Using a retention pond to capture agricultural contaminants from surface waters.

To meet the demand of a constantly growing population, agriculture is intensifying, causing an increased use of fertilizers and pesticides. Excessive nutrients transfer to aquatic ecosystems can disrupt the water quality and impact the aquatic life. Pesticides can also have toxic effects on non-target organisms from aquatic systems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of an agricultural retention pond in reducing the supply of nutrients, pesticides and suspended solids to the Nicolet River, a tributary of Lake St. Pierre in the St. Lawrence River. Research combining the study of the fate of a wide range of contaminants in both pond water and sediments, their toxicity to microcrustaceans, microalgae and amphipods, and the effectiveness of contaminant removal, has rarely been carried out in the past. Peak contaminant concentrations occurred one to two months after pesticide and fertilizer applications, and during the months with the highest rainfall. Toxic effects were only observed on microalgae, with suspended solids apparently responsible for this effect through light inhibition on growth rates. However, the pond was not effective in removing this toxicity even if suspended solids were largely removed. Pesticides removal varied widely among sampling dates and pesticide types, with an efficiency reaching 95 % for thiamethoxam, but generally remaining low and often negative (higher concentrations in outflowing water) for other pesticides. On the other hand, the mean fractional removal of suspended solids, phosphorus, and nitrogen based on concentrations was 71 %, 44 % and 22 %, respectively. These are conservative estimations since the removal rates based on loads were above 94 %. The use of retention ponds thus seems an efficient approach to reduce the quantity of fertilizers in rivers draining agriculture areas, but the studied pond was not systematically effective in removing pesticides.

Integrated approach towards quantifying carbon dioxide and methane release from waste stabilization ponds.

Accurate estimations of gaseous emissions and carbon sequestration in wastewater processing are essential for the design, operation and planning of treatment infrastructure, particularly considering greenhouse gas reduction targets. In this study, we look at the interplay between biological productivity, hydrodynamics and evasion of carbon-based greenhouse gases (GHG) through diffusion and ebullition in order to provide direction for more accurate assessments of their emissions from waste stabilization ponds (WSPs). The ponds stratified in the day and mixed at night. Buoyancy flux contributed between 40 and 75% to turbulence in the water column during nocturnal cooling events, and the associated mixing lead to increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) concentrations by up to an order of magnitude in the surface. The onset of stratification and phytoplankton surface blooms, associated with high pH as well as low and variable CO2 partial pressure resulted in an overall reduction of CO2 efflux. Ebullition represented between 40 and 99% of the total CH4 efflux, and up to 95% of the integrated GHG release during wastewater treatment (in CO2 equivalents). Hydrodynamic conditions, diurnal variability and ebullition need to be accounted for reliable assessments of GHG emissions from WSPs. Our study is an important step towards gaining a deeper understanding in the functioning of these hot spots of carbon processing. The contribution of WSPs to atmospheric GHG budget is likely to increase with population growth unless their performance is improved in this regard.

Effects of phytoplankton blooms on fluxes and emissions of greenhouse gases in a eutrophic lake.

Lakes are important sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere. Factors controlling CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes include eutrophication and warming, but the integrated influence of climate-warming-driven stratification, oxygen loss and resultant changes in bloom characteristics on GHGs are not well understood. Here we assessed the influence of contrasting meteorological conditions on stratification and phytoplankton bloom composition in a eutrophic lake, and tested for associated changes in GHGs inventories in both the shallow and deep waters, over three seasons (2010-2012). Atmospheric heatwaves had one of the most dramatic effects on GHGs. Indeed, cyanobacterial blooms that developed in response to heatwave events in 2012 enhanced both sedimentary CH4 concentrations (reaching up to 1mM) and emissions to the atmosphere (up to 8 mmol m-2 d-1). That summer, CH4 contributed 52% of the integrated warming potential of GHGs produced in the lake (in CO2 equivalents) as compared to between 34 and 39% in years without cyanobacterial blooms. High CH4 accumulation and subsequent emission in 2012 were preceded by CO2 and N2O consumption and under-saturation at the lake surface (uptakes at -30 mmol m-2 d-1 and -1.6 µmol m-2 d-1, respectively). Fall overturn presented a large efflux of N2O and CH4, particularly from the littoral zone after the cyanobacterial bloom. We provide evidence that, despite cooling observed at depth during hot summers, CH4 emissions increased via stronger stratification and surface warming, resulting in enhanced cyanobacterial biomass deposition and intensified bottom water anoxia. Our results, supported by recent literature reports, suggests a novel interplay between climate change effects on lake hydrodynamics that impacts both bloom characteristics and GHGs production in shallow eutrophic lakes. Given global trends of warming and enrichment, these interactive effects should be considered to more accurately predict the future global role of lakes in GHG emissions.

