NEWSLETTER 12 • JUNE 2014
RESEARCH IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Credit : 48th CMOS Committee
4 8 t h   C o n g re s s   o f   t h e   C a n a d i a n
Meteorological and Oceanographic
Society (CMOS)
Organizing Committee of the 2014 CMOS congress.
This annual congress was held in Rimouski from 1 to 6
June 2014. The local organizing committee, chaired by
Prof. Simon Bélanger (UQAR), gave a good
performance, ensuring a diverse scientific program
and very popular social activities. Concerning
oceanography, several plenary talks drew attention,
such as that of Dr. Doug Wallace, “The Northwest
IN THIS ISSUE
RESEARCH IN THE SPOTLIGHT
1
IN THE FIELD
2
awards and RECOgnition
4
short trainingS and
conferences around the world
4
IN THE mEdia
6
EVents
7
ON THE BULLETIN BOARD
8
Atlantic Ocean is changing: Are we ready?”, that of Dr.
Greg Flato, “Summary and Key Messages from
Working Group I, Physical Science, of the IPCC 5th
Assessment”, and that of Prof. Dany Dumont, “Dancing
with the waves.” Five parallel sessions allowed listening
to 225 conferences, including more than twenty from
Québec-Océan members. Topics related primarily to
the Arctic and North Atlantic, from observations to
forecasts, through remote sensing and modeling,
climate and acoustics, sea ice and the water column,
sometimes biogeochemistry or biology. A dozen
posters signed by Québec-Océan students and
professionals plus an exhibition stand completed the
participation of the group at this congress.
Two public activities, however, were sponsored by
Québec-Océan. On one hand, a public event on
“Exploitation of natural resources in the Gulf of St.
Lawrence” was offered on the occasion of the World
Oceans Day. With over 250 participants and four
panelists - Steven Guilbault (Équiterre), Jean-Thomas
Bernard (U. of Ottawa), Mario Heppell (WSP), and
Prof. Daniel Bourgault (UQAR-ISMER), the discussion
was very informative and relevant, particularly on the
issue of exploitation and utilization of oil. The public
had many questioned the panelists on the economic
relevance of still using oil, while the risks of pollution
of the Gulf did not seem to be questioned. On the
other hand, a Teachers’ Day was organized to help
teachers in science and technology (high school and
college levels) to update their knowledge and to offer
them teaching tools to disseminate science, including
oceanography and remote sensing.
Finally, two student members of Québec-Océan
made outstanding contributions to the conference.
Indeed they won awards of excellence for their
posters: Yann Follin, MSc student at UQAR-ISMER
under the supervision of Prof. D. Bourgault, exposed
the poster “Pelagic respiration in the twilight zone of
the Gulf of St. Lawrence: a meta-analysis and critical
review”; Mathieu Ardyna, doctoral student at U. Laval
under the supervision of Prof. M. Babin, presented
the poster “Physical control of subsurface chlorophyll
maximum in the Arctic Ocean.”
To resume, an excellent conference that brought
oceanographers on “The North vulnerable:
Implication of climate change in cold environments.”
1
NEWSLETTER 12 • JUNE 2014
IN THE FIELD
In the Greenland Sea
Caroline Guilmette (L) and Margaux Gourdal (R) sample sea
water.
Nine Takuvik and Québec-Océan members are on
board the American ship as part of a collaborative
effort with the team of Dr. Kevin Arrigo (Stanford U.).
The overall objective of the mission is to understand
the spatiotemporal distribution of phytoplankton
living under the ice, according to factors such as light
passing through the ice, nutrients, the circulation of
water masses, ice algae concentrations, grazing, etc.
