UAE to build dams, canals to mitigate impact of heavy rainfall

UAE to build dams, canals to mitigate impact of heavy rainfall

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced plans to build dams and canals in 13 residential areas to prevent flooding and mitigate the impact of heavy rainfall. On Friday, October 18, the Executive Committee for the President’s Initiatives approved water infrastructure projects, following President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s directives and under the follow-up … Read more

Sturgeon endure in Alberta, but the future of these river ‘monsters’ is now uncertain

Sturgeon endure in Alberta, but the future of these river ‘monsters’ is now uncertain

They lurk in the murky depths of some of Alberta’s biggest rivers, living fossils from when giant lizards strode the earth. But a prominent fisheries biologist fears the province’s lake sturgeon may finally share the fate of the dinosaurs because of growing pressure on water resources. “The more you shrink the area in which a … Read more

Chilcotin landslide presents new barriers for struggling salmon

Chilcotin landslide presents new barriers for struggling salmon

An expert on British Columbia’s salmon populations says the massive landslide that blocked off part of Canada’s largest sockeye salmon run has created an unprecedented situation, potentially putting the already struggling fish at even more risk. Scott Hinch, associate dean at the University of British Columbia’s Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, said the debris piled 30 metres high and 600 … Read more

Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth — just like the mighty beaver

Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth — just like the mighty beaver

As It Happens7:10Not only are Komodo dragon teeth razor sharp; they’re also iron coated Not only do Komodo dragons have serrated, razor-sharp teeth that constantly replenish themselves — they’re also iron-coated, according to a new study. It’s the same protective coating found in the mouths of beavers. But while the industrious dam builders use their … Read more

A parking lot back to a pond — that’s how McMaster University plans to ‘re-wild’ its west campus

A parking lot back to a pond — that’s how McMaster University plans to ‘re-wild’ its west campus

Decades ago, McMaster University paved paradise and put up a parking lot. Now the Hamilton post-secondary school is looking to reverse course and “re-wild” its west campus that sits beside the Cootes Paradise nature sanctuary.  The strategy is part of its new master plan developed by international design firm BDP. The project is the firm’s first for a … Read more

All eyes are on the future of freshwater after a winter of record heat

All eyes are on the future of freshwater after a winter of record heat

Quirks and Quarks19:36Water, water, everywhere. But will we have enough to drink? After a winter that smashed heat records, researchers around the world are taking a close look at how human disturbances and the rapidly changing climate are affecting the world’s freshwater supply. “We’re reducing both water quantity and water quality,” says Katrina Moser, an associate professor … Read more

Why Windsor-Essex is one of the last regions in Canada where you can see baby sturgeon

Why Windsor-Essex is one of the last regions in Canada where you can see baby sturgeon

At up to two metres long and weighing 200 pounds, sturgeon are some of the Great Lakes’ most enchanting fish.  “I always think of them as lonely torpedoes cruising through the Great Lakes,” Trevor Pitcher, a University of Windsor (UWindsor) professor, told Windsor Morning. “It’s essentially a living fossil. It’s the closest anybody comes to seeing a dinosaur alive … Read more

How artificial intelligence can help beavers fight floods, droughts and wildfires

How artificial intelligence can help beavers fight floods, droughts and wildfires

A few years ago, a couple of Google employees reached out to a Minnesota scientist with an unusual proposal: What if they could teach computers to spot beaver habitats from space?  “They wanted to know if I thought it was possible to find beaver wetlands from aerial imagery myself, and then if that could be … Read more

Conservationists, US Tribes Say Salmon Deal Is Map to Breaching Dams

Conservationists, US Tribes Say Salmon Deal Is Map to Breaching Dams

seattle —  The U.S. government said Thursday it plans to spend more than $1 billion over the next decade to help recover depleted populations of salmon in the Pacific Northwest, and that it will help figure out how to offset the hydropower, transportation and other benefits provided by four controversial dams on the Snake River, … Read more