Working through Wicked Problems - Together : Transdisciplinary research to tackle land management challenges in Saskatchewan

Canada First Research Excellence FundNon-Peer ReviewedA transdisciplinary research team addresses contentious land management issues on the Canadian Prairies through relationship building

Keeping phosphorus on the land

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ca/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.Supported by a Capacity Building Award (Seed Funding) provided by the University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Water Security and the Global Water Futures Program, Agricultural Water Futures project, and Career Launcher Internships.Non-Peer ReviewedManagement of the phosphorus (P) in prairie soils presents a challenging dilemma. Phosphorus is critical to continued agronomic productivity. Yet, management of P in prairie landscapes is also crucial to the protection of prairie lakes and reservoirs, which are highly vulnerable to issues of nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms. Here we present detailed insights from a 2-day workshop “Keeping Phosphorus on the Land” where we worked to bridge the disciplines of water quality, and agronomy, and better understand issues, and opportunities within and across these areas of work as they relate to managing soil P. This report includes detailed insights and recommendations that reflect outcomes of presentations, panels, and discussions engaging researchers and practitioners in government, industry and universities from each of Canada’s three prairie provinces. It includes recommendations on ‘actionable’ areas, and areas where further research and dialogue is required. Readers are also directed to our short synthesis report, available here: Liu, J., H.M. Baulch, and J.A. Elliott. 2021. Keeping Phosphorus on the Land: Main Takeaways for Managing Soil Phosphorus in the Prairies. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. DOI:10.23688/1gvs-5333

Keeping phosphorus on the land

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ca/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.The workshop was financially supported by a Capacity Building Award (Seed Funding) provided by the University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Water Security and the Global Water Futures Program, Agricultural Water Futures project, and CareerLauncher Internships.Non-Peer ReviewedManagement of the phosphorus (P) in prairie soils faces a challenging dilemma. Phosphorus is critical to continued agronomic productivity. Yet, management of P in prairie landscapes is also crucial to the protection of prairie lakes and reservoirs, which are highly vulnerable to issues of nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms. In our workshop, “Keeping Phosphorus on the Land” (February 22 & March 2, 2021), we worked to bridge the disciplines of water quality, and agronomy, and better understand issues, and opportunities within and across these areas of work as they relate to managing soil P. After two half-days of meetings that engaged researchers and practitioners in government, industry and universities, we gained a long list of ideas to act on, and a number of crucial new insights. This two-page synthesis highlights several key points that came from the workshop. Readers are directed to our full report to learn about these key points and other areas in more detail, and for a full list of recommendations resulting from the meeting

Influence of hydrological connectivity on winter limnology in 1 floodplain lakes 2 of the Saskatchewan River Delta, SK

Globally, hydrological connectivity between rivers and their floodplains has been reduced by river flow management and land transformation. The Saskatchewan River Delta is North America’s largest inland delta and a hub for fish and fur production. To determine the influence of connectivity on limnology within this northern floodplain, water chemistry and stable isotopes (δ18O and δ236 H) were analyzed during the winter of 2014 in shallow lakes along a hydrological gradient. A total of five lake connectivity categories were determined by optical remote-sensing images of surface water coverage area from years of varying flood intensities. Accuracy of categories were verified by degree of 18O and 239 H enrichment within lakes. Both isotopes showed marked successional enrichment between connectivity categories with more isolated lakes exhibiting greater enrichment. Water chemistry in lakes with greater connectivity to the main channel were characterized by higher pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates and sulfates, and lower total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and ammonium, compared to more isolated lakes. These findings illustrate how connectivity influences water chemistry in northern floodplain lakes and how it might determine the suitability of these lakes as winter refuge for fishes. Additionally, our study provides supporting evidence for the effective use of optical remote sensing imagery, an inexpensive and accessible source of data for researchers, when determining connectivity characteristics of large northern floodplain systems. Additionally, this study provides further evidence that the inundation of floodplain lakes by river water during peak discharge has an impact on the conditions within the lakes long into the winter ice-cover season. Understanding the year-round influence of river-floodplain connection is imperative for assessing potential impacts of climate change and future water regulation on such ecosystem

