Northwestern Ontario Research Articles

Fate and Transport of Ambient Mercury and Applied Mercury Isotope in Terrestrial Upland Soils: Insights from the METAALICUS Watershed

The fate of mercury (Hg) deposited on forested upland soils depends on a wide array of biogeochemical and hydrological processes occurring in the soil landscape. In this study, Hg in soil, soilwater, and streamwater were measured across a forested upland subcatchment of the METAALICUS watershed in northwestern Ontario, Canada, where a stable Hg isotope (spike Hg) was applied to distinguish newly deposited Hg from Hg already resident in the watershed (ambient Hg). In total, we were able to account for 45% of the total mass of spike Hg applied to the subcatchment during the entire loading phase of the experiment, with approximately 22% of the total mass applied now residing in the top 15 cm of the mineral soil layer. Decreasing spike Hg/ambient Hg ratios with depth in the soil and soilwater suggest that spike Hg is less mobile than ambient Hg over shorter time scales. However, the transport of spike Hg into the mineral soil layer is enhanced in depressional areas where water table fluctuation is more extreme. While we expect that this pool of Hg is now effectively sequestered in the mineral horizon, future disturbance of the soil profile could remobilize this stored Hg in runoff.

Bullying Behaviour and Victimization among Aboriginal Students within Northwestern Ontario

This study describes the self-reported bullying experiences and behaviours of Aboriginal students within two schools in a northwestern Ontario community. Different types of bullying and victimization experiences include, but are not limited to: physical, verbal, social, and electronic bullying. These bullying and victimization experiences were assessed among grades 4 through 8 students using the Safe School Survey. The results of the study showed that relative to the entire sample, Aboriginal students reported comparable levels of both victimization and bullying behaviour at school. All students reported verbal bullying behaviours and victimization experiences as the most frequent form of bullying. The results reflected no significant difference between Aboriginal male and female rates of reported bullying and victimization.

Design and Perfromance Characteristics of a Portable Solar-Driven Thermoelectric Heat Pump under Thunder Bay Extreme Cold Conditions in Northwestern Ontario, Canada

Renewable & alternative non-conventional green energy technologies used for heat-pumping applications have shown real merits and received renewed interest in recent years especially in small-scale portable heating applications. Solar-driven thermoelectric heat pumping is one of these innovative technologies. In this paper, a thermoelectric heat pump that utilizes the Peltier effect has been designed, constructed and instrumented for suitable experimentation and characterization under Thunder Bay city extreme cold weather conditions in Canada. The thermoelectric test setup is powered using a renewable solar photovoltaic system and tested under different operating conditions. It was found that the PV-powered thermoelectric heat pump system has shown an acceptable performance with COP ranging from 0.98–1.22. Typical results showed that the average heat pumping power for the system was 72.1 W when the system was operated at an ambient temperature of –17 o C with an inside system temperature increased from approximately –5 o Ct o 25 o C.

Anishinaabe Nibi Inaakonigewin Report

From June 20th to the 23rd, 2013, Anishinaabe Elders from Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario assembled at The Rapids (on the South Side of the Roseau River) on the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation reserve. The purpose of the gathering was to conduct what was hoped to be the first of four yearly gatherings aimed at better understanding Anishinaabe nibi inaakonigewin (Anishinaabe Water Law). The following pages are a summary report of the Anishinaabe nibi inaakonigewin (ANI) gathering. As the lead researcher on this project, I would like to acknowledge what a challenging piece this has been to write, despite the fact that I have generally not included many of my own thoughts or observations other than in the introduction or concluding remarks.

Settler Colonialism and First Nations e-Communities in Northwestern Ontario

Across Canada First Nation community leaders are adopting the e-Community approach for their local broadband development. E-Community is fueled by the desire of First Nations to own, control, and manage their local infrastructure and online services. The paper develops the concept of the importance of locally owned and managed telecommunication infrastructure supporting First Nation e-Community and local resilience. The First Nations e-Community framework provides choices for local people to remain in their communities and contribute to the growth and positive development in these challenging environments. The First Nations' struggle against settler colonialism to access their lands and resources by the colonial governments and their corporate partners continues today. Strong, resilient First Nations are now in a position to influence and support outcomes that benefit themselves, the lands and others in a positive manner.

