Southern Army Commander Lt Gen JS Nain reviews facilities ...
A first look at Nunatsiavut fjord ecosystems · reconstruct past climatic and environmental trends....
Transcript of A first look at Nunatsiavut fjord ecosystems · reconstruct past climatic and environmental trends....
Tanya Brown, Ken Reimer, Tom Sheldon, Trevor Bell, Sam Bentley,
Reinhard
Pienitz, Martin Sharp, André
Rochon, Michel Gosselin
ArcticNet Nunatsiavut Nuluak
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Concern about the ecological integrity of the marine environment has been expressed in terms
of the effects of climate change, industrialization and contaminants.
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ANN ‐
Understanding and responding to the effects of climate change and modernization in Nunatsiavut.
“Our beautiful land” “Net”
A first look at Nunatsiavut fiord ecosystems
Introduction – overview of northern Labrador fiords
Climate and industrial impacts on sub‐arctic fiord ecosystems
Geological history of the fiords
Paleooceanographic
conditions in sub‐Arctic fiords
Marine records of riverine
water and sediment discharge
A first look at Nunatsiavut fiord ecosystems
Establishing baseline conditions
Oceanographic environment
Biological indicators of change ‐
primary & secondary
producers, seabed habitat mapping, ringed seal.
Relevance of research: people, communities, industries,
national park, environment, government and policy.
Capacity building and education
Industrialization and ResilienceT. Brown, T. Sheldon, N. Burgess, K.
Reimer
‐
↓
Extent of PCB
contamination‐
↓
Max PCB
concentrations in ERZ Brown et al. 2009, ES&T
1998
2006
To understand recent climatic changes we need to look at the past
environmental records.
Purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the natural
variability of environmental conditions and human‐induced changes.
Using fossil diatoms and dinocysts
(indicator organisms) to help
reconstruct past climatic and environmental trends.
Paleoceanographic
conditions in sub‐arctic fiords
R. Pienitz, T. Richerol, A. Rochon
Saglek Fiord
OBJEC
TIVES
Resu
lts
Nachvak
over the last 25 years:
productivity
Cooling, followed by warming over the last
5 years
salinity and sea‐ice cover
Saglek over the last 15 years:
productivity
Warming
salinity and sea‐ice cover
Anaktalak
over the last 12 years:
productivity, now increasing
Stable climate with peak temperature in
1988
sea‐ice cover
Paleoceanographic
conditions in sub‐arctic fiords
R. Pienitz, T. Richerol, A. Rochon RE
SULT
S
OBJEC
TIVES
Marine records of riverine
water and sediment discharge
Sam Bentley, Elisabeth Kahlmeyer
Study recent marine records of fluvial sediment supply to sub‐arctic
fiords.
• accumulation and dispersal of fluvial sediment
• mode of sediment delivery from land to ocean
• thickness, extent, and age of sediment deposits
• temporal resolution for paleo‐environmental marine records
Provide a baseline assessment of environmental and hydrologic
processes, and seabed characteristics in the fiords of northern
Labrador
• Recent sediment accumulation rates compare well with postglacial
sediment thickness observed in sub‐bottom profiles in Nachvak
fiord
This suggests that postglacial sedimentation was on average
constant
• Recent sediment accumulation rates are higher than average postglacial
sedimentation in Saglek fiord
On average increasing sediment accumulation after onset of
postglacial sedimentation
OceanographyT. Brown, E. Estrada, M. Gosselin, L. Fortier, J. Tremblay, Y. Gratton
• phytoplankton composition, primary production• zooplankton composition and biomass• nutrient production rates• vertical profiles salinity and temperature• seasonal, temporal and latitudinal differences
Seabed Habitat MappingTrevor Bell, Mallory Carpenter, Tanya Brown, Alison Copeland, Evan Edinger
Overall goal: Determine the nature and distribution of benthic
habitats within northern Labrador fjords.
Benthos: organisms that live on, in or near the seabed.
Essential for development and implementation of resource management
practices and conservation and can be used to:(i) identify sensitive habitats as well as those important to fisheries.(ii) monitor habitats which may be susceptible to the impacts of
climate
change and industrialisation.(iii) provide background information for the creation of policies
regulating the harvesting of marine resources.
Seabed Habitat MappingTrevor Bell, Mallory Carpenter, Tanya Brown, Alison Copeland, Evan Edinger
Essential for development and implementation of resource
management and conservation.
Can be used to:• identify sensitive habitats as well as those important to
fisheries.
• monitor habitats which may be susceptible to the impacts of
climate change and industrialisation.
• provide background information for the creation of policies
regulating the harvesting of marine resources.
Valued country food for Inuit ‐
important part of their culture and health.
Key species in the arctic food web ‐
primary food for polar bears.
Exposed to many stressors: changing sea ice conditions, disease,
contaminants, industrial activity.
Especially vulnerable to contaminants – high in the marine food chain,
large fat reserves, long life.
Ringed seals as sentinel species of ecosystem health in a
changing environment Tanya Brown, Ken Reimer, Peter Ross, Aaron Fisk, Sara Iverson
Juvenile maleSAGB‐2009‐005
Tagging study – Where are seals travelling and foraging?
Adult malePCBs = 278 ppbSAGB‐2008‐002
Juvenile malePCBs = 273 ppbSAGB‐2008‐001
What are ringed seals eating? stomach contents, fatty acid signatures, stable isotopes
Ringed seal health
Biochemical Measurements:
Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Thyroid hormones,
CYP
& UDPGT
enzyme activity
Molecular Measurements (genomics):
3 genes representative of sample quality
8 toxicology genes
5 gene targets to assess nutritional health
Other measurements:
Body condition
Bone density
Histology on endocrine organs
Parasites (trichinella, toxoplasma,
anisakidae, lungworm and heartworm)
To detect changes in marine mammal health related to climate change, we
need baseline data from which change can be evaluated (Burek
et al. 2008).
Section on the importance of education and capacity building in the two regions.
“Because of this opportunity I now have a clear career goal and if it wasn’t for this experience I wouldn’t be ready or know what I want to do. Now I know that biology
interests me therefore I am going into that field. I am attending Holland College this fall and then continuing
school at MUN
to fulfill my career goal.”
Dorothy Angnatok, Nain, Labrador August 2010.
Acknowledgments