The ship is advancing slowly through first-year ice,
revealing a large amount of ice algae. Sampling is
carried out by taking ice cores, setting phytoplankton
and zooplankton nets, pumping water for DMS,
collecting water from the rosette for biogeochemistry,
laying the Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) and the LOKI
(Lightframe On-sight Key species Investigation
system) to obtain zooplankton images or videos, as
well as acoustic measurements with the MAAs (Midtrophic Automatic Acoustic sampler) and optical
measurements. Several experiments are also
scheduled to study the physiological responses of
natural phytoplankton to the observed environmental
variation. The preliminary analysis of the May 2014
samples shows a water column full of nutrients, a very
salty, uniform layer of water containing little
chlorophyll a, but copepods feeding on the ice algae
and chaetognaths. This is the start of the summer
season that shows the ecosystem ready to profit from
the coming opening of the ice cover, with intense
phytoplankton blooms and a prosperous food web.
Team cooperation and safety are a priority for the
expedition. Joannie Ferland, a research professional
in the laboratory of M. Babin (U. Laval) sums up life on
board: “The Takuvik team works almost 24 hours a
Credit : Oddmun KOPPERSTAD
Credit : Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Takuvik on board the icebreaker
USCGC Healy in the Chukchi Sea
day, but thanks to the wonderful group spirit and
crew’s support, we still have our energy and good
mood!”
The research team of Mission 2 of the CarbonBridge project.
The second oceanographic mission of the Norwegian
CarbonBridge project on board the RV Helmer
Hanssen has come to a successful end. After leaving
Longyearbyen on May 15, 2014, Prof. J.-É. Tremblay
and his master’s student Gabrielle Deslongchamps
(U. Laval) took nutrient measurements and evaluated
the nitrogen uptake by phytoplankton in the
northwest section of the Svalbard island group. In the
marginal ice zone, they came upon a massive
Phaeocystis bloom, whose sulfured emanations even
perfumed the ship’s drinking water!
CarbonBridge is a multidisciplinary research project
aimed at understanding how northward moving
Atlantic waters affect productivity and the carbon
cycle in a zone where climate change is causing
melting of increasing volumes of sea ice and glaciers.
We see in the picture above the team on a visit to the
Polish station in Hornsund Fjord (77°N), whose main
glacier is retreating at a rate of about 200 metres a
year. No sea ice has formed since 2005.
Manganese Mission
Prof. Alfonso Mucci (McGill U.) will lead a mission on
the Coriolis II from June 27 to July 4 in the St. Lawrence
marine Estuary and Gulf, and the Saguenay Fjord. He
will be accompanied by Prof. Gwenaëlle Chaillou
(UQAR) as well as researchers and students from the
U. de Montréal and the U.S. (Delaware U., Oregon U.,
Health and Sciences U.). The main objectives of the
expedition are the following:
1. Determine the stability of Mn(III) manganese
complexes in the water column and interstitial
waters;
2
NEWSLETTER 12 • JUNE 2014
2. Understand the stoichiometry and reaction
speeds that produce and consume Mn(III);
Credit : Chloé MARTIAS
3. Evaluate the contribution of Mn(III) to the total
Mn flux at the water-sediment interface.
Alfonso Mucci sampling sea-water on-board Coriolis II.
Manganese (Mn) is an essential nutrient for most
organisms and plays a role in the production of
oxygen by plants or algae during photosynthesis. The
new knowledge will make it possible to better
understand the manganese cycle and to revise the
conceptual model for oxidation-reduction in marine
sediments. The organic matter degradation to which
highly oxidized manganese contributes will thus be
better measured.
Geology of the Gulf of San Jorge), under the direction
of Guillaume St-Onge (UQAR-ISMER), in collaboration
with Argentine partners. The multidisciplinary
research expedition integrated biogeochemistry,
physical oceanography, marine geology, and the
study of the structure and functioning of the
ecosystem. Its purpose was to evaluate the potential
impacts of offshore hydrocarbon exploitation and
climate change in the region. Several Québec-Océan
researchers (Gustavo Ferreyra, Guillaume St-Onge,
Gesche Winkler, Cédric Chavanne, and Jean-Carlos
Montero Serrano), students and technicians took part
in the expedition, which was partially funded by
Québec-Océan. Close to 20 of the group’s researchers
will benefit from the data collected.
