The WATER lab combines analyses of sediment cores, lake surveys and field-based experiments to address research questions at the interface of neo- and paleo-limnology, as well as fundamental paleoecology. Currently, we are engaged in two areas of research. The first area attempts to quantify the unique and interactive effects of multiple stressors (e.g., acidification, climatic variability, nutrient enrichment) on aquatic communities in potentially-sensitive Precambrian Shield lakes. For example, one MSc student is analyzing diatoms in sediment from lakes, with and without extensive wetlands, to assess the unique and interactive roles of acid deposition and inter-annual climatic variability on aquatic communities. The second area uses a multi-proxy approach to reconstruct Holocene changes in climatic conditions, terrestrial vegetation and their effects on aquatic ecosystems. At present, we are focusing on two geographic areas. In northern Sweden (in combination with CIRC and colleagues at Umea, Lund and Bergen universities; see Lab Scenes in CAP Newsletter Vol. 23(1) May 2000), we are developing the use of diatoms and chironomids to reconstruct mean July air temperatures and ecological conditions in lakes. In northern Alberta, we are developing the use of diatoms to quantify past changes in flood regimes and ecological changes in small lakes and wetlands. We collaborate extensively with scientists at other institutions to combine data from our aquatic indicators (diatoms, chrysophytes, chironomids) with information from pollen, plant macrofossils, stable isotopes, and fossil algal pigments, among other paleoecological indicators. Two postdoctoral researchers, one graduate student and one technician currently work in the WATER lab. We anticipate taking on two new students within the next 8 months.

The WATER lab includes a microscope room dedicated to microfossil analyses, a lab room for handling cores and preparing samples, and a cold-room for sample storage. The microscope room contains two new Zeiss Axioskop II compound light microscopes fitted with phase and differential-interference optics, and both are hooked up to a digital camera and imaging computer workstation for development of taxonomic databases. We are well equipped with fieldwork and coring equipment, including an arsenal of gravity-, freeze-, piston- and Russian- corers.

The University of Waterloo presents tremendous potential for collaborative multi-proxy research, as there are a number of faculty and researchers with active programs in paleoenvironmental research with whom we interact. Drs. Tom Edwards, Brent Wolfe, Ramon Aravena and Sherry Schiff (Dept. of Earth Sciences) use stable isotopes to assess paleohydrological, paleoclimatic and related environmental changes. Dr. Barry Warner (Depts. of Geography and Biology), an expert in wetlands ecology, uses a variety of paleolecological methods to assess wetlands development and past environmental conditions. Within the Department of Biology there are six faculty members with active research programs in aquatic ecology (Drs. Dave Barton, Hamish Duthie, Stephanie Guildford, Robert Hecky, Ralph Smith, Bill Taylor). Future research plans include collaborative projects with Dr. Hecky, UNU (United Nations University) Chair Professor in Great Lakes Limnology, to work at the interface of neo- and paleo-limnology on water-quality issues in the African Great Lakes.

Website: http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/biology/faculty/hall.html

For more information, contact Dr Roland Hall, Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2l 3G1, Canada. Tel: (519) 888-4567 Ex. 2450, Fax: (519) 746-0614

---

 
Note: This article first appeared in CAP Newsletter 24(1):27, 2001.