CTV National News: Solar flare-up threatening a burst of disruptions
Scientists are keeping a close eye on the sun after a solar flare caused high-frequency radio blackouts across several continents. John Vennavally-Rao has more.
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CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
Alberta's coal mine reclamation standards failing to protect water, fish: study
In this March 28, 2017, file photo, a dump truck hauls coal at Contura Energy's Eagle Butte Mine near Gillette, Wyo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Mead Gruver, File CALGARY — Alberta regulations meant to keep old coal mines from polluting streams and lakes are failing, suggests a study by government scientists. The study says high levels of numerous contaminants are having grave outcomes for aquatic life and their ecosystems. One of the authors, a former Alberta government scientist in charge of environmental monitoring, says the paper speaks to 'regulatory inaction.' 'These results suggest current reclamation practices and regulatory requirements for water quality and aquatic ecosystems are not meeting the desired objectives,' the authors write at the end of the report. The peer-reviewed study is by three Alberta government scientists and the former government scientist, who is now an environmental consultant. They took samples from rivers near three old coal mines south of Hinton, Alta., which are four kilometres from Jasper National Park at their closest point. The mines closed in the early 2000s. The authors discovered some improvements to water quality since mining activities ended. But in rivers downstream from those mines, they found high concentrations of several pollutants in the water. In the Luscar Creek and Gregg River, for example, nickel ratios were 200 times higher downstream from the mines than in water upstream. In the nearby McLeod River Basin, they determined selenium levels and other ions provide a 'persisting threat to water quality,' even though one mine has been nearly fully reclaimed and another is 60 per cent reclaimed. The authors looked at the number of samples in which selenium concentrations exceeded Alberta's protection of aquatic life guideline, a limit the province uses to determine when contamination levels would likely cause harm to an ecosystem. At six locations, 98 to 100 per cent of testing samples found selenium concentrations exceeded that limit. They write that elevated selenium levels have 'insidious' effects on certain fish and birds, because the substance is passed down from parents to offspring and presents in deformities and impairs their ability to reproduce. It is otherwise a naturally occurring element that's vital in small amounts. The authors also note the McLeod River Basin is home to Athabasca Rainbow Trout, listed as endangered Canada's Species At Risk Act — a law created to protect and recover at-risk species. They write that the trout is likely to go extinct. More broadly, they write that a growing body of research shows 'reclamation and mitigation practices may not restore aquatic habitat or reverse ecological damage.' Bill Donahue, one of the study's authors and a former chief of environmental monitoring for the Alberta government, said in an interview that the study demonstrates 'regulatory inaction.' 'The big lie is that Albertans seem to think that the regulator is going to look at what's submitted and, if those promises and requirements aren't met, then the company is going to have to fix it,' he said. 'Well, here's the paper that says that's not true.' Donahue said he's unsure proper regulations can be created to reverse the impacts of coal mining, because there is little historical evidence companies have been able to do so after they've ended operations, no matter how much money they spend. He also called the study a 'warning flag' for future coal projects in Alberta. Earlier this year, the Alberta Energy Regulator granted an Australia-based coal company permission to start a controversial coal exploration on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, concluding the small-scale project likely won't have any effect on water quality downstream. The regulator said at the time that it couldn't consider the possibility that the exploration permit might lead to a full-blown coal mine in the future. Ryan Fournier, press secretary for Alberta's Environment Ministry, said the province has shared the study with the regulator and it's one of the reasons the province isn't allowing any more open-pit mines. It's up to the regulator to decide if more monitoring or actions are needed in the bodies of water referenced in the study, Fournier said, adding selenium levels sometimes exceeded fish protection alert levels but there's currently no evidence of population decline. 'These results are also why any new mines will be required to either be underground mines or use advanced selenium management techniques and deploy state-of-the-art technology and monitoring to protect the surrounding environment,' he wrote in a statement. The regulator said in a statement it's reviewing the findings. Asked if it was aware of selenium concentrations in Luscar Creek or Gregg River, the regulator said it has a long-standing requirement for approval holders to reduce selenium concentrations to levels that don't affect the aquatic environment and it has tools to enforce regulatory compliance. 'Achievement of selenium reduction objectives is expected to progress over multiple years as mines advance towards reclamation,' it said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2025. Matthew Scace, The Canadian Press
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
A black goo was oozing from a ship on the Great Lakes — and teeming with life
