News

A study led by Prof. Nandita Basu published in Nature Geoscience provides a roadmap for scientists, policymakers, and the public to overcome the challenges associated with agricultural nitrogen legacies that delay improvements to water quality. While we now have a much better theoretical understanding of the accumulation and fate of nitrogen legacies in agricultural landscapes, there is an urgent need for more systematic measurements and monitoring to effectively support water quality policies.

The Ecohydrology Research Group hosted a successful 10th Annual World Wetlands Day Research Symposium at the University of Waterloo on Wednesday February 2, thanks to the efforts not only of our group but also that of wetland researchers across the University.This is the second year in a row that ERG has been partnering with the Waterloo Public Library to organize the symposium virtually.

A new paper by Tariq Aziz and Philippe Van Cappellen uses economic valuation to highlight the importance of Southern Ontario’s wetlands for sediment and phosphorus filtration. A total annual value of $4.2 billion in sediment and phosphorus filtration services was found based on the average rate of sediment accretion plus the associated total phosphorus concentration in each type of wetland in Southern Ontario and estimating how much the removal and disposal of the same amounts of sediment and phosphorus in stormwater management facilities in Ontario would cost.

Phosphorus (P), in the form of aqueous phosphate, is an essential nutrient for the growth of plants and algae. Because it often limits or colimits primary production in freshwater and nearshore marine systems, phosphate enrichment can result in eutrophication and algal blooms. A major process driving phosphate enrichment is the desorption of phosphate from mineral surfaces, in particular those of ferric iron oxyhydroxides.

Check out the new publication by former ERG researchers Bijen Bajracharya, Christina Smeaton, Igor Markelov, and Ekatarina Markelova, together with Philippe Van Cappellen. The paper presents a novel a bioenergetics-informed kinetic model for the anaerobic degradation of macromolecular organic matter that accounts for extracellular hydrolysis, fermentation, and respiration. The model dynamically calculates the catabolic energy generated by fermentation and respiration.

Philippe presented recent collaborative research on riverine nutrient fluxes and their impacts as part of the 2021-2022 OCGC-Logan Club Seminar Series. The seminar series is jointly offered by the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, and the Geological Survey of Canada's Logan Club in Ottawa. Due to the pandemic, the seminar was delivered virtually

The week of December 13th- 17th 2021, Ecohydrology Group members are presenting their research at the 2021 AGU Fall Meeting. This annual conference is being held as a hybrid event, with the in-person session being held in New Orleans, Louisiana .

 After a bit of a hiatus, ERG was able to get together to celebrate the holidays! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

The Water Institute has published a press release on a new paper, co-authored by Water Institute members Fereidoun Rezanezhad, Philippe Van Cappellen and Jonathan Price, along with Ecohydrology Researc

A new paper, co-authored by Ecohydrology Research Group members Eunji Byun, Fereidoun Rezanezhad, Linden Fairbairn, Steph Slowinski, and Philippe Van Cappellen has been published in Scientific Reports. The paper is titled “Temperature, moisture and freeze-thaw controls on CO₂ production in soil incubations from northern peatlands” and assesses the impact of climate warming on winter carbon losses in peatland ecosystems.