Post on 22-Jan-2018
Gulf of the St. Lawrence: risks
and richness
Names: Emily Farlam-Williams, Patrick Bourgon, Ibrahim Janjua
Class: ENSC 3509
Instructor: Kringen Heinen
Date: November 19, 2015
Introduction
What makes the Gulf of the St. Lawrence so unique?
geology: rich oil deposits
hydrology: mixing of fresh and salt water, cold and warm
water
biology: incredibly species diversity, many unique habitats
social: important for tourism, fishing, one of first places in
Canada to be settled
Introduction (con’t)
Economical significance of the Gulf:
fishing/aquaculture, tourism
Possibility of oil underneath the Gulf makes the area very
appealing
implications of oil drilling?
Overview
Part 1: Geomorphology and Hydrology
geological formation, ocean currents, oil deposits
Part 2: Ecology
biodiversity, some major habitats, anthropogenic pressures
Part 3: Pros/Cons of Off-Shore Oil Drilling
history of oil drilling, economical and social implications
Part 1 Outline
1. Geomorphology of the Gulf of the St. Lawrence
How it formed
Conditions of the sea bottom
2. Oil and Natural Gas
How they originally formed
Where they are and their quantities
3. Hydrology of the Gulf of the St. Lawrence
Watershed of the St. Lawrence river
Warm North Atlantic current
Cold Labrador current
How the Gulf of the St. Lawrence Formed
Formed during last Glaciation
ended about 10 000 yrs ago
Rivers lead to the ocean
i.e. St. Lawrence River
Area of 250 000 squared kilometers
Source: smithsonianmag.com
Conditions of the sea bottom
Ranges from 60m near land to 500m further away
Differences in salinity, sediments
Differences in light concentrations
Source: Wikipedia
How the oil originally formed
Fossil fuels come from
living organisms
Sink to the bottom when
they die
We then extract the fuels
Source: Flickr
Where the oil deposits are and their
quantities
To this date, the exact
locations are not exactly
known
oil companies haven’t been
able to do much research
Site proposed – Old Harry
Highly controversial subject,
lots of debate
Source: www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/council-canadians
Hydrology: Watershed
of the St. Lawrence
“Rivers led to the
oceans”
St. Lawrence River
drains into the gulf
Drains 25% of Earth’s
freshwater
Source: www.ec.gc.ca
The North Atlantic Current
Brings warm equatorial
water
Allows for warm water
organisms to live in the
Gulf
i.e. smallmouth and
largemouth bass
Source: www.mountainguides.is
The Labrador Current
Also known as the Gulf
Stream
Brings cold Artic water
Some organisms prefer
cold water
i.e. salmon, trout
Source: Wikipedia
Hydrology of the Gulf of the St.
Lawrence
Mixing of fresh and salt water
Mixing of cold and warm water
Leads to unique ecosystems
Lots of diversity
Source: Wikipedia
Part 2 Outline
1. How species rich is the Gulf?
2. Major types of ecosystems:
Terrestrial
Estuarine
Marine
3. Anthropogenic pressures
Just how species rich is the Gulf?
• 6000 species found to breed along the St. Lawrence River in Quebec
• Possibly up to 27 000, most haven’t been recorded yet
• 10% at risk vascular flora
• 27% herpetofauna
• 399 birds
aquatic and terrestrial
Credit: jgbernard (Flikr)
Canada’s contribution to protection
• Signed the Convection of Biological
Diversity (1992) at Rio de Janeiro
• Ocean Act (1996)
defines requirement to
protect species, ecosystems,
overall health of ocean
• Canada still facing same issues as
other nations
overfishing, invasive species,
climate change, etc.
Three major types of habitat in the Gulf
• Terrestrial: shorelines, island archipelagos, forests near the
Gulf, Laurentians/Appalachians
• Estuarine: wetlands, estuaries, delta complexes
• Aquatic/marine: feeder rivers, Atlantic Ocean
Credit: Gail Mooney Credit: Isaac Regional Council Credit: Laura Cooper
Just how big is the St. Lawrence area?