Water column gradients beneath the summer ice of a High Arctic freshwater lake as indicators of sensitivity to climate change.

Ice cover persists throughout summer over many lakes at extreme polar latitudes but is likely to become increasingly rare with ongoing climate change. Here we addressed the question of how summer ice-cover affects the underlying water column of Ward Hunt Lake, a freshwater lake in the Canadian High Arctic, with attention to its vertical gradients in limnological properties that would be disrupted by ice loss. Profiling in the deepest part of the lake under thick mid-summer ice revealed a high degree of vertical structure, with gradients in temperature, conductivity and dissolved gases. Dissolved oxygen, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and methane rose with depth to concentrations well above air-equilibrium, with oxygen values at > 150% saturation in a mid-water column layer of potential convective mixing. Fatty acid signatures of the seston also varied with depth. Benthic microbial mats were the dominant phototrophs, growing under a dim green light regime controlled by the ice cover, water itself and weakly colored dissolved organic matter that was mostly autochthonous in origin. In this and other polar lakes, future loss of mid-summer ice will completely change many water column properties and benthic light conditions, resulting in a markedly different ecosystem regime.

Control and Surveillance Operations to Prevent Chronic Wasting Disease Establishment in Free-Ranging White-Tailed Deer in Québec, Canada.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a degenerative and fatal prion disease affecting cervids, was detected for the first time in the province of Québec, Canada, in a red deer (Cervus elaphus) farm in the Laurentides region on 10 September 2018. To assess CWD prevalence and control the disease in the free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population, a response plan including enhanced surveillance, population control, regulatory measures, and public outreach was deployed by the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife, and Parks (MFFP). In the 401 km2 white-tailed deer control area, a total of 750 free-ranging white-tailed deer were culled over 70 days, from 22 September to 15 December 2018. Of the culled deer, 534 were tested for CWD. We also tested for CWD a total of 447 white-tailed deer hunted from the enhanced surveillance zone and 2584 free-ranging white-tailed deer harvested outside this zone. Regulations were applied to prevent the spread of the disease through movements of infected animals harvested by hunters. Although no case of CWD was detected in free-ranging cervids in Québec in 2018, this does not confirm the absence of the disease in these populations. However, the results suggest that if CWD is present, few free-ranging cervids are infected, making it possible to prevent its establishment in the province of Québec.

Effects of climate change and episodic heat events on cyanobacteria in a eutrophic polymictic lake.

Mixing regime and CO2 availability may control cyanobacterial blooms in polymictic lakes, but the underlying mechanisms still remain unclear. We integrated detailed results from a natural experiment comprising an average-wet year (2011) and one with heat waves (2012), a long-term meteorological dataset (1960-2010), historical phosphorus concentrations and sedimentary pigment records, to determine the mechanistic controls of cyanobacterial blooms in a eutrophic polymictic lake. Intense warming in 2012 was associated with: 1) increased stability of the water column with buoyancy frequencies exceeding 40 cph at the surface, 2) high phytoplankton biomass in spring (up to 125 mg WW L-1), 3) reduced downward transport of heat and 4) depleted epilimnetic CO2 concentrations. CO2 depletion was maintained by intense uptake by phytoplankton (influx up to 30 mmol m-2 d-1) in combination with reduced, internal and external, carbon inputs during dry, stratified periods. These synergistic effects triggered bloom of buoyant cyanobacteria (up to 300 mg WW L-1) in the hot year. Complementary evidence from polynomial regression modelling using historical data and pigment record revealed that warming explains 78% of the observed trends in cyanobacterial biomass, whereas historical phosphorus concentration only 10% thereof. Together the results from the natural experiment and the long-term record indicate that effects of hotter and drier climate are likely to increase water column stratification and decrease CO2 availability in eutrophic polymictic lakes. This combination will catalyze blooms of buoyant cyanobacteria.

The NSERC Canadian Lake Pulse Network: A national assessment of lake health providing science for water management in a changing climate.

The distribution and quality of water resources vary dramatically across Canada, and human impacts such as land-use and climate changes are exacerbating uncertainties in water supply and security. At the national level, Canada has no enforceable standards for safe drinking water and no comprehensive water-monitoring program to provide detailed, timely reporting on the state of water resources. To provide Canada's first national assessment of lake health, the NSERC Canadian Lake Pulse Network was launched in 2016 as an academic-government research partnership. LakePulse uses traditional approaches for limnological monitoring as well as state-of-the-art methods in the fields of genomics, emerging contaminants, greenhouse gases, invasive pathogens, paleolimnology, spatial modelling, statistical analysis, and remote sensing. A coordinated sampling program of about 680 lakes together with historical archives and a geomatics analysis of over 80,000 lake watersheds are used to examine the extent to which lakes are being altered now and in the future, and how this impacts aquatic ecosystem services of societal importance. Herein we review the network context, objectives and methods.

