A clean and healthy environment is essential to a good quality of life. The Earth Sciences Sector (ESS) is working to ensure that Canadians can enjoy the sustainable and beneficial use of our country's land and resources, now and in the future. ESS is undertaking ambitious projects that involve studying and mapping major Canadian groundwater aquifers, providing information to better assess climate change and its effects, and examining how metals are distributed in the ecosystem with a view to risk assessment. The Sector also contributes geoscience expertise to the federal environmental assessment review process and for resource assessments when new land-use designations are being considered.

The ESS Groundwater program is researching the quantity and natural quality of groundwater for the more than 10 million Canadians who rely on it for human, agricultural, and industrial use. Water-management agencies and well owners need accurate hydrogeological information, maps, publications, and models to help in their decision making. Currently under development, a partial national inventory will provide the information needed to ensure a reliable groundwater supply for Canadian communities. More information ...

Groundwater Expertise Used in National Water-Information Project

Environment Canada (EC) invited the Groundwater program of ESS to provide input for RésEau, a national web-based portal for the sharing, discovery, access and use of water-based information held by various governments and partners. In recognition of their work on regional aquifers and the national groundwater database, the program is providing science content expertise, advice and partnership support for existing and future RésEau groundwater-related deliverables. In addition, ESS will establish and maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Canadian groundwater community related to demonstration projects to increase awareness of, and foster interest in, RésEau.

Groundwater Program Contributes to Ontario Water Policy

At the request of the Ontario Minister of the Environment's Technical Experts Committee, the Groundwater program of ESS helped prepare a report on source water protection that was released December 6, 2004. This post-Walkerton initiative was undertaken to ensure that Ontario has a comprehensive, science-based program to safeguard its water resources, including the Great Lakes. Another goal of ESS is to create interest in source water policy in provincial and state governments across Canada and the US and in the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. This emphasis underscores the program's role in providing provincial partners and agencies with information related to water and waste management issues. Although source protection today focuses on "protecting the wellhead," future demands to better identify, map, and characterize groundwater recharge areas and watershed-scale flow systems will be an enormous challenge.

The goal of the research conducted by the Reducing Canada's Vulnerability to Climate Change (RCVCC) program of ESS is to assess how future climate conditions will affect the landscape in order to lessen the vulnerability of Canadians, their communities and the country's infrastructure to climate change. This work includes examining the capture and storage of carbon dioxide in geological and biological reservoirs and studying paleo-environmental records to determine the impact of past climates. RCVCC is also providing remote sensing and other geoscience information for impact assessment and is supporting the development of adaptation strategies to reduce climate change impact at the national, regional and local scales. Results are published in scientific and plain-language reports, and new information is used for hazard reduction and sustainable management planning. More information ...

ESS Contributes to International Climate Change Research

RCVCC scientists contributed to and reviewed the International Arctic Climate Impacts Assessment (ACIA) released in Reykjavik, Iceland in November 2004. This Assessment is a joint international project of the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee to evaluate and synthesize knowledge on climate variability, climate change, and increased ultraviolet radiation and their consequences. The ACIA is the first comprehensive, integrated assessment of climate change and ultraviolet (UV) radiation across the entire Arctic region. Its results are expected to serve as an important element of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) due in 2007. The IPCC was established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts, and options for adaptation and mitigation.

Provinces and Municipalities Use ESS Results in Climate Change Planning

Several RCVCC initiatives have involved assisting provinces and municipalities to deal prudently with Canada's changing climate. For example, in collaboration with the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), RCVCC scientists have published information on-line to help planners assess the vulnerability of Canadian municipalities to climate change. Located on the CIP website, "Planning for Climate Change" also equips municipalities to design adaptation strategies. In addition, an RCVCC presentation during the 2004 InfraGuide National Forum encouraged municipalities to include ESS climate change impact results in their planning. A presentation on municipal case studies and the impacts of climate change on infrastructure was also given at the 2004 Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) annual conference and exhibition.

