BiinaagamiWarming temperatures in the St. Lawrence Seaway result in declining Oxygen levels
Warming temperatures beneath the surface of the St. Lawrence seaway may be contributing to low oxygen levels in the water, a condition known as hypoxia.
According to a recent report from a St. Lawrence monitoring program, researchers in the province of Quebec as well as the federal government, the health of the seaway remains delicate, with indicators of ecosystem health such as water temperature and dissolved oxygen showing troubling trends.
Monitoring of the deepwater seaway current temperatures in the St. Lawrence has been ongoing since 1915. The report indicates that temperatures of deepwater seaway currents are reaching record high levels, surpassing the previous record-warm year in 2015. This gradual warming of the deep waters beneath the St. Lawrence has paralleled a trending rise in hypoxia, suggesting warm temperatures may be one of many factors contributing to decreased oxygen levels in the water.
The St. Lawrence is comprised of a combination of cold waters from the Labrador Current mixed with warmer waters from the Gulf Stream, with the Gulf currents contributing more and more to the St. Lawrence Seaway. The report warns that this trend “can only worsen the hypoxia situation, since these waters are less rich in dissolved oxygen than the waters of the Labrador Current.”
“Glyphosate kills all”
A group called the TEK Elders from Anishinaabek Nations in the Robinson Huron Treaty area is calling on the province to put an end to using glyphosate in commercial forestry.
In early August they held a ceremony in Sagamok to launch a campaign on making the public aware of their concerns regarding glyphosate-based herbicides. In addition to calling on the province to stop using glyphosate in commercial forestry, twenty billboards with the slogan “Glyphosate Kills All”, are being installed throughout the Robinson-Huron Treaty area.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in a number of herbicides used for agriculture, forestry and industrial applications. Though the herbicide is approved for use by Health Canada, concerns about the impacts of glyphosate on both human and environmental health have been raised by a number of groups such as Stop the Spray Ontario, David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defence Canada, Friends of the Earth Canada, Safe Food Matters.
Feature Image: Daniel Spase
