South-central Quebec Research Articles

Refining the glacial lake coverage of the southern Laurentide ice margin using Lidar-DEM based reconstructions: The case of Lake Obedjiwan in south-central Quebec, Canada

The existence of former glacial lakes remains poorly documented in the remote regions of the Canadian Shield where the dense forest cover and poor access complicate classical mapping methods. Here we use a high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM; 1 m/pixel) based on LiDAR data to map Quaternary deposits and landforms in the vicinity of the Gouin reservoir in the Laurentian Highlands of Quebec (Canada). A total of 598 raised shorelines were identified, providing new evidence for the presence of a large proglacial lake – Lake Obedjiwan – that formed in front of the northward retreating Laurentide ice sheet margin during the last deglaciation, a few kilometers east of the larger Lake Ojibway that covered extensive areas in northern Ontario and Quebec. The elevation of shorelines outlines a tilted water plane that depicts the influence of the glacio-isostatic adjustment across the basin, with shorelines ranging from 409 m in the south to 439 m in the north. The calculated uplift gradient of 0.78 m/km indicates that the lake developed during the early stages of the deglaciation. Our reconstruction constrains the full areal extent and maximum elevation of the lake, which covered an area of 1800 km2 and reached an elevation of 450 m. It also indicates that Lake Obedjiwan developed independently from Lake Ojibway. The lake-surface elevation was controlled by an outlet located in the southeastern part of the basin where a topographic depression lying at an elevation of 390 m routed meltwater overflow southward through the Saint-Maurice River and into the St. Lawrence River. Another important outlet is located in the northernmost part of the basin and ice retreat beyond this topographic depression (427 m) caused the drawdown of the Lake Obedjiwan, which drained westward into Lake Ojibway. This discharge added around 19 km3 of meltwater, an event that likely impacted the hydrological budget and sedimentology of Lake Ojibway. The results suggest that other glacial lakes probably developed along the southern LIS ice margin and that the approach developed in this study may contribute to the refinement of their areal coverage and improve paleogeographic reconstructions.

Pharmaceuticals and pesticides in rural community drinking waters of Quebec, Canada – a regional study on the susceptibility to source contamination

AbstractIn Canada, the presence of pharmaceuticals and pesticides in municipal drinking water has been examined primarily in larger urban centres which draw their supplies from surface water. However, few studies have examined this issue in smaller and rural communities, which represent nearly one-third of the Canadian population and which draw their drinking water mainly from groundwater. This study presents a regional-scale assessment of the presence of these contaminants in the drinking waters of 17 smaller rural communities, compared with two larger urban communities, in south-central Quebec. From a total of 70 chemicals examined, 15 compounds (nine pharmaceuticals and six pesticides) were detected. The three most frequently detected contaminants were caffeine, atrazine and naproxen, respectively, in 29%, 24% and 21% of the samples. Detections reported here for the first time in Quebec drinking water include the known human carcinogen cyclophosphamide and the fungicide thiabendazole. Maximum concentrations of pharmaceuticals ranged from 30 to 1,848 ng L−1 and of pesticides from 21 to 856 ng L−1. This study provides direct evidence that drinking water in smaller, rural communities of Quebec, Canada, whether sourced from groundwater or surface water, can contain measurable levels of pharmaceuticals and pesticides, indicative of their susceptibility to source contamination.This article has been made Open Access thanks to the kind support of CAWQ/ACQE (https://www.cawq.ca).

An updated assessment of human activities, the environment, and freshwater fish biodiversity in Canada

Changes in resource development and expansions of urban centres suggest that the intensity and types of anthropogenic stressors affecting Canada’s watersheds are changing. Chu et al. (2003) integrated indices of freshwater fish biodiversity, environmental conditions, and anthropogenic stress to identify priority watersheds for conservation and management. Here, we update those indices using recent climate and census data to assess changes through time. We also applied different conservation and management scenarios to evaluate the robustness of our prioritization approach. Between time periods, the environmental and stress indices expanded northward because of warmer temperatures at higher latitudes and more intense anthropogenic stress in the northern regions of the provinces. Conservation priorities increased in northern British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario but decreased in southern British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and south-central Quebec. Under multiple scenarios, conservation priorities were consistently highest in British Columbia, the Maritimes, southern Ontario, and southern Quebec. Future research to refine this assessment should focus on developing a nationwide georeferenced assessment of freshwater fisheries stress, quantifying spatial changes in the stressors, and evaluating the sensitivity of each index to the weighting of the individual variables. This work highlights the necessity for conservation and management strategies in Canada to keep pace with changing patterns in climate and human activities.

