Katherine Cheng

Photographer + Videojournalist

www.katherinekycheng.com

[The Narwhal] Experimental Lakes Area

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Location: Toronto, Canada

Nationality: Canadian

Biography: Katherine is a documentary and conceptual photographer based between Toronto and Hong Kong. Exploring themes of climate crisis, Asian diaspora, and social movements, she believes in the power of visual storytelling to connect one another and drive... MORE

Aerial view of the Institute fo...lity of its kind. Kenora Canada

1 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

Aerial view of the Institute for International Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), known as the world's largest outdoor experimental freshwater research facility of its kind. Kenora Canada

Small lakes, big studies: what Ontario’s experimental lakes area teaches the world about water

For over half a century, 58 small, self-contained lakes in Treaty 3 territory have allowed scientists to replicate — and clean up — the effects of oil spills, microplastics and other threats to fresh water

The ability to conduct controll...f the first lake. Kenora Canada

2 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

The ability to conduct controlled experiments by lake manipulation and observation has drawn interest from researchers worldwide. The abundance of lakes in this area allows scientists to observe what happens after the introduction of contaminants on lakes at an ecosystem-wide level – measuring effects on everything from surface clarity to the sandy floor – while having a control in the form of a “sister lake” that matches the qualities of the first lake. Kenora Canada

Aerial view of the Institute fo...lity of its kind. Kenora Canada

3 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

Aerial view of the Institute for International Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), known as the world's largest outdoor experimental freshwater research facility of its kind. Kenora Canada

Aerial view of a wild rice rese...he Treaty 3 area. Kenora Canada

4 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

Aerial view of a wild rice research project to establish sustainable practices for co-cultivating fish and wild rice, in partnership with Metis-led biotech company Myera Group, Lakehead University, Eagle Lake First Nation, and two additional First Nations from the Treaty 3 area. Kenora Canada

Solving the problem of algae bl...and manage risks. Kenora Canada

5 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

Solving the problem of algae blooms requires an understanding of how the physical environment links to geochemistry and bloom ecology, and this understanding must exist on the timescale upon which blooms develop and collapse – minutes to hours to weeks. The FORMBLOOM project, led by Dr. Helen Baulch and Dr. Jason Venkiteswaran, looks at what drives bloom onset, duration, and cessation while also looking at the impact blooms have on ecosystem services, in order to understand how to prevent blooms and manage risks. Kenora Canada

A researchers points a finger o...lity of its kind. Kenora Canada

6 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

A researchers points a finger of the “ELA Field Station” on a map of the Institute for International Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), known as the world's largest outdoor experimental freshwater research facility of its kind. Kenora Canada

Researchers from the long-term ...es a possibility. Kenora Canada

7 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

Researchers from the long-term monitoring team collecting data for one of the longest-term freshwater monitoring projects in the world. In the future, the ELA is also exploring how automatic data collection through technology such as artificial intelligence could be incorporated to paint an even more detailed picture of these lakes, with minute-to-minute updates a possibility. Kenora Canada

The top of a bottle filtering a...lity of its kind. Kenora Canada

8 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

The top of a bottle filtering algae at the on-site chemistry lab of the Institute for International Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), known as the world's largest outdoor experimental freshwater research facility of its kind. Kenora Canada

Filters from Lake 227, a long-t... 53-year history. Kenora Canada

9 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

Filters from Lake 227, a long-term eutrophication experiment, at the Institute for International Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), known as the world's largest outdoor experimental freshwater research facility of its kind. Lake 227 hosts the longest-running experiment at IISD-ELA in its 53-year history. Kenora Canada

Following the project&rsquo... from shorelines. Kenora Canada

10 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

Following the project’s initial study to examine the ecological impacts of diluted bitumen, a form of petroleum that oil travels through many pipelines, ongoing companion studies led by Dr. Vince Palace are also being conducted to compare the effectiveness of different methods for cleaning up crude oil spills from shorelines. Kenora Canada

