Water
Quality, Climate Change,
and Salmon Stocks:
Getting a clear view of the past...from mud
with
John Smol
Queen’s University
Human activities are greatly affecting water systems, but data from the
past are hard to get. Is water quality changing? If so, why and by how
much?
Fortunately, aquatic systems archive an immense library of information
in their sediments. From the fossil organisms deposited in lake muds,
scientists can understand past changes in environment, including such
things as acidification, water quality deterioration, climate change,
and changes in fish stocks over time.
Dr. Smol will tell us about rapid scientific progress in reading the
unique "mud libraries" from different parts of Canada, including
the North. He will also show how Canadian leadership in this interdisciplinary
field is giving us major new insights into environmental problems.
John P. Smol, FRSC is a professor in the Dept. of Biology at Queen's
University and co-directs the 30-odd member Paleoecological Environmental
Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL). He has received 18 research and teaching
awards and fellowships since 1989. He has published over 200 research
papers since 1980, and 6 books (with 4 more nearing completion). He is
the founding editor, and currently co-editor-in-chief, of the international
Journal of Paleolimnology, is co-editor of a new books series, and is
on the editorial boards of four other journals.
Simultaneous translation will be provided.
Co-Sponsors:
--the Speaker of the Senate, the Hon. Daniel Hays
--the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Hon. Peter Milliken
--Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE)
--NSERC
DATE: Thursday, May 10, 2001 from 7:30 am - 9:00 am
|