Airborne observations of trace gases over boreal Canada during BORTAS: campaign climatology, air mass analysis and enhancement ratios

Abstract. In situ airborne measurements were made over eastern Canada in summer 2011 as part of the BORTAS experiment (Quantifying the impact of BOReal forest fires on Tropospheric oxidants over the Atlantic using Aircraft and Satellites). In this paper we present observations of greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) and other biomass burning tracers (CO, HCN and CH3CN), both climatologically and through case studies, as recorded on board the FAAM BAe-146 research aircraft. Vertical profiles of CO2 were generally characterised by depleted boundary layer concentrations relative to the free troposphere, consistent with terrestrial biospheric uptake. In contrast, CH4 concentrations were found to rise with decreasing altitude due to strong local and regional surface sources. BORTAS observations were found to be broadly comparable with both previous measurements in the region during the regional burning season and with reanalysed composition fields from the EU Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Change (MACC) project. We use coincident tracer–tracer correlations and a Lagrangian trajectory model to characterise and differentiate air mass history of intercepted plumes. In particular, CO, HCN and CH3CN were used to identify air masses that have been recently influenced by biomass burning. Examining individual cases we were able to quantify emissions from biomass burning. Using both near-field (< 1 day) and far-field (> 1 day) sampling, boreal forest fire plumes were identified throughout the troposphere. Fresh plumes from fires in northwestern Ontario yield emission factors for CH4 and CO2 of 8.5 ± 0.9 g (kg dry matter)−1 and 1512 ± 185 g (kg dry matter)−1, respectively. We have also investigated the efficacy of calculating emission factors from far-field sampling, in which there might be expected to be limited mixing with background and other characteristic air masses, and we provide guidance on best practice and limitations in such analysis. We have found that for measurements within plumes that originated from fires in northwestern Ontario 2–4 days upwind, emission factors can be calculated that range between 1618 ± 216 and 1702 ± 173 g (kg dry matter)−1 for CO2 and 1.8 ± 0.2 and 6.1 ± 1 g (kg dry matter)−1 for CH4.

Chaoborus americanus predation influences Bosmina mucro lengths in fishless lakes

Size attributes of the cladoceran taxon Bosmina are known to vary in response to the intensity and dominant type of predation. Using a paleolimnological approach, we tested the hypothesis that Bosmina size structure differs between fishless lakes and those with presumed populations of planktivorous fish. We measured sedimentary remains of Bosmina longirostris and assessed assemblage structure of the gape-limited invertebrate predator Chaoborus within the surface sediments of 29 lakes in remote, northwestern Ontario, Canada. Mean B. longirostris mucro, antennule, and carapace lengths did not differ significantly between lake predation categories. However, within fishless lakes, a significant (r = 0.68, P = 0.01) positive correlation was apparent between B. longirostris mucro length and Chaoborus americanus percent abundance. We thus suggest that B. longirostris mucro length may be sensitive to C. americanus predation, however further information on the interactions with predators is needed.

What’s in a name? The search for ‘common ground’ in Kenora, Northwestern Ontario

Kenora is a small city in northwestern Ontario, Canada. No longer a forestry centre of note, Kenora plans to develop a more diversified and sustainable economy, driven by local needs and local decision-making. Yet any collective desire to enjoy a prosperous future is set against a backdrop of historical conflict, discrimination and misunderstanding among local First Nation, Métis and Euro-Canadian populations. Using a range of qualitative data, we discuss whether the philosophy and vision behind common ground, a term used to front a collaborative land management initiative close to the city centre, has gained currency among the wider public. Charting the trajectory of its usage over the last decade, we discuss whether the powerful rhetoric invoked by common ground will likely be reflected in the forging of more equitable and productive relations among the multiple cultural groups that define life in this region.

