UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA DECEMBER 2020

The Record The 2020 newsletter for the Blais lab; Issue 4

An unforgettable year The SARS CoV-2 (Corona virus) pandemic interrupted all aspects of our lives in 2020, but this year also showed the extent of people’s resilience. No summary of 2020 can overlook the impacts that the Corona virus had on society and our daily lives, but people also showed how they can overcome adversity in dark times. Cities came to a halt in 2020, as illustrated in this top image of Ottawa’s Heart and Crown in the Byward Market colourfully boarded up with messages of hope for a rapid return to normal. The University of Ottawa campus went into lockdown for a period of time and most of our lab’s field plans were temporarily shelved, including 2020 in photos: Top image of the Byward a return to the Arctic that was arranged for July Market is by Jules Blais, Bottom left image is by Edwin Hooper, and right image is a 2020 but not realized. Nevertheless, life went on! We depiction of the Corona virus provided by continued our work with a flurry of new research the Centres of Disease Control (USA). projects and new publications, and many from our group defended theses and moved on to new jobs and new locations. We continued our research, moved our courses and meetings online, kept in contact virtually via computer screens, and made things work as best we could despite the difficult circumstances. As of this writing in December 2020, new Corona virus vaccines developed within the last year are already being distributed to health care workers and residents of long term care homes, two of the most affected groups during this past year’s pandemic. Thanks to science and its universal methods of gathering evidence, a devastating and deadly global pandemic is already being fought back in 2020 and, RESEARCH FIELD SITES MISCELLANEOUS with luck, will be defeated VIGNETTES in the near future. The Northern Ontario and Doing research message? Science works! Cultus Lake, British Pacific salmon lakes through a global Columbia and radioisotopes in pandemic northern Canada

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Who we are in 2020:

Jules Blais, Professor Sawyer Stoyanovich, PhD Candidate

Linda Kimpe, Lab Madison Bell, PhD Manager Candidate

David Eickmeyer, Jennifer Keir, PhD Lab Analyst Candidate

Braden Gregory, Jennifer Kissinger, Postdoctoral Fellow PhD Candidate

Leslie Saunders, Postdoctoral Fellow Daniel Dagodzo, PhD Candidate

Philippe Thomas, Jonathan Seguin, MSc PhD Candidate Candidate

Lauren Gallant, PhD Kirsten Smythe, MSc Candidate Candidate

Mija Azdajic, PhD Adriana Ratz, MSc Candidate Candidate

Cynthia Cheney, PhD Stephanie Walsh, MSc Candidate Candidate

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Studying radioisotopes in soils and plants in Canada’s north Stephanie Walsh is starting a partnership between our lab and Chalk River Nuclear laboratories to better understand how radioisotopes reach remote northern environments.

Radioactive elements are found in all reaches of the globe. Although some are naturally October 2020: Stephanie Walsh doing field work in Northern Ontario occurring, like radon-222, which is part of the uranium decay series, others are released from human activities such as nuclear weapons water chemistry on radionuclide transfer to testing, uranium mines, or from nuclear plants from soil. Her first field season involved reactors. three trips to northern Ontario and Quebec, where she collected soils, plankton, surface Soil type and surface water chemistry can have water, vegetation and food web samples. These a major impact on how contaminants move in samples will be analyzed for a variety of terrestrial and aquatic environments. However, radionuclides, trace metals, stable isotopes and little is known about the behaviour and physiochemical properties. transport of radionuclides in northern and Arctic regions of Canada to to their remoteness In the laboratory, Stephanie focused on and distinctiveness. optimizing a rapid method for polonium-210 (210Po) in environmental samples. 210Po is a Recently, northern environments are seeing a naturally occurring alpha emitting radionuclide sharp increase of uranium mining and the with a high specific activity per unit mass and a deployment of small nuclear power stations, relatively short half-life, making it one of the known as small modular reactors (SMRs). It is most toxic nuclides found in the environment. therefore essential to better understand and Despite its potential hazards, it is one of the anticipate the key factors that determine least studied radionuclides. Its chemistry still radionuclide transport and accumulation in the remains unclear and knowledge gaps exist environment and the potential effects to human regarding how it interacts and moves in and non-human biota in these regions. dynamic ecosystems. With her optimized method in place, Stephanie plans to track this Stephanie Walsh, a new MSc student in our lab elusive radionuclide to determine its ultimate working with Dr. David Rowan at the Chalk behaviour and fate in different northern River Nuclear Laboratories, is studying the environments and food webs. influence of geology, land cover, and surface

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A FAREWELL DINNER March 2020: A celebratory dinner for Lauren Gallant’s successful PhD thesis defence at Johnnie Farina’s in Ottawa on March 11, 2020. A lockdown spanning all of North America would come within days after this photo was taken. This occasion would be the last for this cohort to gather together because many would move on to other locales in the coming months.