• Drainage basins in Quebec cover 57 000 square kilometers
included are 4000 square kilometers of shoreline, unique
ecosystems, myriad of habitats
• St. Lawrence Estuary one of largest and deepest
nearly 250km long, widens into Gulf at Point-des-Monts
Terrestrial ecosystems
• Analysis of primary breeding habitats of birds
showed:
41% preferred aquatic habitats
36% preferred forested habitats
23% preferred agricultural/urban areas
• Decrease in species richness from upstream to
downstream St. Lawrence
• Cap Tourmente (Laurentians) – very high
biodiversity for herpetofauna, birds and vascular
flora
lots of at risk-species
Credit: Steve Maslowski
Credit: Google man (Wikipedia user)
Estuarine ecosystems
In the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary, spring phytoplankton bloom occurs
relatively late (mid-June)
however high biomass throughout summer months
Estuary significant to Calanus finmarchius production
zooplankton biomass may be influenced by surface circulation
Nitrogen runoff an issue for estuaries
Source: davidsuzuki.org Source: marinespecies.org
Aquatic/marine ecosystems
Atlantic Ocean is important for phytoplankton diversity – total 626 taxa
majority (274) are diatoms
Bay of Fundy: energy from the tides fuels productive and species rich ecosystem
Influences surrounding environment, tourism and fishing industries
Credit: John Clegg
Credit: New Brunswick Tourism and Travel
What pressures do these habitats face?
Little public land remains– difficult to create protected areas
Most threatened species live along narrow piece along river corridor
where most anthropogenic pressure is placed
Population growth and activity has led to decline of riparian habitats
i.e. wetlands
most notable in Montreal Archipelago
Credit: Jean Gagnon
Habitat pressures (continued)
Estuaries at higher risk of algal blooms – can lead
to eutrophication
Possibility of more forest fires (currently an issue
in boreal forests)
Decline of large vertebrates in some areas
Historical data important
most ecological research based in local
studies, short term (i.e. a few years)
majority of studies take place after 1950s, no
long-term perspectives
Credit: St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Part 3 Overview
Social, economic and cultural significance
Oil and gas in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence
history of oil exploration
Old Harry Geological Site
Drilling and its impacts
Mitigation
Socioeconomic impacts of oil and gas exploration
Social, economic and cultural
significance
St. Lawrence area can be considered the birthplace of
Canada
Fur trade, shipbuilding and shipping developed.
Fishing and Tourism played an important role in the
past and still does to this date.
Fishing industry makes about $1.5 billion in revenues
per year.
Tourism industry has generated $0.8 billion per year.
Lots of coastal communities depend on it for their
livelihood Source: Rolf Hicker
History of oil and gas exploration in the
Gulf
10 exploratory wells drilled
from 1942-1996
All of them drilled in the
Madeleine Basin
Environmental assessments
for offshore drillings
mandatory by 2002 in Eastern
Canada
Companies still struggle to
get oil
Source: www.publications.gc.ca
Old Harry Geological Structure
Vast Salt Dome
2/3 of the structure on Quebec Side.
Estimated 1-5 billion barrels alone in Old Harry.
Explanation as to why oil companies are so interested in the Gulf
Source: Modified from Corridor Resources
Exploration Techniques : Seismic
Surveying
Offshore drilling is very expensive, therefore it is important to survey the structures before proceeding.
Seismic surveys consist of large explosive blasts focused on seabed.
This gives us depth, position and shape of geologic formations underneath.
Can go from days to months.Source: www.biologicaldiversity.org
Impacts of Seismic Surveying
Noise from one seismic survey can cover tens of thousands of
km squaredPhysical Impact
Changes in
organisms
physical state.
Physiological Impact
Changes in
biological
functions.
Behavioral Impact
Changes in how organism act.
Source: William Keller
Exploratory Techniques: Exploratory
Drilling
Exploratory drilling is the only
means to determining whether
there is a presence of oil or gas.
One of the riskiest step in the
whole oil and gas exploratory
cycle.
Two of the largest oil spills in
history occurred during the
exploratory drilling phase
Source: Wikipedia
Mitigation
Mitigation measures have been developed to
lessen the impact of seismic surveys.
Planning the seismic survey, establishing safety
zone and measures to detect marine mammals.
For drilling, specialized equipment is introduced.
However, numerous marine mammal specialists
have severely criticized these mitigation
measures.
Socioeconomic Impacts of Oil and Gas
Activities
This is an important topic of debates to see how much
influence certain factors have on the economy and whether it
benefits society
Cost Jobs Fishing Industry
Sources: Eric,Daniel,shutterstock.com
Conclusion
From a geological and
ecological standpoint, the
Gulf of the St. Lawrence is
incredibly unique
When considering the
implications of oil drilling
in the Gulf, it was
determined that there are
more negatives than
positivesSource: boatingtales.com
Future Areas of Research
Ecology of estuaries, coastlines and ocean near the Gulf
and how human pressures are influencing them
Oil deposits – more exact location, amount, quality and quantity
A thorough cost-benefit analysis on the economic impact of oil drilling