In addition to meeting its scientific objectives, there
was a wide range of dissemination activities aimed
at Argentine government bodies, universities and
the general public. Furthermore, a workshop on
the preliminary results was held at the end of the
expedition, in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina, and
students from two secondary schools specialized in
marine biology visited the Coriolis II.
The Antarctic’s microcosms
Credit : Gesche WINKLER
Credit : Irene SCHLOSS
Mission accomplished
Scientists and crew on board the Coriolis II, for the PROMESS
mission.
The Coriolis II has finally returned to Rimouski after a
voyage of several months that took it off the coast of
Patagonia and to the San Jorge Gulf, and that was
part of the PROMESS expedition. Two projects were
carried out: MARES (Marine Ecosystem Health of the
San Jorge Gulf), under the direction of Gustavo
Ferreyra (UQAR-ISMER), and MARGES (Marine
Microcosms used at the Argentine Carlini Base.
The first field expedition to the Carlini base in the
Antarctic was carried out in January and March 2014,
in the framework of cooperation between Argentina
and Canada. The expedition’s objective was to study
the impact of glaciers melting and temperature
increases in surface water on the coastal environment.
An experiment was carried out in microcosms under
controlled conditions. The project, which ensured the
direction of Irene Schloss, brought together two
other researchers from UQAR-ISMER and QuébecOcéan: Gustavo Ferreyra and Dany Dumont. Next
stop: the Arctic!
3
NEWSLETTER 12 • JUNE 2014
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Two UQAR scholarships granted to
Québec-Océan students
I n   M a rc h   2 0 1 4 ,   V i rg i n i e   R o y,   a
doctoral student at UQAR-ISMER
u n d e r   t h e   s u p e r v i s i o n   o f   P ro f .
Philippe Archambault, was awarded
the Estelle-Laberge Scholarship at a
reward ceremony organized by the
Fondation de l’UQAR. The
scholarship is awarded in recognition of the merit of a
student who is beginning or continuing to pursue
oceanographic studies. The scholarship is a tribute to
the work and memory of Dr. Estelle Laberge, a
professor, researcher, and biologist whose work was
in the field of marine science.
Armelle Simo, an oceanography
student at UQAR-ISMER under the
supervision of Prof. Michel Gosselin,
received the ISMER Faculty and
Support Staff Scholarship, which is
awarded in recognition of the merit
of a student enrolled in the master’s
or doctoral program in oceanography.
Dr. Morissette receives the Roland
Michener Conservation Award from
the Canadian Wildlife Federation
Lyne Morissette, a researcher and
Q u é b e c - O c é a n   m e m b e r,   h a s
received this year’s Roland Michener
Conservation Award from the
Canadian Wildlife Federation. It is
one of the most prestigious
Canadian awards in bioconservation.
Dr. Morissette received her award at the official
ceremony held at the CWF’s annual general meeting,
on June 7, 2014, in Winnipeg. The award was created
in 1978 by the CWF to recognize the outstanding
commitment of those who devote their lives to the
conservation of our natural heritage for future
generations. For the first time, the award was given to
a person who protects the oceans. It is an outstanding
mark of recognition for the young researcher, whose
career holds great promise for the St. Lawrence and
the Earth’s oceans.
Awards of the Canadian
Meteorological and Oceanography
Society (CMOS)
Ya n n   F o l l i n   a n d
Mathieu Ardyna
each received an
award for their
posters presented
at the 48th CMOS
congress (see
“Research in the Spotlight” section). Congratulations
to the happy winners!
