'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
New research has found that climate change could cause more than 100,000 tonnes of micro-organisms to be released into natural ecosystems every year, a result of melting glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere.
A team of researchers with Aarhus University has analyzed meltwaters from eight glaciers across Europe and North America and two sites in western Greenland, concluding that one millilitre of glacier meltwater contains approximately 10,000 micro-organisms -- mostly consisting of algae, bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
The environmental ramifications of these micro-organisms spreading into global waters remain uncertain.
"Much of the carbon released from the melting glaciers will end up in the rivers supplied by the glaciers, or in the sea,” Ian Stevens, a researcher with the Department of Environmental Science at Aarhus University, said in a news release. “However, we do not yet know whether the microorganisms can be harmful or beneficial, or what consequences the changes in the carbon supply could have for agriculture using the water from glaciers.”
The study also suggested a scenario where up to 0.65 million tonnes of carbon could be released from glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere every year, based on an average temperature increase of around 2.7 C in 2100.
Scientists from Aberystwyth University, in Wales, have also warned that 100,000 tonnes of microbes – noting both harmful and beneficial ones – could also spread throughout downstream ecosystems as glaciers continue to melt.
Tristram Irvine-Fynn, a researcher with Aberystwyth University, said in a news release that “melting glacier ice surfaces host active microbial communities that contribute to melting and biogeochemical cycling, and nourish downstream ecosystems; but these communities remain poorly understood.”
“Over the coming decades, the forecast 'peak water' from Earth's mountain glaciers means we need to improve our understanding of the state and fate of ecosystems on the surface of glaciers,” he added.
“With a better grasp of that picture, we could better predict the effects of climate change on glacial surfaces and catchment biogeochemistry.”
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), countless aquatic species require glacier meltwater to survive. This includes aquatic insects that are “fundamental components” of the food web. Changes in stream habitat, USGS warns, may adversely impact aquatic life in ways that affect food supplies on a global scale.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.