From left, Cynthia Cheney, Linda Kimpe, Madison Bell, Gabriel Brunet, Lauren Gallant, Ann Tran, Julie Bilodeau, Brayden Gregory, Sawyer Stoyanovich, Jonathan Séguin, Leslie Saunders, Kirsten Smythe, Jennifer Kissinger, Joe Bruyère, Jennifer Keir (Bruyère), Kyle Helm, Jules Blais, Davin Salo.

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OUR TRADITION TO TAKE HOME PRIZES CONTINUED IN 2020, ALBEIT IN VIRTUAL SETTINGS As in previous years, the recognitions for lab members kept coming.

For example, The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs named Jennifer Keir their “Fire Researcher of the Year” in 2020. The image below shows Jennifer accepting this recognition in an online ceremony.

Sawyer Stoyanovich received First Place in the Virtual Student Presentation Competition at the Canadian Ecotoxicity Workshop on October 10, 2020.

Stephanie Walsh participated in a “Three Minute to Impact” challenge at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in Chalk River, where 12 participants in the Science and Technology field had 3 minutes and up to 3 slides to convey the importance of their work. Stephanie was awarded first place for the most impactful presentation on the behaviour and ultimate fate of polonium-210 in freshwater environments of Canada.

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IN 2020, WE EXPANDED OUR PUBLIC OUTREACH TO A BROADER AUDIENCE Scientists are under increasing pressure to communicate their work to the public for good reason. Improved communication of science increases public knowledge and appreciation for science, promotes sharing of recent findings, and helps to show how science can influence society and public policy, to name a few benefits. One common goal of science communication is to give people the information they need to make better decisions about their lives and society.

This year, our group ramped up our science communication efforts in several ways. For example, Sawyer Stoyanovich co-wrote an article in The Conversation on our research involving the effects of a simulated oil spill on lakes at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area, and this article had a remarkable reception. The article entitled “Why scientists intentionally spilled oil into a Canadian lake” was listed among the 10 most accessed environmental science articles in 2020 in the SETAC Multibrief published on December 31, 2020.

See: https://multibriefs.com/briefs/SETAC/SETAC123120.php

The article in The Conversation can be accessed here:

https://theconversation.com/why-scientists-intentionally-spilled-oil-into-a-canadian-lake-132077

(An excerpt of the article in The Conversation.)

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EXPLORING NEW WAYS TO COMMUNICATE OUR RESEARCH TO THE PUBLIC

Jennifer Kissinger co-wrote an article in Lakeline in summer 2020 on how she participated in a community science project to study the environmental consequences of mink farms on watersheds in Nova Scotia. Lakeline is the official publication of the North American Lake Management Society.

(An excerpt of the article in Lakeline)

Jennifer Kissinger also contributed photos to “Images of Arctic Science”, a book intended to provide a visual impression of Arctic Science in pictures. The book featured one of Jennifer’s photos, seen here.

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Tracking Pacific with added nutrients from the watershed, these salmon and water factors contribute to increased algal production, leading to periods of low dissolved oxygen in quality in British the deep water layers due to increased Columbia lakes. decomposition of algae and other organic We are starting new collaborations materials by microbes. This ‘seasonal anoxia’ can be toxic to Cultus Lake’s Coast range with fisheries scientists in British Sculpin and Sockeye Salmon populations, both Columbia to better understand why of which are listed as Species At Risk. Pacific salmon are in decline. While anoxia poses a direct threat to both species, we are now looking at how seasonal Pacific salmon are an integral part of the Pacific oxygen depletion near the bottom sediments Northwest region of North America. These sediment may lead to internal loading of iconic animals make up part of the ecological, contaminants like heavy metals. With the help cultural, and economic landscape of the region, of DFO’s Lake Research Program, we began yet are vulnerable to the effects of exploitation, water and sediment sampling this fall. A better climate variability, habitat degradation, and understanding of contaminant dynamics could myriad other factors. Scientists increasingly inform decisions on nutrient abatement and recognize the importance of climate variability, contaminant exposure by salmon and other habitat destruction, and pollution on Pacific species at risk in the region. salmon abundance, but understanding these drivers is hampered by population surveys that only extend back a few decades. This limitation restricts our ability to understand, plan, and manage Pacific salmon and fisheries in the face of an increasingly variable and changing environment.