Remote Sensing Systems Monitor Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

RCVCC has successfully promoted the use of remote sensing technology to monitor carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and better equip Canada to meet its reporting obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. For example, ESS scientists are coordinating an international research team to develop advanced techniques for monitoring atmospheric carbon dioxide using data from Earth observation satellites. These techniques will help scientists understand atmospheric carbon and carbon cycles over forests in Canada, Europe, and Russia. ESS also helped develop a joint statement of cooperation between Canadian and American carbon-cycle research communities. In addition, ESS scientists and specialists from Canada's remote sensing industry documented, measured, and sampled vegetation along the Dempster Highway in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The resulting extensive database will be used to develop methods for monitoring and assessing terrestrial carbon fluxes in Canada's North.

Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Northern Community Structures

ESS scientists are leading a number of climate change impact studies in the North. These studies include work on: degrading permafrost and road foundations with the Government of the Northwest Territories, sea ice in the Northwest Passage, and rising sea level and related coastal flooding and erosion hazards in Arctic communities. The RCVCC program is also working with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami to develop assessment tools for decision-making on adaptation to northern climate changes.

Metals exist in the environment because of both natural geochemical processes and human activities. Under the Metals in the Environment (MITE) program, ESS is investigating how specific metals enter the ecosystem to help regulating bodies better assess risks associated with metals and reduce their impact. MITE is conducting research in three areas: comparing natural vs. anthropogenic metal sources, describing metal concentrations across Canada, and helping identify locations where natural variations may pose a risk by defining background levels. ESS delivers the MITE program in partnership with other federal government departments that have specific responsibilities regarding toxic substances, as well as with provincial and territorial agencies and academia. More information ...

Collaboration with Health Canada Reduces Metal-exposure Risks

The MITE program of ESS is working with Health Canada to ensure that Canadians avoid unsafe levels of certain metals such as mercury, arsenic, lead and nickel. By establishing baseline levels of these metals against which sites may be assessed, researchers can flag areas where geochemical levels exceed acceptable standards. The responsible agencies can then take steps to reduce the risks associated with these metals. The program has compiled more than 300 geochemical surveys, mainly from federal and provincial publications. These surveys are available as GSC Open File Reports both on CD and on line, and include guidelines for readers on interpreting the data.

Multidisciplinary Project Uncovers Health Risks Associated with Abandoned Mines

Working with researchers from three other federal departments, MITE is identifying and characterizing the geochemical environment around abandoned mines. Specifically, an inter-disciplinary project team studied the levels of mercury and arsenic dispersed from abandoned gold mines in Nova Scotia. The researchers collected samples of rocks, water, and soil and then analyzed these samples for concentrations of metals as well as other geochemical properties. With this data, regulating bodies can then assess the potential health risks and develop risk management strategies, if necessary.

Under the Legislated Environmental and Resource Assessment (LERA) program, ESS provides expertise in federal environmental assessment reviews under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). This expertise is vital to the full evaluation, mitigation and decisions related to potential environmental impacts of development projects. Through LERA, mineral and energy resource assessments are provided to ensure that the economic and strategic significance of non-renewable resources are considered in federal decisions to establish protected areas, such as national parks and national marine conservation areas, on lands under federal jurisdiction.

Supporting Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development Decision-making

As part of the environmental assessment process, ESS scientists contributed their expertise to more than 50 development project reviews in 2004-2005. These reviews involved mines, hydro, wind and nuclear energy developments, liquefied natural gas facilities, recreational facilities, linear infrastructure and urban and industrial waste disposal plants. For example, LERA led the review of the hydrogeology aspects of the Victor Diamond Project - the first proposed diamond mine in the James Bay Lowlands of northern Ontario. Groundwater quality and quantity were important considerations in the assessment of the impacts of the dewatering of this proposed open pit mine on the surrounding wetlands.

Making Informed Decisions about Establishing Protected Areas

Working collaboratively through interdepartmental and inter-agency committees, the LERA program of ESS helps ensure that mineral and energy resource assessments are conducted and considered in the decision-making processes related to protected areas under federal jurisdiction. In 2004, ESS scientists completed the hydrocarbon resource assessments for the proposed Beaufort Sea Marine Protected Area and the proposed Scott Island Marine Wildlife Area off the west coast. In addition, an agreement was signed between Parks Canada and ESS to initiate a mineral resources assessment for the proposed expansion of the Nahanni National Park Reserve. This assessment is part of the park expansion feasibility study as agreed to by the Deh Cho First Nations and Parks Canada.