Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
Pollutants Affecting Endangered Whales and their Prey: The science behind a new web application for environmental monitoring data Canada’s Recovery Strategy (RS) and Action Plan under the Species at Risk Act for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus Orca) lists environmental contaminants as a key threat to viability and recovery, and recommends identifying and prioritizing key contaminants, and their sources. The RS also identifies the need to close certain data gaps, such as all potential anthropogenic environmental contaminants to which killer whales and their prey are exposed over time and in space. Not all sources of pollution within the spatial extent (the area where pollution could affect SRKW, including Resident Killer Whale critical habitat and Chinook salmon distribution in the Fraser Basin and coastal areas) were known, and many locations did not have associated wastewater or ambient monitoring data. To address this knowledge gap, we collated and analyzed available environmental monitoring, literature, and geospatial data. For locations were data were not available, we used modelling and statistical approaches (extrapolation, interpolation, and correlations) to fill in data gaps, creating a comprehensive geospatial database of characteristic contributions per sector/activity and ambient contaminant loads. Visualized using an online mapping tool, this inventory addresses several recommendations for SRKW Recovery by identifying sources of priority pollutants, contaminant hot-spots, locations of exceedances of environmental quality guidelines, and enabling a comparison of releases to loads which assists in identifying where data gaps and uncharacterized sources remain. The certainty of the estimates relies on availability of source-specific monitoring data, and some major contributors of contaminants to the spatial extent, such as stormwater runoff, have very little associated data. As more data becomes available, work will continue to improve the estimates and update the inventory, and include other endangered whales.
Session Title
Endangered Species Research
Conference Track
SSE10: Contaminants
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-301
Start Date
26-4-2022 9:45 AM
End Date
26-4-2022 11:15 AM
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Pollutants--British Columbia--Fraser River--Measurement; Pollutants--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Environmental monitoring--British Columbia--Fraser River; Environmental monitoring--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Killer whale--Monitoring--British Columbia--Fraser River; Killer whale--Monitoring--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Killer whale--Effect of water pollution on--British Columbia--Fraser River; Killer whale--Food--British Columbia--Fraser River; Killer whale--Effect of water pollution on--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Killer whale--Food--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Chinook salmon--Geographical distribution--British Columbia--Fraser River; Chinook salmon--Geographical distribution--Salish Sea (B.C. Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Fraser River (B.C.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons
Pollutants Affecting Endangered Whales and their Prey
Pollutants Affecting Endangered Whales and their Prey: The science behind a new web application for environmental monitoring data Canada’s Recovery Strategy (RS) and Action Plan under the Species at Risk Act for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus Orca) lists environmental contaminants as a key threat to viability and recovery, and recommends identifying and prioritizing key contaminants, and their sources. The RS also identifies the need to close certain data gaps, such as all potential anthropogenic environmental contaminants to which killer whales and their prey are exposed over time and in space. Not all sources of pollution within the spatial extent (the area where pollution could affect SRKW, including Resident Killer Whale critical habitat and Chinook salmon distribution in the Fraser Basin and coastal areas) were known, and many locations did not have associated wastewater or ambient monitoring data. To address this knowledge gap, we collated and analyzed available environmental monitoring, literature, and geospatial data. For locations were data were not available, we used modelling and statistical approaches (extrapolation, interpolation, and correlations) to fill in data gaps, creating a comprehensive geospatial database of characteristic contributions per sector/activity and ambient contaminant loads. Visualized using an online mapping tool, this inventory addresses several recommendations for SRKW Recovery by identifying sources of priority pollutants, contaminant hot-spots, locations of exceedances of environmental quality guidelines, and enabling a comparison of releases to loads which assists in identifying where data gaps and uncharacterized sources remain. The certainty of the estimates relies on availability of source-specific monitoring data, and some major contributors of contaminants to the spatial extent, such as stormwater runoff, have very little associated data. As more data becomes available, work will continue to improve the estimates and update the inventory, and include other endangered whales.
