After 16 years of scientific study, public engagement and consultation with governments, the IJC is moving forward with Plan 2014. Plan 2014 is a modern plan for managing water levels and flows on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Read More
From the cover page of the 2015 State of Climate Change Science report.
By Tricia Mitchell, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Doug Kluck, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
How and why is climate change impacting the Great Lakes? How is it affecting our future? What are we doing about it?
As part of its fifth assessment report published in 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia.”
In mid-January, the IJC will host a webinar on Climate Change and Adaptation in the Great Lakes to discuss strategies to deal with climate change impacts.
The webinar will focus on recent work by the IJC’s Great Lakes Water Quality Board and is part of a larger discussion on progress by the governments of Canada and the United States to address climate change under Annex 9 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
Are you concerned about climate change in the Great Lakes? What do you think needs to be done? Visit www.ParticipateIJC.org to learn more and share your comments.
Email us to if you would like to receive more information about our webinar.
Climate change is expected to impact locations across the globe, including the Great Lakes. Experts say warmer temperatures, more severe spring storms and reduced ice cover will make it easier for harmful algal blooms to grow and remain in lake waters. What’s more, it seems that winter isn’t putting a brake on algal growth in Lake Erie – just changing the type of algae. Read More
Ice cover on the Great Lakes in Feb. 19, 2014. Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response TEAM at NASA GSFC
Do the Great Lakes provide safe, high quality drinking water? Can we swim and fish without health concerns? Are fish and other aquatic species thriving or declining?
To answer these questions, scientists and governments need accurate measures, or indicators, that reflect the health of the Great Lakes. Read More
By Bill Werrick
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Adaptive Management Committee
We are adaptively managing water levels in the Great Lakes, and projects being pursued by an IJC Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Adaptive Management Committee will help improve climate monitoring in the basin.
Adaptive management, as defined in a 2009 US Department of the Interior guide, “is a systematic approach for improving resource management by learning from management outcomes.”
A tree knocked over during the December 2013 ice storm in Toronto knocked out power to parts of the Annex region of the city. More frequent ice storms are expected by the city due to climate change. Credit: Ron Bulovs
A US Geological Survey scientist dissects a fish to determine possible effects from exposure to endocrine disrupting contaminants. Credit: USGS
By Kevin Bunch, IJC
A dangerous class of chemical compounds called endocrine disruptors has been known to cause health problems in wildlife and people since the 1960s. These chemical pollutants, which can come from substances like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or pesticides such as DDTs, made their way into the Great Lakes before the United States and Canada started taking steps to end their production and limit usage starting in the closing decades of the 20th century. Since then, stacks of research have discovered how dangerous these substances are to human and animal health, and efforts are underway to improve testing and filtering for them at water treatment plants. Read More
Organizers of first Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Parliament Hill Days in Ottawa meet with Canadian Environment Minister Catherine McKenna (middle). Credit: Council of the Great Lakes Region
By IJC staff
The first Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Parliament Hill Days in Ottawa could lead to a new, multiparty caucus of members of Parliament from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region.
The Oct. 26-27 event was organized by a coalition of ten organizations. More than 40 parliamentarians and a cross-section of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence enthusiasts participated, including IJC Co-Chairs Gordon Walkerand Lana Pollack and IJC Commissioners Richard Morgan and Richard Moy. Also involved were nongovernmental organizations, mayors, business interests, conservation authorities, scientists and academics. During a reception, Vance Badawey, member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, announced his intention to form a multi-party Great Lakes and St. Lawrence parliamentarian caucus. Read More
