable to changes in nutrient levels, climate, land use and pollution.

“In addition to drinking water, freshwater is important for transportation, agriculture, and recreation, and provides habitats for more than 100,000 species of invertebrates, insects, animals and plants,” says Sharma. “The database can be used to improve our understanding of how chlorophyll levels respond to global environmental change and it provides baseline comparisons for environmental managers responsible for maintaining water quality in lakes.”

The researchers started looking only at Ontario lakes, but quickly expanded it globally as although there are thousands of lakes in Ontario a lot of the data is not as readily available as it is in other regions of the world.

Postdoctoral Fellow Alessandro Filazzola standing at the edge of David Lake in Killarney Provincial Park. Photo by Amanda Liczner

“The creation of this database is a feat typically only accomplished by very large teams with millions of dollars, not by a single lab with a few small grants, which is why I am especially proud of this research,” says Sharma.

The is published today in Nature’s journal.

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91ŃÇÉ« champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni. 91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 416-272-6317, sandramc@yorku.ca

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TORONTO, Monday, June 12, 2017 – Without action, the supply of fresh water in Iqaluit will begin to dwindle by 2024 due to climate change and increased demand, research led by 91ŃÇÉ« has found.

“Extreme climates make the management of fresh water difficult, but add climate change to the mix, along with too few financial and human resources, and northern cities, such as Iqaluit could run out of fresh water,” said Andrew Medeiros of 91ŃÇÉ« U who led the research.

Even if population growth remains stagnant, current climate change projections show demand will outstrip supply for freshwater in the Arctic community, said Medeiros, a research fellow for 91ŃÇɫ’s . However, as Iqaluit is a growing city, the pressure on water resources will only increase.

So far, various methods of increasing freshwater supply only helped to extend it for a couple of years. Medeiros and his team used novel hydrologic modelling and climate forecasting methods looking ahead 20 years. Their forecasting included the possibility of diverting water from the nearby Apex River, something the city plans to do to help solve the water shortage problem.

The researchers found the primary source of renewal for the Apex River is rainwater with little evaporation, which means it could be used as an alternative source of freshwater on a seasonal basis. However, long term it would not solve the issue as it would only extend the water supply by two years even if only 10 per cent is diverted as recommended by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

“The availability, quality and security of freshwater in the Canadian Arctic an increasingly pressing issue,” said Medeiros. The research highlights the need to address end-of-winter water shortages, due to climate change, with over winter replenishment. Otherwise consumption restrictions would be necessary.

As it is now, many northern Canadian communities rely on a single, small shallow lake reservoir or seasonal replenishment systems for their freshwater that are not always sustainable, especially as the climate warms in the Arctic. Temperatures in the Arctic have increased close to twice the global rate and are expected to further increase. “Arctic lakes are especially vulnerable to climate change,” says Medeiros.

His team’s forecasting and modelling has provided municipal planners and engineers in Iqaluit with information on how climate will affect their area’s freshwater supply, and how long current sources of water are likely to last, so that they can better plan for the future.

“” is published today in the journal of Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

Funding organizations for the research include the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Northern Scientific Training Program.

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91ŃÇÉ« is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. 91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097, sandramc@yorku.ca

The post Iqaluit could start running out of fresh water by 2024 appeared first on News@91ŃÇÉ«.