Development and application of hydrological and limnological monitoring in lake-rich landscapes of Canada’s subarctic National Parks

Arctic and subarctic environments are being adversely influenced by human-caused climate change across our entire planet. Canada’s northern freshwater ecosystems are influenced by a variety of environmental stressors and are particularly sensitive to climate change, since small shifts in climate have the potential to substantially alter their hydrological, limnological, and biogeochemical conditions. Some other indirect effects on northern freshwater landscapes are the expansion of vegetation as well as changes in wildlife and waterfowl populations and distribution. It is, therefore, critical to understand the observed and predicted influences of climate change and other environmental stressors on these northern freshwater environments dominant in arctic and subarctic landscapes, since they are considered productive northern “oases” and provide important habitat for wildlife and natural resources for indigenous communities. Concerns have been increasing regarding climate change, rapidly changing lake levels, and the associated effects on aquatic ecological integrity within two of Canada’s northern lake-rich national parks, Vuntut National Park (VNP), Yukon Territory, and Wapusk National Park (WNP), Manitoba. To address these issues, Park-led monitoring programs have been established to track status and trends of lake hydrological conditions using water isotopes, yet there remains a need to translate these data into a format that can be used by Parks Canada for their reporting requirements. Here, a novel water isotope-based lake hydrological monitoring program is applied that directly encompasses Parks Canada’s long-term monitoring protocols and provides a sensitive way to detect hydrological change. Lake category (VNP - ‘snowmelt-dominated’, ‘rainfall-dominated’, or intermediate and WNP - coastal fen, interior peat plateau, or boreal spruce forest) and season-specific (spring, summer, fall) water isotope-based hydrological thresholds were used to establish the condition (‘good’, ‘fair’, ‘poor’) of Parks Canada’s hydrological ‘Ecological Integrity Measure’ for lakes within these two northern parks. Variability in the condition of VNP monitoring lakes exists between lake category (‘rainfall-dominated’, ‘snowmelt-dominated’, intermediate) as well as by season (spring, fall) from 2007 to 2015. However, rainfall-dominated lakes show the most variability in lake condition, spanning from lakes that fall entirely within the ‘good’ condition to lakes that are almost entirely in ‘fair’ to ‘poor’ conditions. In WNP, variability in lake condition exists between lake category (coastal fen, boreal spruce forest, interior peat plateau) and season (spring, summer, fall) from 2010 to 2013. However, during the spring and summer of 2014 and the entire ice-free season of 2015, these lakes improved to ‘fair’ or ‘good’ conditions, reflecting an increase in the precipitation/evaporation ratio. This research and monitoring-program development has bridged the gap between research science and Parks Canada monitoring by providing protocols and technical support to establish an effective long-term lake hydrological monitoring program for sensitive northern freshwater environments. During the past ~40 years, WNP has experienced a rapid increase in Lesser Snow Goose (LSG) population and a corresponding expansion in the LSG-disturbed geographic region. This has raised concerns about environmental effects of their activities on WNP’s aquatic ecosystems. Previous studies have found that using standard limnological measurements (e.g., specific conductivity) combined with carbon isotope variables (δ13CDIC, δ13CPHYTOPOM, Δ13CDIC-PHYTOPOM) is informative and effectively captures differences in limnological and carbon behaviour in LSG-disturbed ponds compared to unaffected ponds. This research compiles mid-summer limnological and carbon isotope data from 45 lakes during 2015 and 2016, which span a LSG disturbance gradient (undisturbed, actively-disturbed, severely-disturbed) across a portion of WNP. In 2015, higher mid-summer values of specific conductivity, pH, TP, TKN, DIC, DOC, and δ13CPHYTOPOM paired with lower mid-summer values of δ13CDIC and Δ13CDIC-PHYTOPOM values were characteristic of severely-disturbed ponds when compared to undisturbed and actively-disturbed ponds. Results from 2016 indicate a clear LSG disturbance gradient with increasing values of specific conductivity, pH, TP, TKN, DIC, DOC, and δ13CPHYTOPOM paired with decreasing values of δ13CDIC and Δ13CDIC-PHYTOPOM, as LSG disturbance increased from undisturbed to actively-disturbed to severely-disturbed ponds. Reduced sensitivity to LSG disturbance during 2015 can be attributed to substantial rainfall that occurred during the month of July prior to and during sampling. These limnological trends can be explained by an array of processes including chemically-enhanced CO2 invasion, elevated catchment runoff of nutrients, carbon and ions, as well as enhanced aquatic productivity, which increasingly influenced the nutrient and carbon balance of ponds along a LSG disturbance gradient. A numerical synthesis of the data identified established (by La Perouse Bay), active (the landscape to the north and northwest of Thompson Point), and emerging (the inland area in the southern portion of the study region) areas of LSG disturbance. Continued monitoring of LSG disturbance within WNP is critical to understand how freshwater environments in WNP will respond to historical, active, and new LSG disturbance. The analyses and interpretations presented in this research will serve as a useful tool for Parks Canada staff to monitor aquatic ecosystem trends and status as LSG population and migration patterns continue to evolve. Monitoring and anticipating lake hydrological and limnological change is challenging in the north due to its remoteness and the sensitivity of shallow lakes and ponds to multiple environmental stressors. Often, due to the lack of alignment and effective communication of research priorities between southern researchers and northern agencies, the short duration of funding, as well as the high turnover rates of staff and graduate students, the science and training necessary to create the foundations for agency-led monitoring is not always feasible. However, by means of substantial efforts to augment relations with Parks Canada staff, a long-term lake monitoring program within Wapusk National Park (the ‘Hydroecology Monitoring Program’) was successfully established in 2015. These efforts included instilling the significance of our research to Park’s staff and the local community of Churchill, providing the necessary training and knowledge transfer, as well as offering ongoing assistance and guidance. This monitoring program has been developed in a format that aligns with Parks Canada’s mandate, can be utilized for their reporting requirements, and is designed to focus on two major threats to aquatic ecosystems: 1) Pond Water Dynamics/Lake Hydrology monitoring and 2) Goose Aquatic Impact monitoring. Several key contributions transformed this research science into action and application. These include operationalizing agency-led monitoring (e.g., creation of training schematics and standard operating procedures), communicating monitoring results with science practitioners (e.g., scientific reports and open-access data), and communicating research with the general public (e.g., news articles, public presentations, and the Expedition Churchill interactive platform). In summary, research presented here is a contribution to the new research paradigm in northern Canada, where collaborative, interdisciplinary, and community-driven research reflects northern priorities and leads to action

