The Hynes Lecture Series
Dr. Noel Hynes
In 2002, the CRI initiated its annual lecture series by conferring of an Honorary Doctoral Degree to Dr. H.B.N. Hynes.
Dr. H.B. Noel Hynes is the world’s most renowned freshwater biologist and a Distinguished Emeritus Professor at the University of Waterloo. Referred to as "the father of running water ecology", he has published extensively, including his definitive textbook on river ecology, The Ecology of Running Waters.
Dr. Hynes graduated from Imperial College in 1938 and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of London in 1941. He conducted research around the world while holding six visiting professor appointments on three continents. He was awarded the Naumann-Thienemann Medal in 1998, the highest award available to an aquatic biologist by the Societas Internationalis Limnologiciae.
Dr. Hynes was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and held honorary degrees from his alma mater, the University of London, and the University of Waterloo.
It is with great sadness that the CRI reports that Dr. Hynes passed away at Manoir Lac Brome in Knowlton, Quebec on March 3, 2009 at the age of 91. Our sincerest condolences are extended to his family.
The Lecture Series
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
2010- Professor Stuart Bunn, Ph.D.
Prof. Bun
n co-authored Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity in Nature September 30, 2010.
Upcoming Lectures:
Wednesday, October 20th - Public Lecture, Balancing water needs for humans and nature, UNB Saint John campus, 7 pm, Hazen Hall Lecture Theatre.
Friday, October 22nd - Science Lecture, Using stable isotopes to understand river foodwebs. UNB Fredericton campus, 3 pm, Room 146 Bailey Hall.
Prof. Stuart Bunn-Poster
Professor Bunn is the Director of the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University in Brisbane. His major research interests are in the ecology of river and wetland systems with a particular focus on the science to underpin river protection and restoration, including the assessment of environmental flows and aquatic ecosystem health. Stuart has extensive experience working with international and Australian government agencies on water resource management issues. He is the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel for the Lake Eyre Basin Ministerial Council, Deputy Chair of the Scientific Expert Panel for the Southeast Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership and leads the Australian Climate Change Adaptation Research Network for Water Resources and Freshwater Biodiversity. In 2008, he was appointed as an Australian National Water Commissioner.
Abstracts
Wednesday, October 20th - Public lecture in Saint John, UNB Saint John campus, 7 pm, Hazen Hall Lecture Theatre.
Balancing water needs for humans and nature
Rivers, lakes and wetlands contain only a fraction of the world's water and cover less than 1% of the Earth's surface, yet they support about 10% of the animal species, including about a third of all known vertebrates. They also sustain much of humankind, yet our exploitation of these resources threatens freshwater biodiversity - and our own water security. We have modified flow regimes and isolated rivers from their floodplains and the sea with barriers and dams. Changes to our climate have already resulted in lower rainfall in some regions, diminishing water supplies. Increased pollution of waterways has compounded the problem further by reducing availability of safe, clean water. While major technological investments have overcome many of the threats to human water security in the developed world, over 3 billion people still live in regions under high threat. Unfortunately, no similar investments in aquatic ecosystem protection have been made, and the threat to freshwater biodiversity remains high in rich and poor nations alike. Extinction rates of freshwater animals are twice as high as those on land and in the sea. Globally, at least 10,000-20,000 freshwater species are already extinct or at risk, and further declines in biodiversity are predicted as a consequence of climate change and an expanding global human population.
There is, however, much we can do to reduce the impact of human activity on freshwater biodiversity and, at the same time, to meet societal needs for water. In this presentation, I will discuss this global challenge and highlight some of the ways we can reduce the impact of human activity on freshwater biodiversity and the general health of our waterways.
Friday, October 22nd - Science Lecture, UNB Fredericton campus, 3 pm, Room 146 Loring Bailey Hall.
Using stable isotopes to understand river foodwebs
Stream and river ecosystems have long been regarded as heterotrophic systems, driven by inputs of terrestrial organic matter and nutrients from the surrounding watershed. However, only a small fraction of the total carbon present in a stream or river is likely to enter the aquatic food web: not all is of sufficient quality or is truly available for consumers. Identifying the source or sources of organic carbon that sustain populations of invertebrates, fish and other consumers remains a fundamental challenge. Stable isotope analysis has proved to be an effective tool in the study of food webs in aquatic ecosystems where there are often marked differences in the signatures of primary sources. However, its application to the study of stream and river food webs has often been confounded by considerable variation in the carbon isotope signatures of algae and overlap with terrestrial plant values. Despite these methodological problems, a consistent pattern seems to be emerging from studies across a range of biomes that inconspicuous sources of primary production are major contributors to the biomass of metazoan consumers.
In this presentation, I will review how stable isotope tracing has changed our views on river ecosystem function, discuss some of the limitations of this approach in food web studies, and highlight some future research directions.