Long-term impact of fire on high-altitude balsam fir (Abies balsamea) forests in south-central Quebec deduced from soil charcoal

Extensive balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) stands across the southern boreal forest are ecosystems likely more influenced by insect outbreaks and windthrows than by fire. To what degree the dominance of balsam fir stands reflects past and present disturbance dynamics associated with fire is not well documented. To answer this question, we focused on the reconstruction of the long-term fire history of high-altitude balsam fir forests of southern Quebec. The reconstruction was based on botanically identified and radiocarbon-dated soil charcoal particles in 19 sites covering successional stages from white birch (Betula payrifera Marsh.) to mixed white birch – balsam fir stands. Fire activity commenced early after deglaciation, about 9600 calibrated years before present when the first boreal tree species were established. Fire occurred recurrently during the following 5000 years with a forest landscape composed of the principal tree species common to the boreal forest, including jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.). Fire activity ceased more or less abruptly about 4500 years ago due to less fire-conducive, more humid conditions. Then, the forest landscape progressively changed towards a larger representation of white birch – balsam fir forests and the disappearance of jack pine. Whereas several balsam fir stands have not burned over the last 4500 years, scattered fires occurred in particular over the last 250 years when 1815 and 1878 fires, probably man-made, burned 50% of the forest, thus causing a major change in the composition of the forest landscape. It is concluded that the high-altitude forest landscape of southern Quebec changed profoundly over the Holocene in close association with a time-transgressive dry-to-wet climatic gradient.

Recent impact of fire on high-altitude balsam fir forests in south-central Quebec1This article is one of a selection of papers from the 7th International Conference on Disturbance Dynamics in Boreal Forests.

The dynamics of high-altitude balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) forests is mainly driven by insect outbreaks and windthrows. However, very little work has been done on the role of fire on the development and maintenance of this ecosystem. In this study, we document the role of fire in the high-altitude balsam fir forests of the Réserve Faunique des Laurentides (RFL), southern Quebec. Sixteen sites were sampled among six different forest types described according to plant composition and fire evidence. At each site, the diameter structure was recorded and stand age was calculated based on tree-ring dating of individual trees and radiocarbon-dated surficial charcoal samples. Fire played a major role in the recent dynamics of high-altitude fir forests in the RFL. Over the last 250 years, nearly 50% of the study area burned during two fire conflagrations, i.e., around 1815 and in 1878. The fires triggered gradual changes in plant composition and forest structure, as shown by a succession of forest types ranging from white birch ( Betula papyrifera Marsh.) to spruce–fir types. Absence of surficial charcoal older than 300 years suggests that high-altitude forests of the RFL area were not subjected to a constant fire regime. It is possible that recent fires were caused by human activity.

Ice Stresses in Reservoirs: Effect of Water Level Fluctuations

Ice stress, temperature, and forebay elevation data were collected over two winter seasons from the La Gabelle reservoir, located in south-central Quebec, Canada. These data suggest that large compressive stresses can develop within confined ice sheets by the repetitive opening and freezing of shore parallel fissures. These fissures typically develop in reservoirs whose forebay elevation varies cyclically about a mean value. Stresses associated with rising water levels were on the order of 50 kPa∕mm rise.

Attributes of forest strips used by snowshoe hare in winter within clear-cut boreal landscapes

The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus Erxleben) is an important prey for many predators in the boreal forest. In this biome, clear-cut landscapes are generally large and consist of aggregated cutting blocks separated by narrow forest strips (typically 60–100 m wide). To identify attributes of forest strips that are important for snowshoe hares, we measured the use of strips using track counts over two winters in six clear-cut landscapes (23–256 km2) in south-central Quebec. Surveys were conducted in 20 riparian strips (RS), 20 upland strips (US), and 15 control sites (CO) at the periphery of clear-cut landscapes. Overall, 392 signs of hare presence were recorded along 50 km of transects. Snowshoe hares were present in one-third of the strips surveyed and were five times less abundant in US and RS than in CO. The species avoided strip edges. Hares were more common in the wider strips (>100 m), in the strips adjacent to residual forest patches (≥25 ha), or in those having a denser shrub canopy, which is often associated with a greater basal area in balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.). To maintain snowshoe hare at moderate densities in large clear-cut landscapes, we suggest leaving uncut forest strips >100 m wide in areas having a good shrub cover with presence of balsam fir.

