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Published on: 7 Jul 2021
The Arctic is warming at approximately twice the global rate. A new study led by researchers from McGill University finds that cold-adapted Arctic species, like the thick-billed murre, are especially vulnerable to heat stress caused by climate change.
“We discovered that murres have the lowest cooling efficiency ever reported in birds, which means they have an extremely poor ability to dissipate or lose heat,” says lead author Emily Choy, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Natural Resource Sciences Department at McGill University.
Published on: 7 Jul 2021
Congratulations to Pierre G. Langlois, B.Sc. (Agr)'78, CBIS (MIS)'90, the first of several members of the Macdonald community to be named an Unsung Hero as part of the University’s Bicentennial Celebrations!
Pierre lives the Macdonald motto “Mastery for Service.” Over the years, he has dedicated much of his time and energy to representing the interests of others and bettering the units and communities he serves.
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Published on: 18 Jun 2021
Using a Fitbit and a spy mic, scientists have discovered new insight into the behaviour of the elusive Canada lynx. A new study by researchers from McGill University, University of Alberta, and Trent University provides a first look at how miniaturized technology can open the door to remote wildlife monitoring.
Published on: 31 May 2021
Many Canadians are familiar with the honking and hissing that marks the beginning of the spring season, some might be more intimately familiar with the feeling of large wings batting about the sides of their head, but one thing is for certain: most Canadians have a Canada goose story.
Canada geese flying in their V formation are usually one of the first signs of the return of warm weather, but it also marks the return of the pesky waterfowl taking over our waterfronts, golf courses and parks. Here’s what you should know about the birds that have become a national symbol.
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Published on: 12 May 2021
'Eco-accounting' project aims to produce a comprehensive tally of our natural landscapes, to better aid decision-making around land management
The bean counters have arrived and Elena Bennett [Natural Resource Sciences] could not be happier.
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Published on: 26 Apr 2021
“Our research shows that climate change is having substantial impacts on Arctic ecosystems, with consequences for exposure to toxic pollutants like mercury,” says co-author Jean-Pierre Desforges, a Postdoctoral Fellow [NRS] at McGill University under the supervision of Nil Basu [NRS/SHN] and Melissa McKinney [NRS].
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Published on: 31 Mar 2021
Water scarcity in rural Alaska is not a new problem, but the situation is getting worse with climate change. Lasting solutions must encourage the use of alternative water supplies like rainwater catchment and grey water recycling.
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Published on: 31 Mar 2021
In the Arctic, climate change and pollution are the biggest threats to top predators like narwhals. Studying the animals’ tusks reveals that diet and exposure to pollution have shifted over the past half century in response to sea-ice decline. Human emissions have also led to a sharp rise in the presence of mercury in recent years, according to an international team of researchers.
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Published on: 29 Mar 2021
Emily Choy [Post Doctoral Fellow, NRS. Advisor : Kyle Elliott] became hooked on the Arctic when, as a Master’s student, she jumped on a research opportunity to study the effects of manmade contaminants on High Arctic food webs on Devon Island, Nunavut. “When I experienced how out of the world it was and observed the wildlife that are so highly adapted to the Arctic environment, I just fell in love,” says Choy.
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Published on: 25 Nov 2020
[Natural Resource Sciences professor Kyle Elliott, Canada Research Chair in Arctic Ecology, and grad students Allison Patterson and Don-Jean Leandri-Breton are co-authors on this study]
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Published on: 8 Nov 2020
[Co-author Joshua Sterlin is a PhD student in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at McGill University.]
An increase in cutting in Quebec’s public forests would be a mistake for the forests, the industry, the climate and the regions.
A recent opinion article in the Montreal Gazette (“Shortfall in forest harvest is costly to economy” Oct. 29) called on governments and logging companies to work together to increase cutting in Quebec.
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Published on: 8 Nov 2020
While the world has been locked down for much of the spring and summer, airplanes have been grounded, fishing fleets have sat mostly idle and cars have stayed parked in their driveway as people worked from home. What kind of impact has this had on the environment? And what lessons have we learned from the relatively quick pivot governments and citizens have made to combat the spread of COVID-19? Can we apply the same commitment and speed of mobilization to pressing issues like climate change?
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Published on: 28 Aug 2020
OpEd by Tom Mulcair, former the leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada (2012-2017).
Fifty years ago, Canada became a major, credible player in the world of environmental protection with the creation of our first department of the environment by former prime minister Pierre Trudeau. That move was accompanied by a progressive vision that was critical of the unbridled growth which showed no regard to the consequences for life on our planet.
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Published on: 11 Aug 2020
McGill’s Elena Bennett wants you to imagine a radical, inspiring, and realistic future for our planet
When you think of the Earth 50 years from now, what do you see? Do you imagine desolate cities, scorched forests, dead oceans, lost biodiversity? Elena Bennett wants you to know the future doesn’t have to be bleak.
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Published on: 20 Jul 2020
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