Freshwater is the best water: How salt is a threat to our freshwater rivers and lakes (The David Schindler Professorship in Aquatic Science Lecture)
Community Speaker Series featuring Hilary Dugan
Event Details
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Thursday, March 30, 2023
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Wenjack Theatre (W101.2), Trent University
Cost: Free
Established in 2008, the David Schindler Endowed Professorship in Aquatic Science is the first-ever Endowed Professorship at Trent University. The endowment was given to the University to honour the work of Dr. David Schindler, a former Trent professor and one of the world's leading environmental scientists.
Freshwater is the best water: How salt is a threat to our freshwater rivers and lakes
Salt pollution is a threat to freshwater ecosystems. Every year Canada and the United States apply millions of tons of road salt to roads, and all of that salt ends up in our terrestrial and aquatic environments. As a result, across many parts of the continent, we are seeing rising salinities in lakes and rivers. Elevated salt concentrations impact aquatic species directly, and indirectly through habitat changes and food web feedback. Rising salinity in drinking water sources is also a threat to human health. This talk will discuss salinization trends, the impacts on aquatic systems, and how we can manage our salt use to protect our freshwaters.
About the speaker
Hilary Dugan is an assistant professor at the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a limnologist, she studies how terrestrial and atmospheric changes, such as warming air temperatures or land use patterns, alter biogeochemical fluxes and aquatic processes in lakes. Her research sites span from Wisconsin to Antarctica.