Mulling Over Long Distance Conflict

This study examines the effect of mulling or ruminating a conflict over a long distance relationship. Specifically, this study examined if there was a difference between the amount of mulling men and women engage in during a long distance relationship and how mulling related to satisfaction. Different types of long distance relationships (friendship, family members, and romantic partners) were analyzed with regard to the amount they mull. A modified version of Cloven and Roloff’s (1991) research method was used to measure the amount of mulling. Results showed there was no difference between the sexes and the amount they mull; mulling was correlated with relational satisfaction; and romantic partners in long distance relationships mulled more than friends and families at a distance

The Foreign “Other”: Uses of the International Context in English Political Propaganda of the Late Seventeenth Century

This thesis explores the use of the international context in the English political propaganda campaigns during the 1688-9 Revolution. The study focuses on how propagandists used Ireland, Scotland, France, and the United Provinces to impact and influence political sentiments regarding issues of religion, toleration, and rights of the monarchy within England. Both Williamite and Jacobite propagandists used allusions to international political, religious, and ideological issues to garner support for their distinct ideas for the future of England’s development. As these two groups consistently placed England in ideological opposition to foreign ‘others’ within their writings, these parties struggled to define a unique and unified identity for the Kingdom of England and its people

Development and application of hydrological and limnological monitoring in lake-rich landscapes of Canada’s subarctic National Parks

