From increasing disasters, wildfires, record-breaking rainfall, warming lakes, invasive species and a struggling circular economy, 91亚色 researchers are taking the measure of our planet

TORONTO, April 20, 2026 鈥� As the climate changes and the risk of wildfires, earth quakes, floods and landslides increase, this Earth Day 2026 (April 22) is about taking back power 鈥� . 91亚色 experts research how environmental and climate stressors are affecting our planet鈥檚 ecosystems and how that affects humans and wildlife.

The following experts are available:

, a 91亚色 Research Chair in Global Change Biology, is a professor in the Faculty of Science. Her research focuses on the impacts of human-caused environmental stressors, including the effects of climate change and invasive species on freshwater lakes.

She can comment on:

• How human-induced environmental stressors increase lake temperatures, disrupt delicate ecosystems, and can affect fish species, lake health, cyanobacteria growth and drinking water
• Effects of freshwater browning, from an increase of organic matter and carbon being washed into lakes, on fish growth, populations and species
• Impact of climate change on Arctic ice conditions
• Invasive species, water quality and freshwater fisheries

, associate professor of atmospheric science at the Lassonde School of Engineering, studies climate, atmospheric, ocean and sea ice dynamics. He uses a combination of models, observations, and mathematical analysis to investigate how motions in Earth鈥檚 atmosphere and ocean influence climate.  He can speak to:

• Processes driving long-term temperature and precipitation changes, including increasingly record-breaking rainfall
• Factors leading to changes in Arctic sea ice
• Variability of the ocean circulation and its relationship to other aspects of climate change

,  director of 91亚色鈥檚 Emergency Mitigation, Engagement, Governance, Response Institute (Y-EMERGE), is an associate professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and an expert in disaster and emergency management areas, specifically wildfire and forest fire management. He has done extensive work on wildfire mitigation, fire decision-making, use of prediction in fire management, and fire management in Canada and globally. He can discuss:

• How climate changes - and other changes - increase the threat, intensity, and impact of wildfires
• How wildfires are managed in Canada and globally
• Wildfire decision-making, like how agencies make response decisions and how community members decide
• How to mitigate wildfire risk for individuals and communities

and , both professor and atmospheric chemists in the Faculty of Science who have been part of several large campaigns to better understand the air we breath in Toronto and across North America in summer and winter. Their most recent research found that the tinniest forever chemical declined in Toronto after everyone went home during the pandemic which means scientists should be able to figure out how to minimize these particular emissions and control the formation of it in the future. They can discuss:

• What is in the air Torontonians breath and what is contributing to it
• How so many per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances聽(PFAS) remain undetected in the atmosphere and how they figured out how to test for them
• How these forever chemicals developed in the first place
• The risk to the environment, humans and wildlife of PFAS and how far they travel

Calvin Lakhan is co-investigator of the Circular Innovation Hub, a research project devoted to advancing the understanding of waste management research and policy in Canada, in the Faculty of Environmental Studies and Urban Change. He can discuss:

• The grey area of going green and the dangers of green washing and misleading environmental claims
• The circular economy and the adoption or resistance to it, such as reusable and zero-waste systems and consumer reaction to shared reusable food and beverage containers
• How recycling policy and environmental outcomes may be doing more harm than good and is no longer sustainable
• The socio-economic inequality that prevents poor and marginalized groups from participating in sustainable waste management practices

The post Mother Earth is under siege, 91亚色 experts weigh in this Earth Day appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2021 鈥� Lakes in the Northern Hemisphere are warming six times faster since 1992 than any other time period in the last 100 years, research led by 91亚色 has found.

Lake Superior, the most northern of the Great Lakes which straddles the Canada/United States border, is one of the fastest warming lakes, losing more than two months of ice cover since ice conditions started being recorded in 1857. In Lake Suwa, in Japan, ice formed close to 26 days later per century since 1897 and is now only freezing twice every decade, while Grand Traverse Bay in Lake Michigan had one of the fastest ice-off trends, melting about 16 days earlier per century.

鈥淲e found that lakes are losing on average 17 days of ice cover per century. Alarmingly, what we found is that warming in the past 25 years, from 1992 to 2016, was six times faster than any other period in the last 100 years,鈥� says Associate Professor of the Faculty of Science at 91亚色, who led the study with Professor David Richardson of the State University of New 91亚色 at New Paltz and climate scientist Iestyn Woolway, PhD, of the European Space Agency Climate Office, United Kingdom.

Ice breaking up on Oneida Lake in New 91亚色 in the spring of 2021. Photo by Professor Lars Rudstam, Cornell University

The researchers re-assessed ice trends of 60 lakes for the first time since 2004 for 60 lakes by studying ice phenology records ranging from 107 to 204 years old, dating from prior to the Industrial Revolution. 鈥淢any of our lakes may be approaching a tipping point to ice-free conditions which will have vast cultural and ecological implications,鈥� says Sharma.

On average, these lakes were freezing 11 days later and thawing 6.8 days earlier. Extremely warm winters over the last several decades have contributed to the increasing rate of ice loss, especially in larger lakes and in southern and coastal regions.

鈥淚n addition, we found that the duration of winter ice cover has decreased, particularly since 1995, to the point where some lakes are beginning to have more winters with minimal or even no ice cover. For example, some deep lakes in Switzerland and Germany, which historically used to freeze each winter, have permanently lost their ice cover in the past few decades,鈥� says Richardson.