Investigation of CO, C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub> and aerosols in a boreal fire plume over eastern Canada during BORTAS 2011 using ground- and satellite-based observations and model simulations

Abstract. We present the results of total column measurements of CO, C2H6 and fine-mode aerosol optical depth (AOD) during the "Quantifying the impact of BOReal forest fires on Tropospheric oxidants over the Atlantic using Aircraft and Satellites" (BORTAS-B) campaign over eastern Canada. Ground-based observations, using Fourier transform spectrometers (FTSs) and sun photometers, were carried out in July and August 2011. These measurements were taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is an ideal location to monitor the outflow of boreal fires from North America, and also in Toronto, Ontario. Measurements of fine-mode AOD enhancements were highly correlated with enhancements in coincident trace gas (CO and C2H6) observations between 19 and 21 July 2011, which is typical for a smoke plume event. In this paper, we focus on the identification of the origin and the transport of this smoke plume. We use back trajectories calculated by the Canadian Meteorological Centre as well as FLEXPART forward trajectories to demonstrate that the enhanced CO, C2H6 and fine-mode AOD seen near Halifax and Toronto originated from forest fires in northwestern Ontario that occurred between 17 and 19 July 2011. In addition, total column measurements of CO from the satellite-borne Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) have been used to trace the smoke plume and to confirm the origin of the CO enhancement. Furthermore, the enhancement ratio – that is, in this case equivalent to the emission ratio (ERC2H6/CO) – was estimated from these ground-based observations. These C2H6 emission results from boreal fires in northwestern Ontario agree well with C2H6 emission measurements from other boreal regions, and are relatively high compared to fires from other geographical regions. The ground-based CO and C2H6 observations were compared with outputs from the 3-D global chemical transport model GEOS-Chem, using the Fire Locating And Modeling of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE) inventory. Agreement within the stated measurement uncertainty (~3% for CO and ~8% for C2H6) was found for the magnitude of the enhancement of the CO and C2H6 total columns between the measured and modelled results. However, there is a small shift in time (of approximately 6 h) of arrival of the plume over Halifax between the results.

Signs and symptoms of methylmercury contamination in a First Nations community in Northwestern Ontario, Canada

In 1970, fish caught in the English–Wabigoon River system in northwestern Ontario, Canada, were found to be contaminated with mercury coming from a chlor-alkali plant in the province. In the 1970s, patients exhibiting some of the symptoms of the Hunter–Russell syndrome (e.g. paresthesias, visual field constriction, ataxia, impaired hearing, and speech impairment) were reported by some researchers. However attempts to diagnose the patients as suffering from methylmercury poisoning proved to be controversial. In order to research the presence of methylmercury contamination, and show that the patients, through eating contaminated fish, were suffering from methylmercury poisoning, we studied the results of subjective complaints, neurological findings, and quantitative somatosensory measurements gathered in Grassy Narrows Indian Reservation, Ontario, in March, 2010. At that time, the population of the Grassy Narrows settlement was around 900. Ninety-one residents volunteered to be examined. From them, we selected 80 people who were older than 15years old, and divided them into two groups. Canadian Younger (CY): 36 residents who were from 16 to 45years old. Canadian Older (CO): 44 residents who were from 46 to 76years old. We compared them to Japanese Exposed (JE): 88 methylmercury exposed residents from the Minamata district in Japan, and Japanese Control (JC): 164 control residents from non-polluted areas in Japan. Complaints and abnormal neurological findings were more prevalent and quantitative sensory measurements were worse in the two Canadian groups and the Japanese Exposed group than in the Japanese Control group. Complaints, neurological findings and quantitative sensory measurements were similar in Canadian Older and Japanese Exposed. The results for Canadian Younger fell between those of Canadian Older and Japanese Control. These findings indicate that the clinical signs and symptoms of the residents of Grassy Narrows are almost the same as those recorded for Minamata disease in Japan.

A case of extensive conifer needle browning in northwestern Ontario in 2012: Winter drying or freezing damage?