Arctic and subarctic environments are being adversely influenced by human-caused climate change across our entire planet. Canada’s northern freshwater ecosystems are influenced by a variety of environmental stressors and are particularly sensitive to climate change, since small shifts in climate have the potential to substantially alter their hydrological, limnological, and biogeochemical conditions. Some other indirect effects on northern freshwater landscapes are the expansion of vegetation as well as changes in wildlife and waterfowl populations and distribution. It is, therefore, critical to understand the observed and predicted influences of climate change and other environmental stressors on these northern freshwater environments dominant in arctic and subarctic landscapes, since they are considered productive northern “oases” and provide important habitat for wildlife and natural resources for indigenous communities. Concerns have been increasing regarding climate change, rapidly changing lake levels, and the associated effects on aquatic ecological integrity within two of Canada’s northern lake-rich national parks, Vuntut National Park (VNP), Yukon Territory, and Wapusk National Park (WNP), Manitoba. To address these issues, Park-led monitoring programs have been established to track status and trends of lake hydrological conditions using water isotopes, yet there remains a need to translate these data into a format that can be used by Parks Canada for their reporting requirements. Here, a novel water isotope-based lake hydrological monitoring program is applied that directly encompasses Parks Canada’s long-term monitoring protocols and provides a sensitive way to detect hydrological change. Lake category (VNP - ‘snowmelt-dominated’, ‘rainfall-dominated’, or intermediate and WNP - coastal fen, interior peat plateau, or boreal spruce forest) and season-specific (spring, summer, fall) water isotope-based hydrological thresholds were used to establish the condition (‘good’, ‘fair’, ‘poor’) of Parks Canada’s hydrological ‘Ecological Integrity Measure’ for lakes within these two northern parks. Variability in the condition of VNP monitoring lakes exists between lake category (‘rainfall-dominated’, ‘snowmelt-dominated’, intermediate) as well as by season (spring, fall) from 2007 to 2015. However, rainfall-dominated lakes show the most variability in lake condition, spanning from lakes that fall entirely within the ‘good’ condition to lakes that are almost entirely in ‘fair’ to ‘poor’ conditions. In WNP, variability in lake condition exists between lake category (coastal fen, boreal spruce forest, interior peat plateau) and season (spring, summer, fall) from 2010 to 2013. However, during the spring and summer of 2014 and the entire ice-free season of 2015, these lakes improved to ‘fair’ or ‘good’ conditions, reflecting an increase in the precipitation/evaporation ratio. This research and monitoring-program development has bridged the gap between research science and Parks Canada monitoring by providing protocols and technical support to establish an effective long-term lake hydrological monitoring program for sensitive northern freshwater environments. During the past ~40 years, WNP has experienced a rapid increase in Lesser Snow Goose (LSG) population and a corresponding expansion in the LSG-disturbed geographic region. This has raised concerns about environmental effects of their activities on WNP’s aquatic ecosystems. Previous studies have found that using standard limnological measurements (e.g., specific conductivity) combined with carbon isotope variables (δ13CDIC, δ13CPHYTOPOM, Δ13CDIC-PHYTOPOM) is informative and effectively captures differences in limnological and carbon behaviour in LSG-disturbed ponds compared to unaffected ponds. This research compiles mid-summer limnological and carbon isotope data from 45 lakes during 2015 and 2016, which span a LSG disturbance gradient (undisturbed, actively-disturbed, severely-disturbed) across a portion of WNP. In 2015, higher mid-summer values of specific conductivity, pH, TP, TKN, DIC, DOC, and δ13CPHYTOPOM paired with lower mid-summer values of δ13CDIC and Δ13CDIC-PHYTOPOM values were characteristic of severely-disturbed ponds when compared to undisturbed and actively-disturbed ponds. Results from 2016 indicate a clear LSG disturbance gradient with increasing values of specific conductivity, pH, TP, TKN, DIC, DOC, and δ13CPHYTOPOM paired with decreasing values of δ13CDIC and Δ13CDIC-PHYTOPOM, as LSG disturbance increased from undisturbed to actively-disturbed to severely-disturbed ponds. Reduced sensitivity to LSG disturbance during 2015 can be attributed to substantial rainfall that occurred during the month of July prior to and during sampling. These limnological trends can be explained by an array of processes including chemically-enhanced CO2 invasion, elevated catchment runoff of nutrients, carbon and ions, as well as enhanced aquatic productivity, which increasingly influenced the nutrient and carbon balance of ponds along a LSG disturbance gradient. A numerical synthesis of the data identified established (by La Perouse Bay), active (the landscape to the north and northwest of Thompson Point), and emerging (the inland area in the southern portion of the study region) areas of LSG disturbance. Continued monitoring of LSG disturbance within WNP is critical to understand how freshwater environments in WNP will respond to historical, active, and new LSG disturbance. The analyses and interpretations presented in this research will serve as a useful tool for Parks Canada staff to monitor aquatic ecosystem trends and status as LSG population and migration patterns continue to evolve. Monitoring and anticipating lake hydrological and limnological change is challenging in the north due to its remoteness and the sensitivity of shallow lakes and ponds to multiple environmental stressors. Often, due to the lack of alignment and effective communication of research priorities between southern researchers and northern agencies, the short duration of funding, as well as the high turnover rates of staff and graduate students, the science and training necessary to create the foundations for agency-led monitoring is not always feasible. However, by means of substantial efforts to augment relations with Parks Canada staff, a long-term lake monitoring program within Wapusk National Park (the ‘Hydroecology Monitoring Program’) was successfully established in 2015. These efforts included instilling the significance of our research to Park’s staff and the local community of Churchill, providing the necessary training and knowledge transfer, as well as offering ongoing assistance and guidance. This monitoring program has been developed in a format that aligns with Parks Canada’s mandate, can be utilized for their reporting requirements, and is designed to focus on two major threats to aquatic ecosystems: 1) Pond Water Dynamics/Lake Hydrology monitoring and 2) Goose Aquatic Impact monitoring. Several key contributions transformed this research science into action and application. These include operationalizing agency-led monitoring (e.g., creation of training schematics and standard operating procedures), communicating monitoring results with science practitioners (e.g., scientific reports and open-access data), and communicating research with the general public (e.g., news articles, public presentations, and the Expedition Churchill interactive platform). In summary, research presented here is a contribution to the new research paradigm in northern Canada, where collaborative, interdisciplinary, and community-driven research reflects northern priorities and leads to action