SHORT TRAININGS AND
CONFERENCES AROUND THE
WORLD
Nine destinations: Santa Fe, Honolulu,
S a v a n n a h ,   P o r t l a n d ,   Wa l t h a m ,
Jacksonville and Philadelphia (U.S.),
Barcelona (Spain), and St. Andrews
(Canada)
ANNE-MARIE DION-CÔTÉ
Anne-Marie Dion-Côté is a doctoral
student in biology at U. Laval, under
the supervision of Prof. Louis
Bernatchez. She is working on the
identification of genomic and
epigenomic barriers to hybridization
among lake whitefish. She presented
a conference entitled “RNA-Seq Reveals
Transcriptomic Shock Involving Transposable
Elements Reactivation in Hybrids of Young Lake
Whitefish (Salmonidae) Species” at the Mobile
Genetic Elements and Genome Evolution (C2)
Symposium that was held in Santa Fe (NM, U.S.) from
March 9 to 14, 2014. The results presented show a
phenomenon of transposable and non-coding
elements reactivation among dwarf and normal lake
whitefish hybrids, a system undergoing speciation.
The study leads to a better understanding of the
genomic shock phenomenon between two diverging
species. This work was recently published in Molecular
Biology and Evolution.
4
NEWSLETTER 12 • JUNE 2014
Emna Kamli
Stéphanie Cimon
Emna Kamli, a master’s student in
oceanography, is also under the
supervision of Prof. Cédric Chavanne.
She took part in the 2014 International
Radiowave Oceanography
Workshop, which was held in
Savannah, (GA, U.S.) from May 11 to
15. Her oral presentation entitled “Performance of
high frequency CODAR and WERA radars to measure
ocean currents in partially ice-covered areas” was on
currents’ measurements taken in the winter of 2013,
on both shores of the St. Lawrence marine estuary.
The impact of ice concentration on the effectiveness
of the radars was examined, taking wind effects into
account. The empirical relationships obtained will
make it possible to predict the spatial coverage
quality that high-frequency radars would have if
installed in other marine zones with seasonal pack
ice.
Stéphanie Cimon presented a poster
entitled “Resilience of benthic
communities to multiple
disturbances”. Because most
ecosystems are faced with
environmental change and
a n t h ro p o g e n i c   p re s s u re s ,   i t   i s
interesting to study the resilience of a subarctic
intertidal community dominated by a microalgal
canopy of Fucus spp. The results show that raising the
canopy induced the greatest perturbation in the
resilience of the benthic community, in terms of
structure and productivity, as well as a variation in the
dominance of grazers. The interaction between
raising the canopy and grazers, combined with the
addition of nutritive matter, changes resilience. The
study made it possible to better understand the
mechanisms that structure the communities and their
functions following natural and anthropogenic
perturbations.
Robyn Edgar
Robyn Edgar is a master’s student in
biology at U. Laval under the
supervision of Prof. Connie Lovejoy.
From May 17 to 24, she took part in
the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting
2014, in Portland (OR, U.S.). Her
conference entitled “Exploring
genes crucial to the survival of Arctic microalgae” was
on the specialization of protists adapted to the
extreme conditions of the Arctic. She studied the
effects of changes in salinity, luminosity, and nutrients
on these microbial eukaryotes. The analyses made it
possible to compare the expression of polar
microalgae genes, giving an overview of their specific
responses to environmental conditions.
Julie Lemieux
Julie Lemieux, a doctoral student,
and Stéphanie Cimon, a master’s
student, are both under the
supervision of Prof. Mathieu Cusson
(UQAC). They took part in the Benthic
Ecology Meeting that was held in
Jacksonville, (FL, U.S.) from March 19
to 22, 2014. Julie’s oral presentation was entitled
“Effects of richness, evenness, identity and abundance
on macroalgae community productivity”. It explained
that all those parameters have an impact on the
diversity of subarctic communities, either separately or
synergistically. “The meeting,” Julie said, “was very
relevant and interesting. I learned many new concepts.
Being able to speak with ‘big names’ in the benthic
field was very stimulating and made it possible for me
to see my work under a new light.”
Stéphanie also attended a three-week training activity
at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia (PA,
U.S.). She became familiar with R statistical software
for processing univariate and multivariate ecological
data on benthic communities. “Prof. Peter Petraitis
and his laboratory,” Stéphanie adds, “warmly
welcomed me to the beautiful city of Philadelphia,
and it was with a twinge of regret that I left after three
weeks.” The knowledge that she gained will be useful
throughout her future career. She wants to share that
knowledge with her Québec-Océan colleagues.