In the spring of 2012, conifers in a large area in northwestern Ontario exhibited severe needle browning prior to budbreak, affecting more than 250 000 ha of forests north and west of Thunder Bay. Examination of weather data suggests that damage was caused by a combination of warm temperatures in March resulting in dehardening followed by freezing temperatures in April that were below a critical value. Damage was similar in nature to that observed in 2007 in northeastern Ontario, but in this case occurred earlier in the year and affected a larger area. Areas of northern Ontario where trees were affected were easily separated from those where no damage was observed using daily minimum temperature and cumulative growing degree day data. We suggest that a new term, winter freezing damage, be used to describe conifer needle and bud damage prior to budbreak when a period of warm temperatures in late winter/early spring followed by a period of sufficiently cold freezing temperatures causes damage to forest stands.

Craniomaxillofacial injuries in northwestern Ontario, Canada

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the craniomaxillofacial injuries managed at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center (TBRHSC), Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Study.

Dietary practices in isolated First Nations communities of northern Canada: combined isotopic and lipid markers provide a good qualitative assessment of store-bought vs locally harvested foods consumption

OBJECTIVE:In First Nations communities of northwestern Ontario, where rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus are some of the highest in the world, ascertaining wild food dietary practices is extremely challenging owing to seasonal availability, environmental factors, life circumstances and language/cultural barriers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether analysis of isotopic and fatty acid (FA) profiles could provide more comprehensive information to discriminate between three categories of wild food consumption (that is, plants and animals) in two isolated First Nations communities of northwestern Ontario. In addition, this analysis also highlights whether wild food consumption as practiced in these two communities can increase circulating levels of polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs), which provide a number of important metabolic benefits that could impact the prevention/treatment of T2DM.RESULTS:13C enrichment (in expired CO2, plasma and hair), 15N enrichment (in hair) and FA profiles in plasma phospholipids (phospholipid fatty acid (PL-FA)) were quantified in men and in women consuming various amounts of wild food. 13C/12C ratios were lower and 15N/14N ratios were higher in participants consuming wild food at least once a week. In addition, FA results indicated that the relative contributions of 20:4 Ω-6 and 22:6 Ω-3 to total PL-FAs were higher and 18:2 Ω-6 lower in wild food consumers.CONCLUSION:Together, these findings confirm that isotopic and lipid markers discriminate between the different wild food categories in these two First Nations communities. Knowing the close relationship between dietary intake and the potential role of PUFA in the prevention/treatment of obesity and obesity-related diseases, it is critical to accurately measure the composition of diet for individuals in their specific environments.

Ozone photochemistry in boreal biomass burning plumes

Abstract. We present an analysis of ozone (O3) photochemistry observed by aircraft measurements of boreal biomass burning plumes over eastern Canada in the summer of 2011. Measurements of O3 and a number of key chemical species associated with O3 photochemistry, including non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and total nitrogen containing species (NOy), were made from the UK FAAM BAe-146 research aircraft as part of the "quantifying the impact of BOReal forest fires on Tropospheric oxidants over the Atlantic using Aircraft and Satellites" (BORTAS) experiment between 12 July and 3 August 2011. The location and timing of the aircraft measurements put BORTAS into a unique position to sample biomass burning plumes from the same source region in Northwestern Ontario with a range of ages. We found that O3 mixing ratios measured in biomass burning plumes were indistinguishable from non-plume measurements, but evaluating them in relationship to measurements of carbon monoxide (CO), total alkyl nitrates (ΣAN) and the surrogate species NOz (= NOy-NOx) revealed that the potential for O3 production increased with plume age. We used NMHC ratios to estimate photochemical ages of the observed biomass burning plumes between 0 and 10 days. The BORTAS measurements provided a wide dynamic range of O3 production in the sampled biomass burning plumes with ΔO3/ΔCO enhancement ratios increasing from 0.020 ± 0.008 ppbv ppbv−1 in plumes with photochemical ages less than 2 days to 0.55 ± 0.29 ppbv ppbv−1 in plumes with photochemical ages greater than 5 days. We found that the main contributing factor to the variability in the ΔO3/ΔCO enhancement ratio was ΔCO in plumes with photochemical ages less than 4 days, and that was a transition to ΔO3 becoming the main contributing factor in plumes with ages greater than 4 days. In comparing O3 mixing ratios with components of the NOy budget, we observed that plumes with ages between 2 and 4 days were characterised by high aerosol loading, relative humidity greater than 40%, and low ozone production efficiency (OPE) of 7.7 ± 3.5 ppbv ppbv−1 relative to ΣAN and 1.6 ± 0.9 ppbv ppbv−1 relative to NOz. In plumes with ages greater than 4 days, OPE increased to 472 ± 28 ppbv ppbv−1 relative to ΣAN and 155 ± 5 ppbv ppbv−1 relative to NOz. From the BORTAS measurements we estimated that aged plumes with low aerosol loading were close to being in photostationary steady state and O3 production in younger plumes was inhibited by high aerosol loading and greater production of ΣAN relative to O3. The BORTAS measurements of O3 photochemistry in boreal biomass burning plumes were found to be consistent with previous summertime aircraft measurements made over the same region during the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere (ARCTAS-B) in 2008 and Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (ABLE 3B) in 1990.

