WC133 NovDec 2023 - Magazine - Page 7
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RSV Alert
ARCTIC THAW
IN A STUDY led by Dr. Robert Delatolla at the
University of Ottawa, wastewater surveillance
was used to predict the onset of the annual
respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season 12
days earlier than conventional methods.
Conducted in collaboration with CHEO
Research Institute and McMaster’s Children’s
Hospital, the study compared wastewater
and clinical data from Ottawa and Hamilton
between August 2022 and March 2023. The
early detection offers hospitals valuable time
for preparation and enables timely initiation
of RSV prevention measures. The findings
highlight the effectiveness of wastewaterbased surveillance as a public health tool.
A RECENT STUDY in Nature Communications highlights how accelerated global
warming is significantly affecting permafrost melting and landscape evolution in
the Canadian High Arctic.
Researchers used field observations,
models, and environmental data from
2019 to study the early stages of permafrost thaw in Muskox Valley, Axel Heiberg
Island. They also compared these data
to imagery dating back to 1959. Their
findings reveal that the structure and
development of new stream networks are
influenced by changing ground patterns
due to melting permafrost. This leads to
localized enhanced rates of erosion and
potential ground collapse.
Importantly, they found that the usual
predictive factors for channel development
in non-permafrost areas don’t apply in the
Arctic. The study deepens our understanding of how the Arctic landscape is evolving
due to climate change, particularly in
terms of permafrost thaw that could further accelerate global warming by releasing large amounts of stored carbon.
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WATER C AN ADA • NOV EMBER/ DECEMBER 2023
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