To learn more about the effects of climate and environmental impacts on Pacific salmon populations, we are starting a collaboration with fisheries scientists in British Columbia to assess how climate variability relates to changes in Pacific salmon returns and how recent algal blooms are affecting critical deep-water habitat in Cultus Lake, British Columbia, a historically October 2020. A view of Cultus Lake, pristine lake that is projected to have more British Columbia, from a research vessel frequent algal blooms in the future. Warmer operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada temperatures have prolonged the period of (Photo: Raphael Siegel). thermal stratification, which is where warm water overlies cooler bottom water. Combined

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OUR GRADUATES ARE MOVING ON TO NEW POSITIONS! Kirsten Smythe starting work in the Yukon – and a new position at Golder as an environmental risk assessor for northern mines.

October 2020: Kirsten Smythe at a field site in Yukon Territory.

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MAKING THE WORLD MORE SUSTAINABLE ONE GLOVE AT A TIME! Mija Azdajic noticed how many nitrile gloves she was throwing away in the course of a day and decided to do something about it! After reaching out to Jonathan Rausseo of the University of Ottawa’s Office of Campus Sustainability, Mija started a pilot project in our lab to recycle nitrile gloves. The university contributed a TerraCycle box (which normally runs for about $300, displayed proudly by David Eickmeyer), the first of its kind on campus to recycle nitrile gloves. The gloves are later washed, frozen, pulverized, and made into things like frisbees, park benches, and watering cans. We hope to see Mija’s initiative spread to every lab on campus.

CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO DEFENDED THEIR THESES IN 2020! Phil Thomas, PhD (Now a Research Scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada in Ottawa, ON).

Lauren Gallant, PhD (Now a postdoc with Health Canada in Ottawa, ON).

Madison Bell, PhD (Now a postdoc with Health Canada in Ottawa, ON).

Kirsten Smythe, MSc (Now an environmental consultant with Golder in Whitehorse, YT).

Jonathan Séguin, MSc (defended in early 2021, now an environmental consultant with Eastern Canada Response Corporation in Sarnia, ON).

Also Leslie Saunders started a new postdoc working with Frank Wania at the University of Toronto.

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FAMILY NEWS: LAURIANN BRUYÈRE BORN AUGUST 8, 2020! Congratulations Jen and Jo!

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A taste of research in 2020…

Summer and fall 2020: Masks and social distancing were the way things went down in this most unusual year.

March 2020. With new lockdown measures in place on the university July 2020: Lab meetings were held campus, Cynthia moved her daphnia virtually from March through December as cultures to her home. a means to stay connected.

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Publications in 2020: Thienpont J, Eickmeyer D, Kimpe LE, Blais JM. 2020. Thermokarst disturbance drives Duda MP, Allen-Mahé S, Barbraud C, Boudreau concentration and composition of metals and A, Bryant R, Blais JM, Grooms C, Delord K, polycyclic aromatic compounds in lakes of the Kimpe LE, Letournel B, Lim JE, Lormée H, western Canadian Arctic. Journal Geophysical Michelutti N, Robertson GJ, Urtizbéréa F, Research https://doi.org/ Wilhelm SI, Smol JP. 2020. Linking 19th century 10.1029/2020JG005834 European settlement to the disruption of a seabird’s natural population dynamics. Proc. Korosi JB, Thienpont JR, Eickmeyer DC, Kimpe Nat. Acad. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas. LE, Blais JM. 2020. A paleolimnological 2016811117 approach for interpreting Aquatic Effects Monitoring at the Diavik Diamond Mine (Lac de Stewart EM, Hargan KE, Michelutti N, Kimpe Gras, Northwest Territories, Canada). Lake and LE, Blais JM, Smol JP. 2020. The impacts of Reservoir Management https://doi.org/ waterbird-mediated elemental enrichment on 10.1080/10402381.2020.1777232 chironomid assemblages on islands in Lake Ontario. Fundamental and Applied Limnology Gallant LR, Kimpe LE, Hargan KE, Blais JM. 194/2: 107-124. https://doi.org/10.1127/fal/ 2020. Tracking the history of cultural 2020/1328 eutrophication in High Arctic waterbodies. Anthropocene 100250, https://doi.org/ Bell MA, Blais JM. 2020. Paleolimnology in 10.1016/j.ancene.2020.100250 support of archeology: a review of past investigations and a proposed framework for Bell MA, Overy D, Blais JM. 2020. A continental future study design. Journal of Paleolimnology scale spatial investigation of lake sediment https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-020-00156-8 organic carbon compositions using sedimentomics. Science of the Total Environment Bogdanowicz W, Worobiec E, Grooms C, Kimpe 719: 137746. https://doi.org/10.1016/ LE, Smol JP, Stewart RF, Suchecka E, Pomorski j.scitotenv.2020.137746 JJ, Blais JM, Clare EL, Fenton MB. 2020. Pollen assemblage and environmental DNA changes: a Cheney CL, Eccles KM, Kimpe LE, Thienpont JR, 4300-year-old bat guano deposit from Jamaica. Korosi JB, Blais JM. 2020. Determining the Quaternary International 558: 47-58. https:// effects of past gold mining using a sediment doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2020.09.003 palaeotoxicity model. Science of the Total Environment 718: 137308. https://doi.org/ Tanamal C, Blais JM, Yumvihoze E, Chan HM. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137308 2020. Health risk assessment of inorganic arsenic exposure through fish consumption in Sivarajah B, Cheney C, Perrett M, Kimpe LE, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Blais JM, Smol JP. 2020. Regional gold mining Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An activities and recent climate warming alter International Journal https://doi.org/ diatom assemblages in deep sub-Arctic lakes. 10.1080/10807039.2020.1799187