Greenhouse gas emissions from waste stabilisation ponds in Western Australia and Quebec (Canada).

Waste stabilisation ponds (WSPs) are highly enriched environments that may emit large quantities of greenhouse gases (GHG), including CO2, CH4 and N2O. However, few studies provide detailed reports on these emissions. In the present study, we investigated GHG emissions from WSPs in Western Australia and Quebec, Canada, and compared emissions to WSPs from other climatic regions and to other types of aquatic ecosystems. Surface water GHG concentrations were related to phytoplankton biomass and nutrients. The CO2 was either emitted or absorbed by WSPs, largely as a function of phytoplankton dynamics and strong stratification in these shallow systems, whereas efflux of CH4 and N2O to the atmosphere was always observed albeit with highly variable emission rates, dependent on treatment phase and time of the day. The total global warming potential index (GWP index, calculated as CO2 equivalent) of emitted GHG from WSPs in Western Australia averaged 12.8 mmol m(-2) d(-1) (median), with CO2, CH4 and N2O respectively contributing 0%, 96.7% and 3.3% of the total emissions, while in Quebec WSPs this index was 194 mmol m(-2) d(-1), with a relative contribution of 93.8, 3.0 and 3.2% respectively. The CO2 fluxes from WSPs were of the same order of magnitude as those reported in hydroelectric reservoirs and constructed wetlands in tropical climates, whereas CH4 fluxes were considerably higher compared to other aquatic ecosystems. N2O fluxes were in the same range of values reported for WSPs in subtropical climate.

Heat-Wave Effects on Oxygen, Nutrients, and Phytoplankton Can Alter Global Warming Potential of Gases Emitted from a Small Shallow Lake.

Increasing air temperatures may result in stronger lake stratification, potentially altering nutrient and biogenic gas cycling. We assessed the impact of climate forcing by comparing the influence of stratification on oxygen, nutrients, and global-warming potential (GWP) of greenhouse gases (the sum of CH4, CO2, and N2O in CO2 equivalents) emitted from a shallow productive lake during an average versus a heat-wave year. Strong stratification during the heat wave was accompanied by an algal bloom and chemically enhanced carbon uptake. Solar energy trapped at the surface created a colder, isolated hypolimnion, resulting in lower ebullition and overall lower GWP during the hotter-than-average year. Furthermore, the dominant CH4 emission pathway shifted from ebullition to diffusion, with CH4 being produced at surprisingly high rates from sediments (1.2-4.1 mmol m(-2) d(-1)). Accumulated gases trapped in the hypolimnion during the heat wave resulted in a peak efflux to the atmosphere during fall overturn when 70% of total emissions were released, with littoral zones acting as a hot spot. The impact of climate warming on the GWP of shallow lakes is a more complex interplay of phytoplankton dynamics, emission pathways, thermal structure, and chemical conditions, as well as seasonal and spatial variability, than previously reported.

Temperature effects on net greenhouse gas production and bacterial communities in arctic thaw ponds.

One consequence of High Arctic permafrost thawing is the formation of small ponds, which release greenhouse gases (GHG) from stored carbon through microbial activity. Under a climate with higher summer air temperatures and longer ice-free seasons, sediments of shallow ponds are likely to become warmer, which could influence enzyme kinetics or select for less cryophilic microbes. There is little data on the direct temperature effects on GHG production and consumption or on microbial communities' composition in Arctic ponds. We investigated GHG production over 16 days at 4°C and 9°C in sediments collected from four thaw ponds. Consistent with an enzymatic response, production rates of CO2 and CH4 were significantly greater at higher temperatures, with Q10 varying from 1.2 to 2.5. The bacterial community composition from one pond was followed through the incubation by targeting the V6-V8 variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene and 16S rRNA. Several rare taxa detected from rRNA accounted for significant community compositional changes. At the higher temperature, the relative community contribution from Bacteroidetes decreased by 15% with compensating increases in Betaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria. The increase in experimental GHG production accompanied by changes in community indicates an additional factor to consider in sediment environments when evaluating future climate scenarios.

High Methylmercury in Arctic and Subarctic Ponds is Related to Nutrient Levels in the Warming Eastern Canadian Arctic.

