Insight

Distilling Science at the Experimental Lakes Area: Climate change and water

By Karla Zubrycki, Karla Zubrycki, Garth Hardy, Joel Trenaman, Build Films on June 10, 2014

This video describes research being conducted at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA), Canada, into the effects of climate change on lake ecosystems. It is part of a five-part series (Distilling Science) that highlights the range and importance of research done at the facility.

One highlighted experiment, scheduled to run until 2015, involves reducing water flows into an ELA lake (Lake 626) to mimic conditions that may be seen with climate change. The effects of climate change on such lakes could include reduced habitat for coldwater fish species such as lake trout, changes in fish species available as food, and decreased water availability for societal uses such as electricity generation and industrial processing. The video also underscores the value of the data produced by ELA research over the past 44 years and its critical role in developing climate change models.

In April 2014, IISD took over management of the ELA.

To support this work, consider making a donation, or to learn more, visit http://www.iisd.org/ela/.