Who smells? Forecasting taste and odor in a drinking water reservoir

Taste and odor problems can impede public trust in drinking water and impose major costs on water utilities. The ability to forecast taste and odor events in source waters, in advance, is shown for the first time in this paper. This could allow water utilities to adapt treatment, and where effective treatment is not available, consumers could be warned. A unique 24-year time series, from an important drinking water reservoir in Saskatchewan, Canada, is used to develop forecasting models of odor using chlorophyll a, turbidity, total phosphorus, temperature, and the following odor producing algae taxa: Anabaena spp., Aphanizemenon spp., Oscillatoria spp., Chlorophyta, Cyclotella spp., and Asterionella spp. We demonstrate, using linear regression and random forest models, that odor events can be forecast at 0-26 week time lags, and that the models are able to capture a significant increase in threshold odor number in the mid-1990s. Models with a fortnight time-lag show a high predictive capacity (R2 = 0.71 for random forest; 0.52 for linear regression). Predictive skill declines for time lags from 0 to 15 weeks, then increases again, to R2 values of 0.61 (random forest) and 0.48 (linear regression) at a 26-week lag. The random forest model is also able to provide accurate forecasting of TON levels requiring treatment 12 weeks in advance-93% true positive rate with a 0% false positive rate. Results of the random forest model demonstrate that phytoplankton taxonomic data outperform chlorophyll a in terms of predictive importance

Untersuchungen von Beugesehnennähten mittels Bildsequenzanalyse im Experiment

Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit werden die Ergebnisse aus Zugversuchen an Schweinesehnen, die mit verschiedenen Nahtmaterialien und den gängigen Nahttechniken für Beugesehnen der Hand genäht wurden, vorgestellt. Schwerpunkt der Untersuchungen ist die Ermittlung und Dokumentation der Reißfestigkeit der Naht und die Spaltbildung an der Kontaktstelle der genähten Sehnenstümpfe mittels biomechanischer Versuche. Das Eintreten der Spaltbildung und des Nahtrisses wird durch videotechnische Aufzeichnungen, die den eigentlichen Messvorgang an der Universalprüfmaschine begleiten, exakt dokumentiert (Bildsequenzanalyse). Die Bildsequenzanalyse stellt gegenüber den in der Literatur dokumentierten Methoden eine wesentliche Fort- bzw. Neuentwicklung zur Ermittlung der Spaltstabilität und der Reißfestigkeit von genähten Sehnen dar. Die Auswertung der Versuche mittels Bildsequenzanalyse wurde für 12 verschiedene Nahttechnik/Nahtmaterial-Kombinationen durchgeführt. Nach Entwicklung und Anfertigung einer neuen Einspannvorrichtung für die Sehnen, die eine optimale Festhaltung der Sehnenstümpfe gewährleistete, erfolgte die systematische Durchführung von Bildsequenzanalysen für gängige Sehnennaht-Techniken mit verschiedenen Fäden. Auf Grundlage der biomechanischen Versuche und der Weiterentwicklung bisheriger Kenntnisse zur Beugesehnennaht konnte im Rahmen dieser Arbeit eine optimierte bzw. eine neue Nahttechnik entwickelt werden (Marburger Sehnennaht I und II), die eine frühe postoperative Mobilisierung durch entsprechende Nahtfestigkeiten ermöglicht, eine gute Gleitfunktion aufweist sowie durch Erhaltung der Gefäßversorgung der Sehne einen sicheren Heilungsprozess gewährleistet. Die Ergebnisse der biomechanischen Versuche mit der Marburger Sehnennaht I und II sind in dieser Arbeit detailliert dokumentiert. Der Vergleich mit den gängigen Sehnennaht-Techniken zeigt, dass die Marburger Sehnennaht eine hohe Reißfestigkeit und die beste Spaltstabilität besitzt

