Ever since the 1950s, Canadians have been applying 5-7 million tonnes of salt every winter to make our roads, parking lots, driveways, and other public areas safer for cars and pedestrians. When the snow begins to melt and the rain falls, all that salt leaches into the soil or washes into waterways and accumulates in […]
Read More… from Should roads in the biosphere region be put on a low-sodium diet?
The State of the Great Lakes 2022 report, jointly prepared by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, is now available! The report provides a comprehensive update on how each of the five lakes is addressing current and emerging water quality and ecosystem challenges. Readers can flip through the highlights […]
Read More… from Fresh off the Press! The Latest State of the Great Lakes Report is Now Available
You see them everywhere. Dragonflies landing on fingers, mosquitoes buzzing in ears, moths swarming porch lights, and beetles crawling up legs. You can’t step foot anywhere in the Georgian Bay Biosphere during the summer without seeing or hearing an insect. What may surprise you is that this is also true for the water! Every time […]
It is impossible to overstate the importance of phosphorus in the aquatic food web, as it forms the foundation of life in these waters. Everything from the tiniest phytoplankton all the way up to top predators like lake trout and loons rely on phosphorus. You may have heard the terms “nutrient-rich” and “nutrient-poor”. In the […]
Zebra and quagga mussels can seem less like an invasive species and more like an invasive surface. The two mussels, sometimes collectively referred to as dreissenid mussels, are famous for coating lake bottoms, rocks, docks, and boats in sharp, pointed clusters. In this blog post, we’re taking a closer look at zebra and quagga mussels, […]
Read More… from Zebra and Quagga Mussels: Georgian Bay’s Filter-Feeding Invaders
On November 19, 2019 GBBR held its first State of the Bay Conference at the Charles W. Stockey Centre in Parry Sound. Approximately 100 people were in attendance to hear about the latest research and monitoring findings on water quality, the lower food web, and fish communities. Attendees heard from knowledgeable presenters representing various government […]
We all know what algae is. We see it every summer in our lakes and rivers, whether it be as floating mats, delicate strands, or something to slip on getting into the water. Algae may seem like a nuisance to some, but these microorganisms are vitally important. They are at the base of our food […]
Algae is a summer constant, and a constant source of worry for many cottagers. The presence of algae in the Georgian Bay area is often seen as a sign that something is wrong. Whether it be a faulty septic system, or phosphorus pollution, people worry that the algae they are seeing are the result of […]
When salt from our roads makes its way into the Bay or inland lakes, the salt dissolves into two separate ions – sodium and chloride. Chloride is a greater threat to aquatic ecosystem health. […]