Research vessel Blue Heron trawls the Great Lakes, gathering data from the water. The floating laboratory's most recent discovery, however, came from an unexpected location: its own rudder. While docked after a long cruise to study algae blooms in lakes Erie and Superior in September, the crew noticed a black, tar-like substance oozing from the rudder shaft, the mechanism that allows the 87-foot-long (nearly 27-meter-long) boat to change directions. Unsure of what the odd goo was, Doug Ricketts, marine superintendent and senior research associate at the University of Minnesota Duluth's Large Lakes Observatory, brought a cup of the substance to the observatory's scientists for testing. The scientists were surprised to find that the material was teeming with life-forms, some of which were unknown microorganisms. The mysterious substance, now informally named 'ShipGoo001,' had seemingly been thriving in the oxygen-free environment of the rudder shaft, according to a June 27 university announcement. 'There's no reason to expect any living organisms to be in this part of the ship,' Ricketts said, referring to the closed-off rudder shaft housing. 'This particular piece of a ship doesn't really move a lot. It's not exposed to the rest of the world.' Black goo Scientists discovered the material was teeming with life-forms, including some unknown microorganisms. (Cody Sheik via CNN Newsource) If more goo is found, the goal will be to collect it without disturbing its oxygen-free environment, said lead researcher Cody Sheik, a microbial ecologist at Large Lakes Observatory. More careful study could lead to further discovery of new species of microbes, he added. 'One of the things that's fun about this, is that it was very unexpected. … All of these different things that we make become new habitats that (could be) right for microorganisms,' Sheik said. 'It makes me wonder: What else are we missing by not going out and just looking at something?' Studying the mysterious goo While some of the DNA extracted from the black goo was found to be from previously unknown microorganisms, other genetic material in the sample has been observed across the world. When researchers searched global databases, they discovered some DNA was related to microbes from a tarball-type substance in the Mediterranean, a hydrocarbon-contaminated sediment in Calgary, Alberta, and other samples from the coast of California to Germany. 'It's kind of all over the board in terms of what sort of environments these things are being found in,' Sheik said. 'I think we'll get a better idea of what these organisms are capable of by thinking more broadly about the other environments that they're found in.' The researchers still have many unanswered questions about the odd material, including how it came to be on the ship and whether it is capable of biocorrosion — eating or degrading the ship's steel. Since the substance was in its own sealed environment, it would need a complex food web to be able to thrive and sustain itself. '(Biocorrosion) is one of the things we have to worry about in oil pipelines and all these other really key infrastructure places. And so, you know, for some of these ships, especially the ones that are really long-lived here on the Great Lakes, because they're in fresh water, is this something where they could be corroding this area? It may be something to think about for future iterations of shipbuilding and things like that,' Sheik said. Researchers hope to answer these questions in a forthcoming research paper, which will also include the full genomes of the goo's microorganisms so other scientists can build on their work, Sheik added. Depending on what the researchers find, the material could have practical applications; methane-producing organisms in the substance could have potential use in biofuel production, according to the university's announcement. For now, researchers are keeping an eye out for more of the substance in the ship, and on other vessels, so they can gather additional samples and run further tests. The origin of the goo Because there are so many microbial species in the world — potentially up to 1 trillion — finding a new one isn't particularly surprising, said Jeffrey Marlow, an assistant professor of biology at Boston University. 'It's all about where they're found and what their genomic history or metabolic capacity is — that's what often makes a new species particularly exciting,' he added in an email. To ascertain the origin of the substance, Sheik and his team are putting together a history of the ship, as the former fishing boat was purchased pre-owned nearly three decades ago by the University of Minnesota Duluth. While the ship's rudder is not meant to be lubricated with anything other than water, it's possible that the previous owners oiled that area and those organisms laid dormant for years. What's more, the goo was not present during the ship's last inspection in November 2021. Marlow, who was not involved in the discovery, hypothesized that the ooze could have wound up in the rudder shaft by catching a ride on marine snow — clumps of dead organic matter that sink through the water column and contain oxygen-free pockets, he explained. Sheik plans to explore the goo's origin, noting that there are many scenarios to consider, including whether the substance grew in the rudder shaft in the first place or somehow hitched a ride on the boat. 'One of the coolest parts of this story is the fact that the sample made it to the microbiologists in the first place — it speaks to a 'microbiologically literate' culture where several people had the awareness and curiosity to ask what might be living in an otherwise inconvenient ooze,' Marlow said. 'It makes you wonder what other fascinating microbes could be living around us in the most unexpected places.' By Taylor Nicioli, CNN
CBC
19 hours ago
- CBC
Researchers try to curb tick populations as diseases spread
Scientists say ticks are showing up in places they weren't before, so Canadian researchers are turning to new methods to curb tick populations and their impact.