In considering alternatives, th...ern in crude oil. Kenora Canada

11 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

In considering alternatives, they’ve also been testing floating treatment wetlands and monitored natural recoveries as a non-invasive method of clean-up, with physical removal of surface oil through manual labour and monitoring a natural increase of oil-degrading bacteria. In testing out controlled burning of an oil slick, they also found that it increased pyrogenic polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), a toxic and environmentally persistent contaminant of concern in crude oil. Kenora Canada

When cleaning up oil from shore...s for a portrait. Kenora Canada

12 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

When cleaning up oil from shorelines, sometimes the removal can be just as damaging as the impact of the oil on the shoreline itself, with soil removal, compaction and moving heavy equipment into remote areas. “When an oil spill happens, when a pipeline ruptures, it happens in an area that likely hasn't been well studied, the system isn't well understood. They go in and they clean it up as best they can. But how can they be positive that they're bringing it back to normal if they don't know what normal was to begin with?” researcher Lauren Timlick poses for a portrait. Kenora Canada

In one of their studies, a surf...m each enclosure. Kenora Canada

13 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

In one of their studies, a surface washing agent (SWA) – Corexit EC9580A – was used to test its effectiveness with sorbent pads and rinsing was deployed 72 hours after contamination to simulate a real oil spill. The pads were then collected in bags and hung overnight to allow trapped water to drain, which were then weighed the next day to calculate the amount of oil recovered from each enclosure. Kenora Canada

“A lot of times in sc...driguez Gil said. Kenora Canada

14 of 16 © 2024 Katherine Cheng

“A lot of times in science, we try to simplify things and ask questions in a beaker in a lab — which is very valuable and it provides a lot of information, but there's always that question of what happens in the real world when everything is working together… All the pieces, all the elements, all the living organisms working together,” Institute for International Sustainable Development researcher Jose Luis Rodriguez Gil said. Kenora Canada

To read more, please visit: https://thenarwhal.ca/ontario-experimental-lakes-area/

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Thumbnail of Aerial view of the Institute for_ility of its kind. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of The ability to conduct controlle_of the first lake. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of Aerial view of the Institute for_ility of its kind. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of Aerial view of a wild rice resea_the Treaty 3 area. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of Solving the problem of algae blo_ and manage risks. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of A researchers points a finger of_ility of its kind. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of Researchers from the long-term m_tes a possibility. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of The top of a bottle filtering al_ility of its kind. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of Filters from Lake 227, a long-te_s 53-year history. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of Following the project’_s from shorelines. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of In considering alternatives, the_cern in crude oil. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of When cleaning up oil from shorel_es for a portrait. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of In one of their studies, a surfa_om each enclosure. Kenora Canada

Thumbnail of “A lot of times in sci_odriguez Gil said. Kenora Canada

Public Story

[The Narwhal] Experimental Lakes Area

Copyright Katherine Cheng 2024

Updated Nov 2023

Location Kenora

Topics Media

Summary

For over half a century, 58 small, self-contained lakes in Treaty 3 territory have allowed scientists to replicate — and clean up — the effects of oil spills, microplastics and other threats to fresh water

Deep in northwestern Ontario is a collection of 58 small, pristine lakes where, for the past half-century, scientists worried about water have gathered to take their laboratory outside. This is the world’s largest outdoor experimental freshwater research facility, allowing scientists to develop invaluable long-term data about the effects of pollutants, clean-up processes, and climate change on a finite resource.

Known as the Institute for International Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area, the 27,000-hectare area is covered in thousands of little lakes set in bedrock and bordered by thick spruce and pine forests. It’s in Treaty 3 territory, and visitors who aren’t from an Indigenous community require a permit to use the lone gravel road that leads up to the water bodies. Together, the experimental lakes tell a story of the challenges facing Canada’s fresh water and provide a glimpse into what solutions might be possible.

To read the full story, please visit The Narwhal.

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