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Polar Biology, https://doi.org/10.1007/ 779-788. https://doi.org/10.1139/ s00300-020-02635-0 cjfas-2019-0224

Duda MP, Glew JR, Michelutti N, Robertson GJ, Gallant LR, Grooms C, Kimpe LE, Smol JP, Kissinger J, Eickmeyer DC, Blais JM, Smol JP. Bogdanowicz W, Stewart RS, Clare EL, Fenton 2020. Long-term changes in terrestrial BM, Blais JM. 2020. A bat guano deposit in vegetation driven by shifts in a colonial seabird Jamaica recorded agricultural changes and population. Ecosystems. https://doi.org/ metal exposure over the last > 4,300 years. 10.1007/s10021-020-00494-8 Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 538: 109470. https://doi.org/ Keir JLA, Cakmak S, Blais JM, White PA. 2020. 10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.109470 The influence of demographic and lifestyle factors on urinary levels of PAH metabolites - Keir JLA, Akhtar US, Matschke DMJ, White PA, empirical analyses of Cycle 2 (2009-2011) Kirkham TL, Chan, Blais JM. 2020. Polycyclic CHMS data. Journal of Exposure Science and aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and metal Environmental Epidemiology, https://doi.org/ contamination of air and surfaces exposed to 10.1038/s41370-020-0208-4 combustion emissions during emergency fire suppression: Implications for firefighters’ Duda MP, Robertson GJ, Lim JE, Kissinger JA, exposures. Science of the Total Environment Eickmeyer DC, Grooms C, Kimpe LE, 698:134211. https://doi.org/10.1016/ Montevecchi WA, Michelutti N, Blais JM, Smol j.scitotenv.2019.134211 JP. 2020. Striking millennial-scale changes in the population size of a threatened seabird. Conference Proceedings of the Royal Society B 20192234 presentations in 2020: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2234 Cheney C, Eccles K, Kimpe LE, Lehnherr I, Blais Azdajic M, Belzile N, Gunn J, Blais JM, Poulain JM. Spatiotemporal Trends of Mercury AP. 2020. Effects of a decade of selenium Deposition in Sub-arctic Lakes Influenced by emission reductions on mercury accumulation Historic Gold Mining Activities. Presented to the in aquatic biota. Canadian Journal of Fisheries 41st Annual Meeting for the Society of and Aquatic Science 77: 848-856. https:// Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2019-0196 (North America) in Fort Worth Texas, Nov. 15-19, 2020. Cederwall J, Black T, Blais JM, Hanson M, Hollebone B, Palace V, Rodriguez-Gil JL, Greer Kissinger J, Eickmeyer D, Kimpe LE, Kurek J, C, Maynard C, Ortmann A, Rooney R, Orihel D. Smol JP, Blais JM. Tracking past inputs from 2020. Life under an oil slick: Response of a mink farms using lake sediment cores in freshwater food web to simulated spills of southwestern Nova Scotia. Presented to the diluted bitumen in field mesocosms. Canadian 41st Annual Meeting for the Society of Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 77: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