Lake Kallavesi, spring 2021, Finland. Photo by Johanna Korhonen, World Meteorological Organization

Of the lakes studied, 40 are in North America including Lakes Michigan and Superior, Detroit Lake in Minnesota, Lakes Monona and Mendota in Wisconsin, Cazenovia and Oneida lakes in New 91亚色, and several in Ontario 鈥� Lake Simcoe, Lake Nipissing and Lake of Bays 鈥� 18 in Europe, and two in Asia 鈥� Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, and Lake Suwa in Japan.

鈥淭he findings were in line with our expectations as air temperature has increased over recent decades,鈥� says Woolway. 鈥淎ir temperature is one of the most important climatic drivers of lake ice dynamics, owing to its additive effects on various components of the lake energy budget.鈥�

A Lake in Finland. Photo by Johanna Korhonen, World Meteorological Organization

Lake ice phenology is considered an important sentinel of climate change. A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is necessary if increases in air temperature and decreases in lake ice cover are to be mitigated. The researchers say this would also help limit ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic consequences, including increased evaporation rates, warmer water temperatures, degraded water quality, and the formation of toxic algal blooms.

Lake Suwa in Japan with thin ice. Photo by Satoe Kasahara, Shinshu University, Japan

Records have been kept for several decades to centuries detailing lake ice-on and ice-off times because of its importance to refrigeration, transportation, recreation and cultural traditions, as well as economic impacts.

The paper, , was published in the October issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences.

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91亚色聽is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. 91亚色's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-272-6317,聽sandramc@yorku.ca

The post Northern lakes warming six times faster in the past 25 years appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2021 鈥� Lakes in the Northern Hemisphere are warming six times faster since 1992 than any other time period in the last 100 years, research led by 91亚色 has found.

Lake Superior, the most northern of the Great Lakes which straddles the Canada/United States border, is one of the fastest warming lakes, losing more than two months of ice cover since ice conditions started being recorded in 1857. In Lake Suwa, in Japan, ice formed close to 26 days later per century since 1897 and is now only freezing twice every decade, while Grand Traverse Bay in Lake Michigan had one of the fastest ice-off trends, melting about 16 days earlier per century.

鈥淲e found that lakes are losing on average 17 days of ice cover per century. Alarmingly, what we found is that warming in the past 25 years, from 1992 to 2016, was six times faster than any other period in the last 100 years,鈥� says Associate Professor of the Faculty of Science at 91亚色, who led the study with Professor David Richardson of the State University of New 91亚色 at New Paltz and climate scientist Iestyn Woolway, PhD, of the European Space Agency Climate Office, United Kingdom.

Ice breaking up on Oneida Lake in New 91亚色 in the spring of 2021. Photo by Professor Lars Rudstam, Cornell University

The researchers re-assessed ice trends of 60 lakes for the first time since 2004 for 60 lakes by studying ice phenology records ranging from 107 to 204 years old, dating from prior to the Industrial Revolution. 鈥淢any of our lakes may be approaching a tipping point to ice-free conditions which will have vast cultural and ecological implications,鈥� says Sharma.

On average, these lakes were freezing 11 days later and thawing 6.8 days earlier. Extremely warm winters over the last several decades have contributed to the increasing rate of ice loss, especially in larger lakes and in southern and coastal regions.

鈥淚n addition, we found that the duration of winter ice cover has decreased, particularly since 1995, to the point where some lakes are beginning to have more winters with minimal or even no ice cover. For example, some deep lakes in Switzerland and Germany, which historically used to freeze each winter, have permanently lost their ice cover in the past few decades,鈥� says Richardson.

Lake Kallavesi, spring 2021, Finland. Photo by Johanna Korhonen, World Meteorological Organization

Of the lakes studied, 40 are in North America including Lakes Michigan and Superior, Detroit Lake in Minnesota, Lakes Monona and Mendota in Wisconsin, Cazenovia and Oneida lakes in New 91亚色, and several in Ontario 鈥� Lake Simcoe, Lake Nipissing and Lake of Bays 鈥� 18 in Europe, and two in Asia 鈥� Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, and Lake Suwa in Japan.

鈥淭he findings were in line with our expectations as air temperature has increased over recent decades,鈥� says Woolway. 鈥淎ir temperature is one of the most important climatic drivers of lake ice dynamics, owing to its additive effects on various components of the lake energy budget.鈥�

A Lake in Finland. Photo by Johanna Korhonen, World Meteorological Organization

Lake ice phenology is considered an important sentinel of climate change. A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is necessary if increases in air temperature and decreases in lake ice cover are to be mitigated. The researchers say this would also help limit ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic consequences, including increased evaporation rates, warmer water temperatures, degraded water quality, and the formation of toxic algal blooms.

Lake Suwa in Japan with thin ice. Photo by Satoe Kasahara, Shinshu University, Japan

Records have been kept for several decades to centuries detailing lake ice-on and ice-off times because of its importance to refrigeration, transportation, recreation and cultural traditions, as well as economic impacts.

The paper, , was published in the October issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences.

-30-

91亚色聽is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. 91亚色's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-272-6317,聽sandramc@yorku.ca

The post Northern lakes warming six times faster in the past 25 years appeared first on News@91亚色.