Enhancing Conditions for Aboriginal Learners in Higher Education: The Experiences of Nishnawbe Aski Teacher Candidates in a Teacher Education Program

This article studies a community-based Indigenous teacher education program in Northwestern Ontario in Canada. This program, the result of a partnership between the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council and Brock University, was designed to prepare Nishnawbe Aski teachers able to teacher through a Two Worlds Orientation: unique Indigenous understandings combined with Western educational principles. The program characteristics and structure are outlined. The strengths of the program, as identified byteacher candidates and teacher educators, are explored. Impediments to success are also considered.

Lichen Conservation in Heavily Managed Boreal Forests

Lichens are an important component of the boreal forest, where they are long lived, tend to accumulate in older stands, and are a major food source for the threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). To be fully sustainable, silvicultural practices in the boreal forest must include the conservation of ecological integrity. Dominant forest management practices, however, have short-term negative effects on lichen diversity, particularly the application of herbicides. To better understand the long-term effects of forest management, we examined lichen regeneration in 35 mixed black spruce (Picea mariana) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forest stands across northern Ontario to determine recovery following logging and postharvest silvicultural practices. Our forest stands were 25-40 years old and had undergone 3 common sivilcultural treatments that included harvested and planted; harvested, planted, and treated with N-[phosphonomethyl] glycine (glyphosate); and harvested, planted, and treated with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Forest stands with herbicide treatments had lower lichen biomass and higher beta and gamma diversity than planted stands that were not treated chemically or control stands. In northwestern Ontario, planted stands that were not treated chemically had significantly greater (p < 0.05) alpha diversity than stands treated with herbicides or control stands. Our results show that common silvicultural practices do not emulate natural disturbances caused by wildfires in the boreal forest for the lichen community. We suggest a reduction in the amount of chemical application be considered in areas where lichen biomass is likely to be high and where the recovery of woodland caribou is an objective.

Consumption of Truffles and other Fungi by the American Red Squirrel (&lt;em&gt;Tamiasciurus hudsonicus&lt;/em&gt;) and the Eastern Chipmunk (&lt;em&gt;Tamias striatus&lt;/em&gt;) (Sciuridae) in Northwestern Ontario

Faecal matter collected from the American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and the Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) on the campus of Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, was examined for the presence of consumed fungal tissue. A total of 14 faecal samples were collected from live-trapped animals over six trapping periods (19 June to 25 September 2010). Eight samples contained intact remains of spores representative of hypogeous truffle fungi found in the genera Elaphomyces, Gautieria, Hymenogaster, Hysterangium, and Leucangium, as well as spores of epigeous mushrooms found in the orders Boletales and Pezizales and possibly in the family Tricholomataceae of the Agaricales. The results of this brief survey suggest not only the importance of mycophagy in the diet of American Red Squirrels and Eastern Chipmunks in the boreal mixed wood forests of northwestern Ontario but also the important role played by sciurids in vectoring spores of truffle fungi in this region.

