World’s lakes shrinking, but Great Lakes on the rise
New data shows most of the world’s lakes are shrinking.
The study was published by the journal Science, done by University of Virginia hydrologist, Fangfang Yao.
It suggests climate change and human consumption are causing big water bodies to dry up, even in humid climates with more precipitation.
According to Environment Canada, lakes in Southwestern Ontario are slowly rising — contradicting that trend.
However, it comes with flood risks, especially for those living along the coast lines of the Great Lakes.
“If you happen to have storms happening at the same time as you have these high water levels, you can get increased flooding,” explained Frank Seglenieks, water resources engineer at Environment and Climate Change Canada.
“There’s really nothing that mankind can do to stop that in the short term,” he added.
Although southwestern Ontario’s humid region seems to be going in the opposite direction than other lake areas with humidity, Seglenieks said it’s a slow climb and could change. It’s just the trend we’re seeing right now and anticipated for the next 30 years.
Despite that, Seglenieks is confident we’ll see extreme high and low levels — something he believes municipalities and cities should start preparing for now.
“What we can do is something called ‘adaptive management,’” he explained. “Where we try to say, ‘Okay, we can handle flows that are both on the low end or the high end,’ and then retrofitting what we already have to make it more adaptable.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.