When a Water Problem Is More Than a Water Problem: Fragmentation, Framing, and the Case of Agricultural Wetland Drainage

Complex interactions between water, society, the economy, and the environment necessitate attention to how water issues are framed, and the limitations of a water-centric framework for analyzing or solving problems. We explore this complexity through an example of an existing complex, or wicked, policy problem—the case of agricultural wetland drainage in the Canadian Prairies. Agricultural wetland drainage expands the amount of productive agricultural land, increasing agricultural efficiency and productivity. Drainage is also one of the primary drivers of the loss of Canada's wetlands and is a hotly contentious issue between actors with divergent views and values in the Canadian Prairies. Using the nuances of drainage as an exemplar, we discuss how fragmented framings of water foster perspectives and solutions that fail to consider the full range of aspects and interactions, and contribute to the enduring conflicts that accompany drainage debates in many regions. First, we discuss agricultural wetland drainage as practiced in the province of Saskatchewan, where significant regulatory and governance changes are in progress. Next, we discuss the challenges of policy and governance fragmentation, both specific to water and to the surrounding system. Finally, we note potential alternative framings that, while specific to prairie water governance, provide guidance for how other complex social-ecological challenges might be approached

Freezing plants : exploring the effects of freeze thaw cycles on macrophyte phosphorus release

Every year following the cold winter freeze comes the spring thaw, and with it comes an influx of nutrients that can cause eutrophication problems; even in high nutrient systems. We identified a potential source of nutrients released during the winter freeze; aquatic macrophytes and aimed to determine the quantity of total phosphorus (TP) they release. Specifically, cattails and reeds (Typha and Juncus, respectively). Stalks were harvested from 3 different sites; a pond with an agriculturally dominated watershed, the beginning of a wetland used to treat effluent waste water, and a site further along in the wetland treatment process. Samples from each site were split into four different sample types: wet freeze, dry freeze, wet control, and dry control. Control and freeze samples were placed in at 1.6[degree]C and -1[degree]C respectively, and left for equal amounts of time averaging 31.375 hours (SD 10.25). After treatment, residual water samples were analyzed for total phosphorus concentrations. Results showed that freeze thaw cycles (FTCs) did not induce TP release from macrophytes tested in the lab. These results suggest that the use of macrophytes as a sink for nutrients is a beneficial practice that managers should continue to employ.Matthew Sauer, Osama Ahmed, Jeremy Leathers, Katy Nugent, Tyler Prentice, Helen Baulch, Nora Casson, Jason Venkiteswarab, Colin Whitfield and Rebecca North (University of Missouri, University of Saskatchewan, Wilfred Laurier University, University of Winnipeg

Burping wetlands : quantifying greenhouse gas ebullition rates across a range of sediment types and characteristics, water quality variables, and land use

Aquatic ecosystems are a source of greenhouse gases (GHG) to the atmosphere. One pathway of this GHG release is ebullition, or bubbling, from aquatic sediments. The contribution of ebullition is often underestimated in global GHG budgets, as it is rarely included in GHG emission measurements. The ebullition pathway can account for up to 67 percent of methane emissions from water bodies. We aim to determine the factors that influence ebullition of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O), including sediment characteristics, water quality characteristics, and land use. Our study ponds are in urban, agricultural, and woodland areas. We found that N2O flux rates are significantly lower than CH4 and CO2 flux rates across all study ponds. We also found that urban areas have higher GHG flux rates, which is correlated with low organic matter content. Understanding the factors influencing GHG ebullition from aquatic ecosystems will give us a broader understanding of the significance of their contribution to global GHG budgets in a changing climate.Jannice Newson, Jaylen Bragg, Hamza Amjad, Lauren Dyck, Selena Komarevich, Colin Whitfield, Helen Baulch, Jason Venkiteswaran, Nora Casson, Richard Helmle, and Rebecca L. North (University of Missouri, University of Winnipeg, University of Saskatchewan, Wilfred Laurier University