Permafrost thaw ponds are ubiquitous in the eastern Canadian Arctic, yet little information exists on their potential as sources of methylmercury (MeHg) to freshwaters. They are microbially active and conducive to methylation of inorganic mercury, and are also affected by Arctic warming. This multiyear study investigated thaw ponds in a discontinuous permafrost region in the Subarctic taiga (Kuujjuarapik-Whapmagoostui, QC) and a continuous permafrost region in the Arctic tundra (Bylot Island, NU). MeHg concentrations in thaw ponds were well above levels measured in most freshwater ecosystems in the Canadian Arctic (>0.1 ng L(-1)). On Bylot, ice-wedge trough ponds showed significantly higher MeHg (0.3-2.2 ng L(-1)) than polygonal ponds (0.1-0.3 ng L(-1)) or lakes (<0.1 ng L(-1)). High MeHg was measured in the bottom waters of Subarctic thaw ponds near Kuujjuarapik (0.1-3.1 ng L(-1)). High water MeHg concentrations in thaw ponds were strongly correlated with variables associated with high inputs of organic matter (DOC, a320, Fe), nutrients (TP, TN), and microbial activity (dissolved CO2 and CH4). Thawing permafrost due to Arctic warming will continue to release nutrients and organic carbon into these systems and increase ponding in some regions, likely stimulating higher water concentrations of MeHg. Greater hydrological connectivity from permafrost thawing may potentially increase transport of MeHg from thaw ponds to neighboring aquatic ecosystems.

Small thaw ponds: an unaccounted source of methane in the Canadian high Arctic.

Thawing permafrost in the Canadian Arctic tundra leads to peat erosion and slumping in narrow and shallow runnel ponds that surround more commonly studied polygonal ponds. Here we compared the methane production between runnel and polygonal ponds using stable isotope ratios, ¹4C signatures, and investigated potential methanogenic communities through high-throughput sequencing archaeal 16S rRNA genes. We found that runnel ponds had significantly higher methane and carbon dioxide emissions, produced from a slightly larger fraction of old carbon, compared to polygonal ponds. The methane stable isotopic signature indicated production through acetoclastic methanogenesis, but gene signatures from acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenic Archaea were detected in both polygonal and runnel ponds. We conclude that runnel ponds represent a source of methane from potentially older C, and that they contain methanogenic communities able to use diverse sources of carbon, increasing the risk of augmented methane release under a warmer climate.

Performance evaluation of phycocyanin probes for the monitoring of cyanobacteria.

The performance of two field probes (YSI 6600 and TriOS), used for the measurement of in vivo phycocyanin fluorescence, was compared and validated in the laboratory in 2008 and 2009 with cultures of Microcystis aeruginosa and field samples. The background noise of the two probes was low and the detection limits were estimated at 1500 cells mL(-1) for the YSI and 0.69 µg PC L(-1) for the TriOS. The linearity and repeatability of both probes have been excellent. Strong relationships were observed between the in vivo fluorescence and the total cyanobacterial biovolume (R(2) = 0.82 YSI; 0.83 TriOS) or the abundance (R(2) = 0.71 YSI; 0.75 TriOS) of cyanobacteria. However, the difference between cell densities determined by microscopy and measured by the YSI can be very large and has been associated to the variability of cell volume among cyanobacteria. This last observation makes the YSI a qualitative tool if a post-calibration is not done. The analysis of filtrated samples showed that dissolved phycocyanin (extracellular) may represent a significant fluorescence signal. No relationship could be established between the abundance, the total cyanobacterial biovolume or the in vivo fluorescence of phycocyanin and the concentrations of cyanotoxins (R(2) ≤ 0.22).

GROWTH AND PHOTOPROTECTION IN THREE DINOFLAGELLATES (INCLUDING TWO STRAINS OF ALEXANDRIUM TAMARENSE) AND ONE DIATOM EXPOSED TO FOUR WEEKS OF NATURAL AND ENHANCED ULTRAVIOLET-B RADIATION(1).

