Arctic ecosystems, lac Léman and the limnology of global change
Event details
| Date | 24.01.2012 |
| Hour | 16:15 |
| Speaker | Dr Warwick F., VINCENT, Centre d’études nordiques (CEN), Université Laval, Québec City (CA) |
| Location |
GR A3 32
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
The year 2012 marks 100 years since the passing away of François-Alfonse Forel, and 120 years since publication of the first volume in his three volume treatise that founded Limnology as "l'océanographie des lacs" (Forel, F.-A. 1892. Le Léman - Monographie Limnologique, Tome I; F. Rouge, éditeur, Lausanne, page vi). His research on lac Léman encompassed a broad sweep of limnological topics ranging from fundamental work on hydrodynamics, underwater light and microbiology, to ecosystem services and the relationship between human activities and the lake. More than a century later, these continue to be major themes at the frontiers of limnological research, but in ways that Forel could never imagine: satellite remote sensing of lake thermal regime and colour, genomic analysis of microbial community structure and biogeochemical function, and the impacts of human activities at a global scale. This talk illustrates these themes via examples of our limnological research in the Arctic, a region that is currently warming at rates more than twice the global average. The remarkably diverse aquatic ecosystems of this region are responding in different ways, from expansion of permafrost thaw lakes (with potential feedback effects on the global climate system), to abrupt step-like changes that are driving some ecosystem types to the brink of extinction. Analogous to Forel's multidisciplinary approach, Integrated Regional Impact Studies (IRIS's) are now being applied to the Canadian Arctic to help manage this vast area in the face of rapid environmental change.
Links
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Contact
- Prof. Marc Parlange, ENAC