WRP2016-005

Scope:

  • Investigate lake recovery in Nova Scotia lakes influenced by agriculture to gain an understanding of how lake recovery may influence the ability of lakes to provide the ecosystem service of nutrient cycling of agricultural wastewater and run-off
  • Project focused on four lakes with different anthropogenic impacts in Nova Scotia:
    • Aylesford Lake (Gaspereau River Watershed, Kings Country)
    • Nowlans Lake (Carlton River Watershed, Yarmouth and Digby Counties)
    • Mattatall Lake (Cumberland Country) as important lakes to investigate, and
    • Lake Torment (Kings County)

Benefits:

  • Improve understanding of the impact the natural increase in water pH, organic matter concentration and biodiversity
  • Compile, analyze and generate data that can inform integrated watershed management and the protection of water quality

Outcomes:

  • Concluded that Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs)are on the rise, though the drivers of the increasing frequency and duration of cyanoHABs in NS lakes is difficult to hypothesize
  • Recommendations: Continue to monitor blooms and conduct further research to determine cause

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