Michel Lavoie
Michel Lavoie is a post-doctoral
fellow at U. Laval in the laboratories
of Prof. Maurice Levasseur and Prof.
Marcel Babin. From May 19 to 23,
2014, he went to Barcelona (Spain)
to present a lecture at the 6th
International Symposium on
Biological and Environmental Chemistry of DMS(P)
and Related Compounds. His oral presentation,
entitled “Dimethylsulfoniopropionate uptake in the
polar diatom Thalassiosira gravida”, brings to light the
interaction mechanism between dissolved DMSP and
diatoms. Experiments that involved exposing algal
cells to DMSP 35S showed that the number of T.
gravida associated with DMSP 35S increases initially
very rapidly and then slowly. This two-phase kinetic
rate is consistent with the hypothesis of rapid DMSP
adsorption on cells, followed by slower internalization.
5
NEWSLETTER 12 • JUNE 2014
Armelle Simo
Chiaki Motegi
From May 12 to 16, 2014, Armelle
Simo, a doctoral student in
oceanography under the supervision
of Prof. Michel Gosselin, took part in
a training workshop on PRIMER and
P E R M A N O VA +   g i v e n   b y   P r o f .
Robert Clarke of the Plymouth
Marine Laboratory (U.K.). She attended the workshop
at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, in St.
Andrews, New Brunswick (Canada). Commenting on
her experience, Armelle said, “The workshop was
multidisciplinary; it focused on digital ecology and
mathematics applied to statistics. I gained very useful
new skills that I will be able to use for the chapters in
my dissertation that cover multivariate analysis.”
Armelle is working on the spatial and seasonal
variability of phytoplanktonic and bacterial
communities in the subarctic fjords of Canada’s east
coast. Biological productivity is very variable from
one fjord to another and would depend mainly on the
availability of nutrients and the renewal of surface
waters.
Chiaki Motegi is pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship under the
supervision of Prof. Connie Lovejoy
and Prof. Marcel Babin (U. Laval).
Her lecture entitled “Free-living and
attached bacterial community
composition in the western Arctic
Ocean inferred from ribosomal RNA” gives the results
of sampling carried out in the Chukchi Sea. Two taxa
dominated the microbial composition of the samples:
alphaproteobacteria and gammaproteobacteria. The
nature of the bacterial communities varied according
to site rather than according to sampling depth or
bacterial fraction (free-living vs. attached). The
Chukchi Sea’s complex hydrodynamics could explain
this “site effect”.
Several students took part in the
Ocean Sciences Meeting held in
Honolulu (HI, U.S.) from February 23
to 28, 2014
Virginie Roy
Virginie Roy, a doctoral student in
oceanography at UQAR-ISMER
u n d e r   t h e   s u p e r v i s i o n   o f   P ro f .
Philippe Archambault, presented
her most recent results in a
conference entitled “Benthic foodweb responses to marine biological
productivity and depth across the Canadian Arctic”.
She studied the spatial variability of the isotopic
carbon and nitrogen composition of the muscular
tissues of benthic invertebrates in the Canadian Arctic
Archipelago. Throughout the study area, the isotopic
c a r b o n   s i g n a t u re s   o f   b e n t h i c   i n v e r t e b r a t e s
corresponded to those of ice algae, not to those of
potential sources of nutrient available at the time of
sampling (sediment and particulate organic matter in
the water column). The isotopic nitrogen composition
of benthic consumers showed that herbivores had
assimilated degraded organic matter at the deepest
stations and that deep station predators had a diet
that was mainly omnivorous, compared with their
continental shelf peers. The study showed that ice
algae are an important source of carbon for the food
web in the deep zones of the Canadian Arctic, which
seem overall to be very limited in their diet.
Julien Robitaille
Julien Robitaille, a master’s student
in oceanography at UQAR-ISMER,
also under the supervision of Prof.
