Climate change, microplastics pose threat to Georgian Bay, Severn Sound watershed
Aisha Chiandet, a water scientist with the Severn Sound Environmental Association, uses a variety of devices to monitor water quality. A Secchi disk (pictured) is a standard tool used to measure water clarity. – Andrew Mendler/Metroland
From Simcoe.com, April 19, 2022
By Andrew Mendler
Rising water temperatures and pollutants such as microplastics and road salt are threatening the health of Georgian Bay.
Staff with the Severn Sound Environmental Association (SSEA) regularly monitor the lakes, rivers and bays around the towns of Midland and Penetanguishene and townships of Georgian Bay, Oro-Medonte, Severn, Springwater, Tay and Tiny. Lately, they’ve begun to notice some concerning trends.
“Out in the open waters of Severn Sound (Georgian Bay) we’ve seen about a two-degree increase in water temperature over the last 50 years. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s an average over the entire water body, so it’s pretty substantial,” said Aisha Chiandet, a water scientist with the SSEA.
Along with checking water temperature and clarity, staff analyze levels of ammonia, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, chloride, sodium, heavy metals, pH and alkalinity, as well as algae and zooplankton.
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