Rediscovery of the Mattawa Anorthosite Massif, Grenville Province, Quebec

We present new field observations and laboratory data confirming the presence of the Mattawa Anorthosite Massif (MAT), whose existence in south-central Quebec was hinted at more than 35 years ago. MAT thus represents a newly recognized member of the late- to post-tectonic ~1060–1010 Ma andesine anorthosite belt that includes the Château-Richer, St. Urbain, and Labrieville massifs. The dominant rock type at MAT is foliated andesine anorthosite or leuconorite, and orientations of foliations indicate that the pluton has the shape of a dome. MAT contains separate core and border zones, which are distinguished on the basis of plagioclase composition and concentrations of Ga, Rb, Sr, and Ba. Xenoliths of labradorite anorthosite having Ga, Sr, and Ba concentrations different from those of the host andesine anorthosites occur sporadically throughout the pluton as well. Lastly, rocks enriched in Fe, Ti, and P (jotunite, oxide–apatite gabbronorite, nelsonite, ilmenitite) also occur at MAT, primarily near the core–border transition or at the pluton margins. Compared with other anorthosites in the andesine belt, MAT is compositionally most similar to Labrieville. By analogy with Labrieville, we interpret the concentric zoning of MAT (more sodic core, more calcic border) to reflect polybaric crystallization accompanying upward intrusion as a magmatic diapir, which also produced the overall domal structure. The labradorite xenoliths bear little physical or compositional resemblance to typical Lac St. Jean rocks. Therefore, if the xenoliths were derived from the Lac St. Jean Anorthosite, their present character must reflect considerable modification by the Mattawa magma.

HEMATOLOGIC AND PHYSIOLOGIC REFERENCE RANGES FOR FREE-RANGING ADULT AND YOUNG COMMON LOONS (GAVIA IMMER)

Wild common loons (Gavia immer) were captured across much of their southern North American range. Hematologic and physiologic data were collected to establish reference ranges for adults and chicks from four geographic areas: New England, Canadian Maritimes, south-central Quebec, and the Upper Great Lakes. Mean body mass and blood-glucose levels of adult loons varied among geographic regions. Chicks had lower PCV and total solids than adult loons, and also had faster heart rates and higher blood glucose levels. Although mean body mass in males was consistently greater than in females, hematologic and physiologic reference ranges between sexes were not significantly different. Geographic and age-related differences exist in common loon hematologic and physiologic reference ranges and should be considered when assessing such parameters.

Assessing potential for recovery of biotic richness and indicator species due to changes in acidic deposition and lake pH in five areas of southeastern Canada.

Biological damage to sensitive aquatic ecosystems is among the most recognisable, deleterious effects of acidic deposition. We compiled a large spatial database of over 2000 waterbodies across southeastern Canada from various federal, provincial and academic sources. Data for zooplankton, fish, macroinvertebrate (benthos) and loon species richness and occurrence were used to construct statistical models for lakes with varying pH, dissolved organic carbon content and lake size. pH changes, as described and predicted using the Integrated Assessment Model (Lam et al., 1998; Jeffries et al., 2000), were based on the range of emission reductions set forth in the Canada/US Air Quality Agreement (AQA). The scenarios tested include 1983, 1990, 1994 and 2010 sulphate deposition levels. Biotic models were developed for five regions in southeastern Canada (Algoma, Muskoka, and Sudbury, Ontario, southcentral Quebec, and Kejimkujik, Nova Scotia) using regression tree, multiple linear regression and logistic regression analyses to make predictions about recovery after emission reductions. The analyses produced different indicator species in different regions, although some species showed consistent trends across regions. Generally, the greatest predicted recovery occurred during the final phase of emission reductions between 1994 and 2010 across all taxonomic groups and regions. The Ontario regions, on average, were predicted to recover to a greater extent than either southcentral Quebec or the Kejimkujik area of Nova Scotia. Our results reconfirm that pH 5.5-6.0 is an important threshold below which damage to aquatic biota will remain a major local and regional environmental problem. This damage to biodiversity across trophic levels will persist well into the future if no further reductions in sulphate deposition are implemented.

Persistence of a 1930 swine influenza A (H1N1) virus in Quebec

Two antigenically distinct H1N1 influenza A viruses were isolated during an outbreak of respiratory disease in Quebec swine in 1990/91. Analysis of haemagglutinin and partial nucleoprotein sequences indicated that one was a variant of the swine H1N1 influenza virus circulating in the American Midwest whereas the other was very similar to virus isolated from swine in 1930. The existence of this latter isolate supports the concept that influenza viruses can be maintained for long periods in swine, perhaps in geographically limited pockets. Serological evidence indicates that these distinct strains continued to circulate widely in south-central Quebec until at least 1993.