Cédric Chavanne, presented his
poster entitled “Submesoscale
frontolysis event in the SaintLawrence Estuary: observations vs.
mixed-layer surface quasi-geostrophy predictions”.
The simulation of the three-dimensional circulation of
a front based on a quasi-geostrophic surface model
was studied by using observations made in the St.
Lawrence estuary. The model seems to give a good
representation of surface circulation for scales larger
than 10 km. Predictive precision begins to decrease
when a depth of 40 metres is reached.
IN THE MEDIA
Arctic Spring: Exploring Life under
the Sea Ice
The web site realized by Amanda Kowalski,
multimedia photographer, follows the USCGC Healy
icebreaker mission in the Chukchi Sea, using great
pictures, videos, and texts.
http://arcticspring.org/
48th CMOS Congress
Organized to a great extent by members of QuébecOcéan, the program for the congress was very diverse,
with several lectures and posters being presented by
Québec-Océan members. Going beyond scientific
activities, several researchers gave talks at events
aimed at disseminating scientific knowledge to the
general public.
6
NEWSLETTER 12 • JUNE 2014
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/est-quebec/2014/05/05/001congres-meteo-ocean-nord.shtml
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/est-quebec/2014/06/04/002hydrocarbures-uqar-congres.shtml?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_
medium=twitter
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/est-quebec/2014/06/06/012bas-saint-laurent-enseignants-congres-meteo.shtml
A study undertaken by Daniel
Bourgault (UQAR-ISMER) shows that
an oil spill could affect the Îles-de-laMadeleine coastline
A study conducted by oceanographer Daniel
Bourgault (UQAR-ISMER) with Dr. Frédéric Cyr and
Prof. Dany Dumont (UQAR-ISMER) shows that an oil
spill at the Old Harry site, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
could reach all the surrounding coastlines, including
the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. The effects of a spill would
probably be detrimental to the coastal ecosystem.
http://www.ledevoir.com/environnement/actualites-sur-l-environnement/407886/une-maree-noire-dans-le-golfe-risquerait-defrapper-les-iles-de-la-madeleine-conclut-une-etude-scientifique
http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/
environnement/201405/08/01-4764887-un-deversement-a-oldharry-menacerait-tout-lest-du-golfe.php
25 years after the Exxon Valdez
disaster
Émilien Pelletier (UQAR-ISMER) reminds us of the
impact of oil spills in cold waters and Canada’s
inadequate preparation for effectively reacting in the
case of a spill. In cold waters, the natural mechanism
of oil evaporation and biodegradation progresses
very slowly. That increases the concerns over a spill
in any of the three oceans that surround Canada.
The researcher linked this important fact to eventual
projects for petroleum exploitation in the Arctic and
the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/
environnement/2014/03/24/001-exxonvaldez-deversement-petrole.shtml
EVents
...UPCOMING
ArcticNet Annual Scientific Metting
Arctic Change, December 8 au 12, 2014, Ottawa, ON,
Canada.
http://www.arcticnetmeetings.ca/ac2014/index.php
Québec-Océan Annual General Meeting
Mark your calendar! The next annual meeting of
all Québec-Océan members will be held at the
Hôtel Universel in Rivière-du-Loup from Monday
November 17 to Wednesday November 19, 2014.
The program, call for papers, and registration form
will be available online in a few months. This year,
the students themselves will organize the legendary
annual party. Contact Rachel Picard if you are
interested in being part of the organizing committee
or have ideas to share.
American Fisheries Society
August 17 to 21, 2014, Québec, QC, Canada
http://afs2014.org
A LOOK BACK...