A Culture of Universal Empapthy in Design at the Institute of Technology Carlow

This paper discusses the development of a culture of ‘Universal Empathy’ within Product Design programmes at the Institute of Technology Carlow. The concept draws from the inclusive, holistic nature of Universal Design and its principles together with a deeply human centric and empathic approach to design learning. Focusing on the undergraduate programmes of Industrial Design and Product Design Innovation, it will offer frameworks, case studies and examples of how this culture and ethos is developing. Universal empathy transcends four years of the undergraduate programmes and it compliments traditional design skills such as sketching, prototyping and technical detailing. It relies on studio and contextual based learning and ultimately trusting in the design processes. From first year this culture is initiated when the seven principles of Universal Design are introduced. These principles are blended with studio based learning using methodologies to understanding human behaviours and projects using basic empathic tools. This embedded understanding of the importance of the user creates a foundation for the development of the culture. By fourth year, humanistic understanding and empathy are deeply embedded within the design process. The honours degree major projects are a demonstration of an accumulation of empathic learning. A series of frameworks allow learners research chosen areas and explore human centred problems within the area. While engaging with this process the learners start to research plan, conduct field research activity and explore and understand findings. These findings are then synthesised into five potential directions for conceptual development. This project identification process involves a unique framework of identifying real world problems and understanding the narrative around them. Due to the embedded culture of universal empathy these research findings generally embody many of the seven principles of Universal design

Triggering of microearthquakes in Iceland by volatiles released from a dyke intrusion

We suggest that carbon dioxide exsolved from a mid-crustal basaltic dyke intrusion in Iceland migrated upwards and triggered shallow seismicity by allowing failure on pre-existing fractures under the relatively low elastic stresses (100–200 kPa; 1–2 bar) generated by the dyke inflation. Intense swarms of microseismicity accompanied magmatic intrusion into a dyke at depths of 13–19 km in the crust of Iceland's Northern Volcanic Rift Zone during 2007–2008. Contemporaneously, a series of small normal earthquakes, probably triggered by elastic stresses imposed by the dyke intrusion, occurred in the uppermost 4 km of crust: fault plane solutions from these are consistent with failure along the extensional fabric and surface fissure directions mapped in the area, suggesting that the faults failed along existing rift zone fabric even though the mid-crustal dyke is highly oblique to it. Several months after the melt froze in the mid-crust and seismicity associated with the intrusion had ceased, an upsurge in shallow microseismicity began in the updip projection of the dyke near the brittle–ductile transition at 6–7 km depth below sea level. This seismicity is caused by failure on right-lateral strike-slip faults, with fault planes orientated 23 ± 3°, which are identical with the 24 ± 2° orientation in this area of surface fractures and fissures caused by plate spreading and extension of the volcanic rift zone. However, these earthquakes have T-axes approximately aligned with the opening direction of the dyke, and the right-lateral sense of failure is opposite that of regional strike-slip faults. We suggest that the fractures occurred along pre-existing weaknesses generated by the pervasive fabric of the rift zone, but that the dyke opening in the mid-crust beneath it caused right-lateral failure. The seismicity commenced after a temporal delay of several months and has persisted for over 3 yr. We propose that fluids exsolved from the magma in the dyke, primarily carbon dioxide, percolated updip and to shallower depths predominantly along pre-existing fractures. Increased pore pressure from the volatiles reduced the effective normal compressive stress on faults, increasing the likelihood of failure and allowing the modest stress changes generated by the intrusion to cause failure. Propagation of volatiles through the crust would also account for the observed time delay between the intrusion at depth and the shallow earthquake clusters. A further short-lived cluster of earthquakes at 2–4 km depth beneath the surface exhibits left-lateral strike-slip faulting with epicentres well orientated along a lineation which is identical with other subparallel strike-slip faults in the area that transfer motion between two adjacent spreading segments. These shallow earthquakes lie beyond lobes of significant positive Coulomb stress change caused by the intrusion, implying minimal modifications to the stress field in their vicinity; hence, they continue to respond to the regional stress field rather than the local stress field generated by the dyke intrusion

Using Slack for synchronous and asynchronous communication in a global design project

Innovations in technology and the growth of the global economy are changing the way companies work. With an increasing number of workers distributed across the world, the communication tools teams have traditionally used are transforming to suit these changes [1]. Design educators are aware of these changes and design students are responding by using communication tools familiar to them. This paper examines the use of the increasingly popular cloud-based team collaboration tool, Slack [2] in the context of a Global Design Project and assesses some of its benefits and drawbacks compared to other communication technologies available, including social media. Educators who seek to provide guidance for students, and students who seek to learn about tools that are increasingly being adopted by businesses that need to effectively communicate asynchronously will be interested in this assessment of Slack and this paper’s recommendations for its application in similar work