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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.