Sr-Nd-Pb isotope relationships in Late Archean carbonatites and alkaline complexes: Applications to the geochemical evolution of Archean mantle

Isotopic studies of strontium, neodymium, and lead in young carbonatites from several continents have shown that the data generally plot within the fields of ocean island basalts in isotope correlation diagrams. These and other data suggest that the magmas originate in mantle sources and generally pass through continental crust with minimal contamination. Further studies have shown that initial isotopic ratios in carbonatites and alkaline complex rocks from the Canadian Shield spanning an age range from 0.1 to 2.7 Ga appear to trace the evolution of “depleted” subcontinental mantle over the past 2.7 Ga. However, the data were based upon carbonatites between 0 and 1.9 Ga, and substituted syenites at 2.7 Ga due to lack of known carbonatites of that age. This raised the question of possible crustal contamination in the syenites, particularly for lead. Recently two carbonatite bodies with ages of 2.68 Ga have been identified at the Lac Shortt mine and Dolodau dykes in south-central Quebec. Lead, strontium, and neodymium isotope data from these carbonatites fit the evolution patterns already established from the syenites, with slightly more radiogenic neodymium and slightly less radiogenic strontium and lead. The initial ϵ(Nd) from eight carbonatite samples is + 2.8 ± 0.3; ϵ( Sr) = −0.3 ± 0.3 ( 87Sr 86Sr = 0.70127 ± 0.00002 ). Lead ratios from combined carbonatites and syenites define a regression line with a slope of 0.71 ± 0.04 in a 207Pb- 206Pb correlation diagram, corresponding to radiogenic lead evolved in a closed system between ca. 3.8 and 2.7 Ga; however, we ascribe this trend to mixing of mantle components rather than to crustal contamination processes. Data from young (<0.2 Ga) carbonatites from five continents closely fit a model corresponding to mixing between EM1 and HIMU mantle components in isotope correlation diagrams. Similar diagrams for the Canadian Shield 2.7 Ga samples exhibit no clear mixing trends, and 87Sr 86Sr - 206Pb 204Pb ratios tend to cluster closely around model “bulk silicate Earth” in an isotope correlation diagram. Mantle differentiation processes appear to have changed in fundamental ways around 3 Ga ago, with most sialic continental crust produced after that time.

TRAPPING ELM BARK BEETLES IN THE CITY OF WINNIPEG, WITH A NEW RECORD FOR SCOLYTUS MULTISTRIATUS, (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE) IN MANITOBA

The first outbreak of Dutch elm disease in Manitoba was recorded in 1975 in Brandon, Selkirk, and Winnipeg (Hildahl 1977). The primary vector of the disease in Canada is the native elm bark beetle, Hylurgopinus rufipes (Eichh.). The smaller European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus (Marsh.), is considered the primary vector in most of the United States. In Canada, the latter species occurs throughout most of southern Ontario, parts of south-central Quebec, and has been recorded in New Bmnswick (Sterner et al. 1976).

Polymetamorphism and structures in the Superior Province near the Grenville Front in south-central Quebec

Abstract Polymetamorphic metabasalts and metasediments of the Villebon area are interpreted as a sequence representing the top slice of oceanic crust covered by a layer of island-arc volcanic products and turbidites in a back-arc environment during pre-Kenoran times. They were folded and metamorphosed during the Kenoran Orogeny. During the Aphebian, renewed sedimentation took place on an Atlantic-type continental edge, whereafter during the Hudsonian Orogeny part of the Superior craton slid on top of the sediment wedge over a low rheidity migmatized layer. Later westward thrusting of Grenvillian deposits, together with their basement, caused tilting and steepening of preexisting Kenoran and Hudsonian structures. The decollement plane, previously mapped as the Grenville Front, is a Hudsonian Feature; the true Grenville Front is probably located more eastward.

Notes on Lodge Plans in the Lake Indicator Area of South-Central Quebec

Reports on Cree Indian lodges as observed in an area northeast of Lake Mistassini in 1953. Remains of an earth-covered conical lodge, four house pits, and a log cabin are described, also an occupied cabin. The dwellings span a 50-75 yr. period; their locations in relation to the lake, floor excavation, etc. indicate they were used during the early winter. According to informants, the area was visited at approx. 10-yr intervals, each site occupied once and only one at a time. Transition from earth-covered conical lodges to European-style cabins is noted, also distribution of the conical lodge in the Eastern Canadian Subarctic.

An Archaeological Reconnaissance in South-Central Quebec, 1950

During the summer of 1950, from June through August, the authors made an archaeological reconnaissance in south - central Quebec. All traveling was done by canoe. This work was made possible by grants from the Robert S. Peabody Foundation for Archaeology, Andover, Massachusetts and from Stephen Phillips of Salem, Massachusetts. The survey was started at Senneterre, Quebec (Fig. 54) and carried northward by way of Lac Parent and the Bell River to Lake Mattagami. At this point, we began working upstream by way of the Waswanipi River to Lake Waswanipi, passing through Lakes Olga and Goeland. After spending a few days looking about Lake Waswanipi, we continued on our way to Lake Mistassini. The route took us through Lakes Puskitamika, Malouin, Lichen, and Opawica. We then ascended the Opawica River to Lakes Doda and Bras Coupé. From Kere, we crossed the height of land to Lac Presqu'ile and continued up the Obatogamau River to Lake Muscocho.