During the ArcticNet (Arctic Network) mission in November 2006, sediment cores were collected from 3 fjords of the Labrador coast (Canada). Inuit people in this region depend primarily on the sea and sea ice for their activities, such as hunting and fishing, but also for their traveling. They are concerned by the changes induced in …
Aquatic sediments are one of the reliable archives of information that can be interpreted by paleolimnologists. Sediments accumulated much useful information archived from both autochthonous and allochthonous materials. Sediments contain a vast array of physical, biological, chemical, and visual information that follow the present-day environmental variability. Of most important data stored in sediments that can …
The Circumpolar Data base Many data were collected into 18 years of paleolimnological studies supervised by Dr. Pienitz. For most of them, they were added into a data base program which was manage with File Maker© program. At these times, the aim of this system was especially to archive and unify the data into an …
Due to protection measures and changes in the overwintering habitat, the population of breeding snow geese (Chen caerulescens atlantica) on Bylot island has increased dramatically over recent years. As a result, the nutrient load originating from faecal goose droppings has increased, which may profoundly change the relative concentrations of C, N and P in the …
Lakes of the Bécancour River basin (southern Quebec, Canada) are in a precarious state since many decades as they are suffering from high sediment loads and advanced eutrophication. This situation affects the socio-economic and touristic potential of the neighbouring municipalities and is inconvenient for their residents as it impacts water supply, resort activities and recreational …
The general objective of this projec is to assess the impact of current and past human activities on aquatic ecosystems by studying geochemical indicators and diatoms fossils in lake sediments. My work takes place in two study areas: Tursujuq national parc, situated in Nunavik, and Lac-Mégantic, situated in the MRC des Granit in southern Québec.
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Diatoms are siliceous organisms composed of amorphous biogenic silica (SiO2 – nH2O). Siliceous organisms are resistant to dissolution and are ubiquitous in lake ecosystems. Diatoms have strong affinities with their habitat, they reproduce rapidly, and the assemblage of species reliably records changes in their environment. Diatoms preserve in the SiO2structure of their frustule (siliceous shell) …
The climate and landscapes of the Canadian Arctic are greatly influenced by anthropogenic activities. Drastic changes of ecosystems were observed for long time due to the rapid increase in average temperature, which result in the accelerated melting of glaciers and permafrost. To increase our understanding of these changes and their impacts, we will conduct paleolimnological …
Since the discovery of Antarctica in the early 19th Century, the number of humans arriving to the continent has progressively increased. From the early explorers to hunters and whalers, scientists, and later tourists, all human visitors have left evidence on the Antarctic landscapes on their passage. The increasing human footprint has begun to strain sensitive …
Information about past climates is needed to interpret ongoing modern environmental changes. Knowledge about present and past microbiomes can be used to develop indicators of environmental change that, when applied to sediment cores, can help to develop records of past climate. During my PhD studies, I will examine the present and past diatom microbiomes of …
High latitude ecosystems are particularly sensitive to environmental change and are undoubtedly facing challenges due to modern climate change as ecological thresholds are surpassed. Within these regions, lakes offer a unique utility by acting as sentinels of environmental change by archiving past biogeochemical conditions in their sediments. The lakes surrounding Clements Markham Inlet are amongst …
Climate fluctuations are driving increasingly disruptive changes in northern environments and the ecological services these ecosystems provide to Inuit communities in Labrador. Culture and human occupation evolve spatially and temporally in a complex relation with the dynamic natural landscape, for which the functioning and development are still poorly known in Labrador. Modern climate changes pose …
This project aims to analyze sediment cores of lakes located on both shores of the Fury and Hecla Strait, in the Canadian Arctic, in order to reconstruct past climates and landscapes since the end of the last glacial period. A multi-proxy approach, based on physical, chemical and biological parameters, will permit high-resolution paleoenvironmental reconstructions of …
Since several of years, major cyanobacterial blooms have been reported at the surface Lake Carheil (Fermont, Quebec) during summer, indicating serious eutrophication issues. The Duplessis watershed organization (OBV Duplessis) has already drawn a global picture of the current situation but only few data are available concerning the past conditions of the lake. However, in order …
Quebec society is increasingly concerned about the consequences of the eutrophication of the lakes and cyanobacteria blooms. It is now crucial to achieve a deeper understanding of this problem, its origins, and its consequences, but also to increase our knowledge for taking concrete and appropriate action.
A paleolimnological approach will be used for this project. …
This paleolimnological study, based on the analysis of fossilized diatoms and sedimentological properties, presents the stratigraphic profile of a sediment core taken from lac Papineau (Ottawa River valley) in spring 2018. The lake is located in a region with a rich anthropogenic history, and the discovery of a pirogue in autumn 2017 attracted high interest …
A Special Research Opportunity project, headed by professor Pierre Francus from Centre Eau Terre Environnement (INRS – Québec city), received an important grant from NSERC for a total amount of $ 791 356. This grant supports the research of 10 research teams from 8 Canadian universities in the frame of the PASADO project (Potrok Aike …
Context Earth’s climate is changing rapidly, with the global temperature now rising at a rate unprecedented in modern history. These climate changes are being experienced particularly intensively in the Arctic. Arctic average temperature has risen at almost twice the rate as in the rest of the world in the past few decades (ACIA 2004). Arctic …
This master’s project aims at understanding the settlement and spatiotemporal evolution of peatlands in the northeast of Iceland by examining the relationship between climate, land and human activities. The humid climate of northeastern Iceland led to the establishment of peatlands starting at approximately 6000 years BP (Hallsodttir and Caseldine 2005). The magnitude of expansion was …
New lakes are usually formed in thermokarst trough caused by permafrost thawing. Weathering phenomena associated with permafrost thawing results in a very turbid environment. Since appearance of those lakes is spreading to the north and their physico-chemical parameters and their consequences on the territory remains poorly known, my essay, among other studies, studies one of …
Residents and municipalities surrounding many southern Quebec lakes have expressed concerns since the early 2000s following massive cyanobacterial blooms that were followed by rapid deterioration of the lake’s water quality. As a consequence, severalresearch programs have been initiated in order to provide those municipalities with an array of tools for a better management of these …
Among high latitude ecosystems, lakes are particularly sensitive to environmental variations. By studying their current and past conditions through their sediments, this project aims to provide a better understanding of the functioning of these high Arctic ecosystems and their roles in the global climate. The series of four lakes in Stuckberry Valley is one of …