Participatory and multi-level governance: applications to Aboriginal renewable energy projects

As provinces across Canada seek to diversify their domestic electricity supply and cope with the accelerating effects of anthropogenic climate change, new models of sustainability-focused economic development are being pursued. One critically important emerging paradigm involves First Nation (a Canadian term for indigenous) collaboration and leadership in renewable energy projects. In this comparative case study analysis, we consider two different governance approaches pursued in distinct renewable energy project contexts: the clean energy projects of the Ojibway Pic River First Nation band in northwestern Ontario and the NaiKun Offshore Wind Project proposed in the ocean territory of the Haida Nation off the coast of British Columbia (BC). Focusing on themes of participation and multi-level governance, the case studies highlight the importance of authority and control in decision processes, the primacy of ensuring that scale and quality of design are carefully scoped, and the shaping role of inclusiveness in planning for wholly sustainable energy futures. Taken together, these cases illustrate that fluid governance arrangements which exploit the particular capacities of each actor may give rise to trust that ultimately forms the foundation of a co-produced model of renewable energy governance. We argue that while collaboration might aim to be inclusive of all interested actors, it is important to consider the extent to which a project design might sufficiently incorporate a community's long-term vision. We conclude that truly sustainable renewable energy development requires a project design that reflects community values, incorporates community control, and incentivises indigenous ownership.

Holocene paleoecology of a wild rice (Zizania sp.) lake in Northwestern Ontario, Canada

Whitefish Lake is a large (11-km-long), shallow, basin in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The presence of extensive stands of wild rice (Zizania sp.) in combination with high archaeological site density suggests that this lake was ecologically important to regional precontact populations. Collection and analysis of sediment from Whitefish Lake was initiated in 2008 in order to reconstruct changes in lake depth, climate, and vegetation throughout the Holocene. In general, the upper 4.5 m of basinal sediment is composed of ~1.5+ m of varves, which is overlain by a 1.5-m-thick unit with ped-like structures, and ~1.5 m of lacustrine sediment. This sequence documents an early proglacial lake phase, followed by a dry interval before 4,300 (4,900 cal) BP when the lake was significantly shallower, and the establishment of the modern lake during the late Holocene. Plant microfossil (phytolith) evidence indicates that wild rice had colonized the basin ~5,300 (6,100 cal) BP as the lake level rose in response to climate change. Beginning ~4,000 (4,500 cal) BP, changes in elemental data suggest a sharp increase in lake productivity and a switch to anaerobic depositional conditions as the rate of organic sedimentation increased. Recent archaeological research confirms that wild rice was locally processed and consumed during the Middle and Late Woodland periods (~300 BC–AD 1700) although it was evidently growing in the lake well before this time.

Predicting non-inventoried forest elements using forest inventory data: The case of winter forage for woodland caribou

Growing development pressures and expectations that forest managers provide future wildlife habitat require better understanding of species' habitat needs, particularly food, cover, and space requirements, and an ability to spatially depict these needs. In forest management in Canada, the primary data used to identify and quantify wildlife habitat reside in remotely sensed forest resource inventories (FRI) that were originally developed to assess timber values for merchantable tree species. Although FRI- and field-based sampling do not always show strong agreement, research has shown that FRI can be informative for wildlife habitat assessments. However, much uncertainty remains when investigating forest characteristics that are not visible to the interpreters, such as sub-canopy features. Here, we used 152 plots in northwestern Ontario to compare the ability of field-based and remotely sensed forest inventories to predict Cladonia lichen cover, a primary winter food source for woodland caribou. The best model for field-based data, which included percentage of jack pine and black spruce in the tree canopy, tree height, stand age, soil moisture, and stem density, correctly predicted 92% of cases where Cladonia spp. were absent (n = 107 plots) and 62% of cases where they were present (i.e., cover >1%; n = 45 plots). FRI performed poorly by contrast, with corresponding percentages of 96 and 19%. FRI provide weak data support for differentiating winter forage availability for woodland caribou, an important habitat factor at the stand level. These findings have important implications for predictions of herd productivity, and suggest that improved remote-sensing capabilities are required in order to assess woodland caribou winter habitat.