St. Lawrence Week
The second edition of St. Lawrence Week was held
from June 6 to 15, 2014. It was organized by the
David Suzuki Foundation (DSF), in collaboration with
Stratégies Saint-Laurent (SSL). For the occasion, more
than 30 organizations, including several QuébecOcéan Allies, organized activities to put Quebecers
in closer touch with the St. Lawrence, from the Great
Lakes to the Gulf, so that they may become aware of
its fragility and its importance for Québec life.
http://www.semainedusaintlaurent.ca/
24 Hours of Science
The 9th edition of “24
Hours of Science” was
held on May 9 and 10,
2014. Several QuébecOcéan members
organized activities to
bring together
researchers and the
general public, to
stimulate general interest
for sciences and
technologies, and to
promote science careers
to young people. Thanks
to Cindy Grant from the benthic ecology laboratory
(UQAR-ISMER), to Prof. Urs Neumeier and to the
Comité ZIP du Sud-de-l’Estuaire for taking part in the
organization of the “Discovering the Bay of Rimouski”
activity. Thanks also to Lyne Morissette (M – Expertise
Marine) for her activity “Art, Science, and the St.
7
NEWSLETTER 12 • JUNE 2014
Lawrence Whales”, and to Prof. Karine Lemarchand
(UQAR-ISMER) and her team for the activity “15 Years
of Oceanographic Research at ISMER”.
Earth Month
Lyne Morissette (M – Expertise marine) and Prof.
Émilien Pelletier (UQAR-ISMER) took part in Earth
Month activities by presenting two talks on the
threats and consequences of the development of
oil exploitation in the St. Lawrence. Earth Month was
from April 22, 2014 (Earth Day) to May 22, 2014, and
was marked by some 15 activities organized to make
the general public question its dependence on oil.
Nature in All its Forms
From March 13 to 15, 2014, the
traditional “Nature in All Its Forms”
scientific popularization symposium
was held at UQAR. Québec-Océan
had a stand to publicize the work of
its members. Lotus Bouchard
(UQAR-ISMER) presented her
master’s results, while Prof. Daniel Bourgault gave
one of the opening talks, entitled “The Science
Behind the Spill Scenarios for the Old Harry Project:
Who is Right?”. Several Québec-Océan members
were on the organizing committee.
The Capelin Observers
Network (CON) was
created to obtain better
knowledge on capelin
(Mallotus villosus) spawning
sites in the St. Lawrence
Estuary and Gulf, to
facilitate reproduction of
the species. If someone sees capelins rolling on a
beach, he or she can report the sighting to the St.
Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO). The collected
information will aid in understanding how capelin
react to climate change, shore erosion or disturbed
beaches. Indirectly, the information will increase our
knowledge of the general functioning of the St.
Lawrence ecosystem. This effort to monitor capelin
spawning began in 2002.
The data entry tool developed by SLGO is available
to members of the general public who want to
participate in the acquisition of knowledge on
capelin spawning. The network’s archives will soon
be available on the SLGO site under the tab DataBiodiversity.
http://ogsl.ca/fr/biodiversite/poissons/mpo-capelan/reseau.html
Did you know… ?
ON THE BULLETIN BOARD
Québec-Océan’s Website has a wealth of information.
For you, to find out, and help us keep the site up to
date.
New members
• Student Members:
Alexandre Palardy (UQAR); Patricia DeRepentigny,
Marianne
Falardeau-Côté,
Louis
RenaudDesjardins, David Trossman, James William (U.
McGill); Karolane Dufour, Rachel Hussherr (U. Laval).
• Employee Members:
Simon Morisset (U. Laval).
The Capelin Observers Network
(CON) online
• Recent publications:
http://www.quebec-ocean.ulaval.ca/en/realisationsrecherche-publications.php
• Index of short and long training activities:
http://www.quebec-ocean.ulaval.ca/en/formation-repertoirestages.php
Québec-Océan pools together the scientific activities of Québec’s main universities active in oceanography, and those of their partners in government and the private sector. Funded
by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies, some universities and research grants, Quebec-Ocean’s mission is to support Québec researchers and the training of
students to promote excellence in oceanographic research and dissemination of knowledge.
Pavillon Alexandre-Vachon
1045, Avenue de la Médecine, local 2078
Université Laval, Québec ( Québec ) G1V 0A6
T 418.656.5917
F 418.656.2339
www.quebec-ocean.ulaval.ca