Environmental and Earth Sciences

Arctic Science, Geography, Geology, Oceanography, Hydrology, Glaciology, Seismology, Meteorology, Climate Science, Limnology, Remote Sensing, Natural Resources, Mining, Green Tech, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Development, Archeology, Paleontology

Canadian Mountain Network launches $3 M Knowledge Hubs braiding Indigenous and Western Knowledge

Chenoa Sly Environmental and Earth Sciences, General Science
Last week at the Knowledge Sharing Summit, the Canadian Mountain Network (CMN) announced the launch of seven Knowledge Hubs across Canada, totaling $3M in funding. The Hubs will advance the role of both Indigenous and Western ways of knowing, doing and being in evidence-based decision-making to support the health and resilience of mountain people and places. With the launch of these Hubs, 50% of the total funds support Indigenous-led research. CMN’s Knowledge Hubs are enabling…

Continue reading

Northern California Plant Relicts, four plants still kicking it after millions years

chloevanloon Biology and Life Sciences, Communication, Education and Outreach, Environmental and Earth Sciences
During our nomadic stint in Northern California – Dunsmuir to be exact – we were exposed to the concept of plant relicts and during our adventures found a few notable members of this fascinating group. I wanted to dig deeper into these interesting plants, which is the topic of this blog.  Northern California contains the Siskiyou and Klamath mountain ranges, which are composed of a variety of soil types which were once the sea floor,…

Continue reading

Can We Let Go of Plastic?

savi Environmental and Earth Sciences, Technology and Engineering
 Plastic pollution is a huge environmental issue that is affecting every corner of the world. This past month I heard many shocking statistics and facts about how plastic has taken over. Specifically, I was listening to the“Green and Gritty” podcast where they talked about Greenwashing. One host mentioned how when the “plastic straw revolution” occurred Starbucks decided to...

Continue reading

Corky II — From Orcapedia by Paul Watson & Tiffany Humphrey

Mark Leiren-Young Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences, Policy and Politics
By Paul Watson & Tiffany Humphrey 1966 est Born December 11, 1969 Captured in Pender Harbor, BC 1969 Sent to Marineland of Pacific 1987 Sent to SeaWorld San Diego Species: Orcinus orca Breed: Northern Resident Meaning of name: Irish for “hill hollow” Captivity History: Captured at around age 4 from A5 pod in Pender Harbor, BC Mother: Stripe (died in the wild in 2000) Full Siblings: A21, A29, Okisollo, Ripple, FifeOffspring: Calf (1977) first Orca…

Continue reading

Do’s and Don’ts / Save Owl’s Head

Elisabeth Kosters Environmental and Earth Sciences, Science in Society
Third essay for Nova Scotia Premier @IainTRankin and Minister of Environment and Climate Change @KeithIrvingNS on the issue of the government’s theft and illegal sale of Owl’s Head Provincial Park —– Many of us have watched “My Octopus Teacher”, a stunningly beautiful documentary of free diver and film maker Craig Foster and his encounters with a female octopus in the kelp forests off the eastern Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The documentary was…

Continue reading

Increasing diversity of COVID-19 strains: insights into evolutionary divergence and public health

Caroline Tucker & Marc Cadotte Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences
 To be clear, I am not a virologist, nor am I a public health expert. But I do know how to analyze patterns of evolutionary diversity. Research into the SARS-CoV-2 virus that has given rise to the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly enhanced our understanding of global disease dynamics, mRNA vaccines and public health responses to a global crisis. But the COVID-19 pandemic also has the potential to provide fundamental insights into basic ecological and evolutionary…

Continue reading

Calochortus, The Coolest Lilies of California?

chloevanloon Biology and Life Sciences, Communication, Education and Outreach, Environmental and Earth Sciences
Callahan’s Mariposa Lily standing nice and tall! This blog meant to go up last week (woops) and I intended it to be slightly shorter, and well that failed. Well now it’s a bit later and I’m still obsessed with Mariposa Lilies, the topic of this week’s blog post.  I started focusing on botany more intensely about two years ago, and only observed four species of the Genus Calochortus until this year. This year alone, from…

Continue reading

Looking back on Landscapes in Motion

Landscapes in Motion Environmental and Earth Sciences
There is no doubt that Landscapes in Motion (LIM) generated an impressive breadth and depth of knowledge, data, and tools (more on that below). But for this final blog, I want to share what LIM taught me both as a scientist and as a Program Lead.  For me, the LIM project was an opportunity to participate as the project lead, but not as a Principle Investigator. This afforded me the unique perspective of being a…

Continue reading

An Orca’s Past and Our Shared Future with Dr. Gavin Hanke at the Royal BC Museum

Mark Leiren-Young Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences, Policy and Politics
Gavin Hanke Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at the Royal BC Museum (@RoyalBCMuseum) on the life, death and anatomy of Rhapsody – the skeletal star of the museum’s fantastic exhibit Orcas: Our Shared Future #RBCMOrcas – which is open until 2022 before touring the world (and was written by Skaana host, Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung). Rhapsody (J32). Credit: Josh McInnes Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment. Join the Pod……https://www.patreon.com/mobydoll Spotify……………www.bit.ly/spotify-skaana Apple Podcasts………www.skaana.ca…

Continue reading

Orcas: Our Shared Future at the Royal BC Museum (Victoria, Canada)

Mark Leiren-Young Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences, Policy and Politics
Exhibition on now BUY TICKETS: https://sales.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/DateSelection.aspx?item=35 Dive deep into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orca, spirit of BC’s wild coast and apex predator of all oceans. Follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals, long feared in Western cultures as “killer whales.” Discover the complex social structure of orca society and reflect on the surprising consequences of captivity. The Salish…

Continue reading