SCIENCE TEASERS

DO FUNGI PUT THE BLUE IN BLUEBERRY?

It's the small stuff that ends up getting taken for granted. For instance, the invisible fungi that live in acidic soils probably play a key role in the cultivation of lowbush blueberries, but no one has yet spent the time and effort figuring out exactly what that role is. To correct this oversight, scientists at Kentville are identifying and documenting the biodiversity of soil fungi. So far, they have found high numbers of unusually high heat-resistant fungi that are unique to blueberry soils.

Contact:
Dr. Nancy Nickerson,
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,
(902) 679-5710

EXPLONET

In consultation with provincial educators in Nova Scotia and British Columbia, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has developed EXPLONET, an Internet-delivered fireworks and explosives safety module for schools. The module, which consists of eight lessons geared for grades four to six, will be piloted in Vancouver and Sydney. On successful demonstration, the package will be made available to all schools via the www and will be a useful tool to disseminate information and raise the level of awareness about fireworks and explosives health and safety issues.

Contact:
Dave McCulloch,
Natural Resources Canada,
(613) 995-8995

Y2K MISSION CRITICAL

Preparing for the Year 2000 is an enormous challenge and has many different components. Environment Canada is working around the clock to get ready for the new millennium, taking inventories, testing, fixing, replacing and contingency planning for the year 2000 date roll-over. Environment Canada is also making sure that regulated industries are aware of the potential risk for a year 2000-related system failure, and that such a failure could put them in contravention of regulations that protect the environment. Letters are going out to these industries along with factsheets and a Notice is being placed in the Canada Gazette. More information is also available on Environment Canada's Year 2000 web site on the Green Lane at http://www.ec.gc.ca/year2000. Other year 2000 work under way at Environment Canada includes the "government-wide mission-critical" Environmental Forecasting System, and steps to make sure the instrumentation in the department's facilities, laboratories and other scientific equipment is also compliant.

Contacts:
Ed Norenna, Environment Canada, (819) 953-3090
Vic Shantora, Environment Canada, (819) 953-1114

STUDYING POLYNYAS

An international team of scientists spent this past summer on board a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker. The 100-day mission in the eastern Arctic was to study polynyas - regions of either thin ice or open water, surrounded by thicker ice, in the Arctic Ocean. The research was to discover the physical mechanisms that open up polynyas, and determine links to the high biological productivity found in this area. Results will also be examined to see if polynyas play a role in global climate change, and if they help reduce the greenhouse effect by pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the oceans. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans, National Defence, Environment Canada and the Natural Sciences and Research Engineering Council, as well as several Canadian universities are involved in the project. The icebreaker mission is part of a four-year, $34 million international study.

Contact:Ed Owen,
Fisheries and Oceans,
(613) 990-0210

AQUIFERS

Water resources could be a strategic commodity under climate change. NRCan is leading the investigation of the water supply for the Winnipeg area. Working with the Manitoba Water Resources Branch, Manitoba Geological Surveys Branch, the University of Manitoba and Queens University, NRCan is tracking ground water and aquifers -- source areas, rate of movement, age of the water and pollutants. Aquifers could be in danger if the climate warms up.

Contact:
Christy Vodden,
Natural Resources Canada,
(613) 995-3084

Departmental Contacts:

Fisheries and Oceans:
Ed Owen, (613) 990-0210

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada:
Jo-Ann Butler, (613) 759-1754

Natural Resources Canada:
Marianne Quain, (613) 947-3160

Environment Canada:
Lyne Lepage, (819) 953-2828.