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(North America) in Fort Worth Texas, Nov. Smythe KK, Cooke CA, Drevnick PE, Cornett RJ, 15-19, 2020. Blais JM. Are Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PACs) and Other Petrogenic Compounds Séguin JY, Mason J, Hanson M, Hollebone BP, Enriched in Lake Sediments Near Cold Lake, Orihel DM, Palace VP, Luis Rodriguez-Gil J, Blais Alberta? Presented to the 41st Annual Meeting JM. Bioaccumulation and Toxicokinetics of for the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds and Metals in Chemistry (North America) in Fort Worth Texas, Giant Floater Mussels (Pyganodon grandis) Nov. 15-19, 2020. Exposed to a Simulated Diluted Bitumen Spill. Presented to the 41st Annual Meeting for the Stoyanovich SS, Rodriguez-Gil JL, Hanson M, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Hollebone BP, Orihel DM, Palace V, Kimpe LE Chemistry (North America) in Fort Worth Texas, Blais JM. Chemical and physical fate and Nov. 15-19, 2020. behaviour of diluted bitumen in simulated freshwater systems. Presented to the Stoyanovich SS, Minaghi FS, Hanson M, International Association of Great Lakes Hollebone BP, Orihel DM, Palace V, Rodriguez- Research Virtual Conference. June 9-11, 2020. Gil JL, Faragher R, Yang Z, Shah K, Blais JM. Simulating dilbit spills in a model freshwater Duda MP, Letournel B, Robertson GJ, Lim JE, ecosystem. Presented to the Canadian Kimpe LE, Michelutti N, Blais JM, Smol JP. Ecotoxicity Workshop Virtual Conference. Tracking ~5,800 years of natural seabird October 10, 2020. population dynamics and the impacts of European settlement on St. Pierre and Saunders LJ, Rodriguez-Gil JL, Stoyanovich SS, Miquelon, Atlantic Canada. Paleolimnology Hanson M, Hollebone BP, Orihel DM, Palace V, Symposium (PALS) meeting in Sackville New Kimpe LE, Blais JM. Effect of spilled diluted Brunswick, May 12-16, 2020. bitumen on chemical air-water exchange in experimental lake enclosures. Presented to the Smythe KK, Cooke CA, Drevnik PE, Cornett RJ, 41st Annual Meeting for the Society of Blais JM. Are Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Enriched in lake sediments near In-Situ Oil (North America) in Fort Worth Texas, Nov. Sands Operations in Alberta? Paleolimnology 15-19, 2020. Symposium (PALS) meeting in Sackville New Brunswick, May 12-16, 2020. Saunders LJ, Hanson M, Hollebone BP, Orihel DM, Palace V, Rodriguez-Gil JL, Blais JM. Aranda-Rodriguez R, Keir J, Harvie J, Development of an environmental fate model Wawrzynczak A, Papas W, White P, Blais JM. Use for spills of diluted bitumen in freshwater lakes. of Silicone Wristbands to Assess Occupational Presented to the 41st Annual Meeting for the Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Society of Environmental Toxicology and by Firefighters. Poster presentation at the Chemistry (North America) in Fort Worth Texas, Health Canada Science Forum in Ottawa, Jan. Nov. 15-19, 2020. 20-21, 2020.

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Duda MP, Robertson GJ, Grooms C, Lim JE, Kissinger J, Eickmeyer DC, Montevecchi WA, Kimpe LE, Michelutti N, Blais JM, Smol JP. Assessing millennial-scale changes in seabird colony size using paleoenvironmental techniques: Case studies of Leach’s Storm- petrels in Eastern North America. Presented at the 3rd World Seabird Conference in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, Oct. 19-23, 2020.

Kissinger J, Gregory B, Eickmeyer D, Kimpe LE, Kurek J, Smol JP, Blais JM. Tracking past inputs from mink farms using lake sediment cores in southwestern Nova Scotia. Presented at the Canada Conference for Fisheries Research/ Society of Canadian Limnologists Meeting in Halifax NS, Jan 2-5, 2020.

Stewart E, Hargan K, Sivarajah B, Kimpe L, Blais J, and Smol J. A paleoenvironmental study tracking eutrophication, metal pollution, and climate change in Niven Lake (NT), Yellowknife’s first sewage lagoon. Presented at the 2020 joint meeting of the Canadian Conference on Freshwater Fisheries Research and the Society of Canadian Limnologists; Halifax, Nova Scotia; January 3, 2020.

Coleman, K., Michelutti, N., Bell, T., Blais, J., and Smol, J. Assessing the impacts of Dorset Palaeoeskimo on freshwater ecosystems at Port au Choix, Newfoundland using paleolimnology. Presented at the 2020 joint meeting of the Canadian Conference on Freshwater Fisheries Research and the Society of Canadian Limnologists; Halifax, Nova Scotia; January 5, 2020.

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