22 THE CAAR COMMUNICATOR WATER Keeping in mind that Canada includes many areas within the northern climes of its three territories of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, all of which are part of the Arctic Circle, the average temperature in Canada in 2021 was -3.1°C. Even acknowledging climate change, the average temperature in Canada has seen a “high” of -3.22°C in 2016 and a drop to -4.67°C in 2018. According to Statistics Canada, the country’s average temperature for 2022 was 1.2°C above a 1961–1990 reference value, making it the 16th warmest year since 1948. Even though it appears to contradict scientific acceptance of global warming, Canada has seen its temperatures go up one year and down the next. However, a new national temperature high is expected for 2023, given that the planet reached new average highs multiple times this past summer. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, 2023 was the warmest year since global records began in 1850, with a temperature of 1.18°C (2.12°F) above the 20th century average of 13.9°C (57.0°F). This value is 0.15°C (0.27°F) higher than the previous record set in 2016. For those wondering about global warming, it’s still warmer than the national average of 1960-1991, but why didn’t the temperature increase to record levels in 2017-2022? We could state that with global economies shutting down because of COVID-19, greenhouse gas emissions were greatly reduced in 2020 and 2021, but that doesn’t explain the other years when no record high was achieved, especially 2017–2019. [ED. Note: If someone wants to provide a written scientific explanation, please contact the editor for inclusion in our next CAAR Communicator issue.] Regardless, there has been a warming of the surface water temperatures on the Great Lakes, which has caused a reduction of water levels across all five lakes. The higher surface temperatures cause more evaporation and a later formation of ice, extending the season for evaporation. Lower water levels within the Great Lakes are hardly a new phenomenon. Low water levels caused ships to reduce their cargo weight (tonnage) by five to eight percent between 1997 and 2000. The big deal is that to ship the same amount of product, more voyages would be required, which would increase shipping costs and fuel usage. Low water levels in the Great Lakes (and St. Lawrence and Mississippi Rivers, et al.) have also negatively affected local-area infrastructure such as piers, docks, and shoreline ecosystems. Less discussed as a weather phenomenon caused by the water levels on the Great Lakes is the increase in lake-effect snow. In order: warm air; warm water; reduced ice cover; increased evaporation; increased precipitation over land near the shore, which when it’s cold means more snow. More snow isn’t bad, as it means more water in the soil, which is better for crop growth. But for the populace near the lake, it can mean more difficulty getting around during the winter, not to mention more heart attacks suffered while shovelling. Warmer waters can also mean an increase in range for certain invasive species, such as the zebra mussel or the Chinese mitten crab—both of which made their way to Canadian waters attached to ships or contained within dumped water ballast. Zebra and quagga mussels are invasive freshwater mussels found throughout Ontario, Québec, and Manitoba. Native to the Black Sea region of Eurasia, these two types of mussels arrived in the Great Lakes in 1986 via ballast water in the larval stage and spread throughout North America. The freshwater Chinese mitten crab was first reported in the Great Lakes in 1965. It has been spotted sporadically over the years on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. In 2004, it was also seen in the St. Lawrence River. In 1992, it was spotted along the California coast—a sign that it could eventually make its way into British Columbia waters via shipping activities. Lastly, warmer water in the Great Lakes (and anywhere, for that matter) could encourage the growth of waterborne bacteria, some of which could be detrimental to human health. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, since 1995, the average surface water temperatures have shown an increase for all five of the Great Lakes—slightly, but nonetheless, an increase. The increase in water temperature has been driven by warming during the spring and summer months, and could be related to earlier winter thawing. Water flows from the Great Lake of Superior to Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, southward to Lake Erie, and northward to Lake Ontario, which outlets into the St. Lawrence River. Magtogoek Let’s give credit where credit is due. Long before the St. Lawrence River was so named by European trappers, it was called Magtogoek (i.e., ”walking the path”) by the Algonquin people who
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