The waters of Crawford Lake in Milton, Ont., in July 2023. Crawford Lake was the site of the proposed ‘golden spike’ — the most compelling evidence for the beginning of the geological Anthropocene.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
A phenomenon observed in a small group of organisms cannot always be generalized across a species — contrary to popular belief, overwintering turtles don’t breathe through their butts.
A front-end loader dumps road salt into a truck in Chelsea, Mass.
(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Increasing awareness of the dangers ‘forever chemical’ road salts pose to our fresh water systems highlights the urgent importance of finding new approaches to de-icing our roads.
The Ayès lake, in the Ariège region of the Pyrenees.
Dirk S. Schmeller
According to a new UN report, invasive species do more than US$423 billion in damage worldwide every year. Four articles explore examples, from mollusks to poisonous fish.
As climate change increases temperatures, it is important to understand how freshwater turtles survive the winter.
(Shutterstock)
Freshwater turtles in Canada survive the cold, harsh winters by remaining under ice and conserving their energy. Northern map turtles however, move around constantly beneath the ice.
The tiny organisms that cause harmful blooms of algae can have a big impact on your trip to the shore. A toxicologist explains what causes these events and how to keep people and pets safe.
Roads require de-icing strategies in northern regions, but this practice has negative effects on aquatic biodiversity.
Although it has been considerably less studied than other environmental problems, salinization presents major challenges for biodiversity in freshwater and coastal areas.
Rising concern about possible environmental damage from the active ingredients in sunscreens could have ripple effects on public health if it causes people to use less of them.
A boat propeller encrusted with zebra mussels.
NPS/Flickr
Zebra and quagga mussels entered the Great Lakes in large ships’ ballast water. Now, local boaters and anglers are spreading them into the southern and western US.
Thanks to their high concentrations of phytoplankton, African lakes emit less CO2 than their boreal counterparts, with important consequences for climate modelling.
Layered ice sheets can be vulnerable to fracturing.
Eli Duke/Flickr
Some lakes in the DRC should be thought of as rebellious landscapes having their own social, political and cultural dynamics.
The decreasing ice cover in northern lakes will severely impact the lake ecology as well as winter recreation activities in the northern region.
(Shutterstock)
Lakes in the northern hemisphere are rapidly losing their ice cover due to rising greenhouse gas emissions. The only way to preserve lake ice is to limit GHG emissions and slow down climate change.
Northern map turtles are only one of the freshwater turtle species threatened by human activity.
(Grégory Bulté)
Increased motorboat activity has resulted in an alarming increase in turtle injuries. Northern map turtles are an at-risk species, and boat collisions threaten their survival.
These insects are basically little machines that convert carbon-rich leaves into nitrogen-rich poo.
(John Gunn)
As environmental engineers, invasive caterpillars can have remarkable effects on water quality and soil conditions. But from a climate perspective they’re pretty much a nuisance.