Long-term growth response to natural solar radiation with enhanced ultraviolet-B (UVB) exposure was examined in two species of dinoflagellates [Alexandrium tamarense (M. Lebour) Balech, At, and Heterocapsa triquetra (Ehrenb.) F. Stein, Ht], including two strains of A. tamarense, one from Spain and another from UK, and one diatom species (Thalassiosira pseudonana Hasle et Heimdal). We examined whether variable photoprotection (mycosporine-like amino acids [MAAs] and xanthophyll-cycle pigments) affected photosynthetic performance, phytoplankton light absorption, and growth. Growth rate was significantly reduced under enhanced UVB for the UK strain of At and for Ht (both grew very little) as well as for the diatom (that maintained high growth rates), but there was no effect for the Spanish strain of At. MAA concentration was high in the dinoflagellates, but undetectable in the diatom, which instead used the xanthophyll cycle for photoprotection. The highest cell concentrations of MAAs and photoprotective pigments were observed in the UK strain of At, along with lowest growth rates and Fv /Fm , indicating high stress levels. In contrast, the Spanish strain showed progressive acclimation to the experimental conditions, with no significant difference in growth between treatments. Increase in total MAAs followed linearly the cumulative UVB of the preceding day, and both total and primary MAAs were maintained at higher constitutive levels in this strain. Acclimation to enhanced UVB in the diatom resulted in an increase in PSII activity and reduction in nonphotochemical quenching, indicating an increased resistance to photoinhibition after a few weeks. All four species showed increased phytoplankton light absorption under enhanced UVB. Large intrastrain differences suggest a need to consider more closely intraspecific variability in UV studies.

Ultraviolet B-photoprotection efficiency of mesocosm-enclosed natural phytoplankton communities from different latitudes: Rimouski (Canada) and Ubatuba (Brazil).

Photoprotection against UV-B radiation (UVBR; 280-320 nm) was examined in natural phytoplankton communities from two coastal environments at different latitudes: temperate Rimouski (Canada) and tropical Ubatuba (Brazil). Mesocosm experiments were performed at these sites to examine the response of phytoplankton to increases in UVBR that corresponded to local depletions of 30% and 60% in atmospheric ozone levels (low and high UVBR treatments, respectively). A fluorescence method using a pulse amplitude modulation fluorometer (Xe-PAM, Walz, Germany) with selective UV filters was used to estimate photoprotection, and these results were compared with an index of mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA) concentrations determined using spectrophotometry of methanol extracts. The present study provided the first evidence, to our knowledge, of the suitability of this in vivo fluorescence method for the estimation of UV photoprotection efficiency in natural phytoplankton. No significant differences were found for most of the variables analyzed between the light treatments used at both sites, but differences were found between sites throughout the duration of the experiments. Vertical mixing, used to maintain cells in suspension, likely alleviated serious UVBR-induced damage during both experiments by reducing the length of time of exposure to the highest UVBR irradiances at the surface. In Rimouski, this was the main factor minimizing the effects of treatment, because optical properties of the coastal seawater rapidly attenuated UVBR throughout the water column of the ca 2 m deep mesocosms. In this location, synthesis of MAAs and photoprotective pigments likely contributed to the observed phototolerance of phytoplankton and, hence, to their growth; however, in a comparison of the UVBR treatments, these variables showed no differences. In Ubatuba, where nutrient concentrations were significantly lower than those in Rimouski, light attenuation was less than that in Rimouski and UVBR reached the bottom of the mesocosms. UVBR penetration and the forced vertical mixing of the cells, without the possibility of vertical migration below this photostress zone, resulted in photo-inhibition, because confinement in the mesocosms forced cells to remain constantly exposed to high levels of irradiance during the daytime. Hence, additional effects of UVBR were masked in this experiment, because cells were damaged too much and phytoplankton populations were rapidly declining. There was also an overall preservation of MAAs, in contrast with chlorophyll (Chl) degradation, in spite of the fact that this UV screening was not sufficient to counteract photo-inhibition, which suggests an important role for these molecules, either in the overall photoprotection strategy or in other physiological processes. Altogether, local water characteristics, namely attenuation, mixing, and nutrients concentration, can strongly modulate the photoprotection strategies used by natural phytoplankton populations in coastal environments.

Extremotrophs, extremophiles and broadband pigmentation strategies in a high arctic ice shelf ecosystem.

Remnant ice shelves along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada ( approximately 83 degrees N) provide a habitat for cryo-tolerant microbial mat communities. Bioassays of bacterial and primary production were undertaken to quantify the short-term physiological response of the mats to changes in key variables that characterize this cryo-ecosystem (salinity, irradiance and temperature). The heterotrophic versus autotrophic community responses to these stressors differed markedly. The heterotrophic bacteria were extremophilic and specifically adapted to ambient conditions on the ice shelf, whereas the autotrophic community had broader tolerance ranges and optima outside the ambient range. This latter, extremotrophic response may be partly due to a diverse suite of pigments including oligosaccharide mycosporine-like amino acids, scytonemins, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins and chlorophylls that absorb from the near UV-B to red wavelengths. These pigments provide a comprehensive broadband strategy for coping with the multiple stressors of high irradiance, variable salinity and low temperatures in this extreme cryo-environment.