Characterizing vulnerability of northern freshwater ecosystems to climate variation and airborne pollution

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Remote water-rich landscapes in northern Canada provide important wildlife habitat and sustain Indigenous and local northern communities yet are highly vulnerable to climate change. Climate-driven changes at a remote northern freshwater oasis threaten conservation efforts for the critically endangered Whooping Crane, North America's tallest bird and one of the world's rarest birds. Due to its small population and wetland habitat requirements, Whooping Crane nearly went extinct (16 in 1941). The only active Whooping Crane breeding area is a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Whooping Crane nest near shallow ponds that provide preferred food, nest material and long sight lines to detect predators. In dry years, drawdown of ponds reduces Whooping Crane production by increasing nest predation and reducing food supply. In wet years, water-level rise inundates nests, reducing hatching success. Nesting success and nest locations have been recorded since 1966 but variation over space and time in hydrological and ecological conditions of the ponds remains completely unknown. Long-distance transport of contaminants also raises concern. Anthropogenic particles (microplastics, microfibers) are an emerging class of contaminants of concern, and freshwater birds in NWT have been shown to have comparable concentrations to birds in southern Canada. Also, the breeding area may be within reach of far-field legacy emissions of toxic arsenic from gold mines at Yellowknife and mercury is a concern because deposition remains near peak levels across northern Canada. The proposed research will improve understanding of natural and human-caused processes regulating aquatic ecosystems in northern Canada by integrating systematic landscape-scale contemporary hydro-ecological measurements with long term records from analysis of sediment cores. The short-term goal is to characterize water resource vulnerability to climate change and contaminant deposition at the last remaining natural breeding habitat for the critically endangered Whooping Crane. I will strive to transition the research to an agency-led long-term monitoring program that involves local and Indigenous people in meaningful roles, as I've achieved elsewhere. Findings will inform the WBNP Action Plan and strategies by federal and local agencies to conserve the critically endangered Whooping Crane population. The research will contribute directly to Recommendation 16 from the 2017 Report by UNESCO on WBNP: "Continue to closely monitor the entire used and potential nesting area of the Whooping Crane within the Greater WBNP Ecosystem so as to be able to respond to possibly changing management requirements" and inform pending decisions at UNESCO on WBNP's World Heritage Status. Multidisciplinary training in sought-after skills for environmental assessment will be provided to at least 2 PhD, 4 MSc and 17 BSc students, and 1 postdoc.