Previous Hynes Lecturers
2003 - Dr. Robert Naiman, University of Washington
The first H.B.N. Hynes River Lecture was given on December 2, 2003 by Robert Naiman entitled "The ecology of interfaces: new perspectives from Pacific coast riparian zones".
Dr. Naiman is a world-renowned river ecologist focusing on the structure and dynamics of stream ecosystems, riparian vegetation, and the role of large animals in influencing ecosystem dynamics. He is a professor in the College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington.
He has been a research scientist and director of the Matamek Research Program at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, director of the Center for Water and the Environment at the University of Minnesota, and director of the Center for Streamside Sudies at the University of Washington.
http://www.fish.washington.edu/people/naiman/
2004 - Dr. Joseph Rasmussen, University of Lethbridge
Joseph Rasmussen presented papers entitled "Resident versus migratory salmonids: consequences of river fragmentation". Dr. Rasmussen holds a Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Ecosystems at the Water Institute for Semi-arid Ecosystems (WISE), University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
He is a professor of biological sciences and his interests include aquatic ecology, food web energetics, and conservation. He is most interested in the effects of human activities on ecosystem function, fisheries, and water quality.
These include: contamination (by metals, pesticides, sewage), watershed alteration (land use, impoundments, irrigation) and exotic species introductions. His laboratory has made important contributions of the development of modeling techniques based on isotopic tracers and their application in aquatic science and management. Poster
http://people.uleth.ca/%7Ejoseph.rasmussen/
2005 – Dr. LeRoy Poff, Colorado State University
LeRoy Poff visited the CRI in 2005 presenting papers on "Homogenization of hydrological climate landscapes: la implications for riverine biodiversity and resilience" and “Using species traits to explain lotic community response to multi-scaled environmental gradients”.
Dr. Poff’s research interests are guided by the broad consideration of how ecological processes and patterns are constrained by habitat structure and environmental variability at multiple scales in aquatic ecosystems.
Small-scale research focuses on how spatial habitat heterogeneity influences the strength and outcomes of interactions among insect grazers and how these grazers regulatestream algal production across gradients of current velocity.
At larger scales, research focuses on testing general ecological theory predicting how the structure and functional organization of biological biological communities (invertebrates and fish) depend on habitat stability. We are interested in integrating ecological response across all levels of habitat constraint, from local patches to whole watersheds. This research provides a basis for predicting aquatic community attributes at geographic scales and for ecological responses to land- use alterations and regional climate changes. Poster
http://rydberg.biology.colostate.edu/faculty/profile.php?name=Poff
2006 – Dr. Judy Meyers, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia
Birthplaces of Rivers: The Diversity, Destruction, and Restoration of Headwater Streams and Forest-stream Linkages in an Urbanizing Landscape
Since joining the faculty at the University of Georgia in 1977, Dr. Meyer has focused her research on nutrient pollution in streams and rivers, on the natural processes that maintain water quality, and on the effects that development (e.g. urbanization) and water management have on aquatic systems.
She has been heavily involved in public education, has worked with numerous conservation organizations, and has targeted much of her research towards addressing issues of concern to these groups and to the general public. Her work has improved our understanding of how we can reduce our impacts on streams and rivers, and has been critical in improving water policy in the United States. She has also been a consistent and effective advocate for streams in the policy realm.
As part of many conservation and governmental advisory boards, she regularly helps law makers integrate science and policy to improve water planning at the local, state and federal levels. As part of US Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board and the University of Georgia’s River Center (an institute for the advancement of water science and policy) she has lent her expertise on issues such as the importance of wetlands and small streams to the health of river networks, the importance of stream buffer zones to native fish, the impacts of logging on water quality, and the effects of lawn and agricultural fertilizers and pesticides on streams.
More than a third of U.S. rivers are in failing health due to pollution and other factors and, as in Canada, US public and private groups are working to restore the health of their waterways. Dr. Meyer has also been heavily involved in helping to improve “the science and practice” of river restoration by forming a partnership of top river experts in the US that guides future restoration efforts.
This partnership is working to answer important questions like “What works best? Which practices can be tailored to certain regions? What does it cost?” The need for healthy rivers, clean drinking water, vigorous fisheries and outdoor recreation demands research-based answers to these questions. Dr. Meyer has been the president of the Ecological Society of America, is on the board of American Rivers, was a 2002 National Clean Water Act Hero, received the 2003 Award of Excellence from North American Benthological Society, and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Poster
http://www.ecology.uga.edu/people/faculty/meyer.htm
2007 - Dr. Robert (Bob) Newbury, PhD PEng, Fellow, Canadian Rivers Institute
Restoring Rivers for Fish and Fishers: There are two forms of water conditions in rivers that fish and aquatic insects interpret and adapt to with remarkable skill. In still water the conditions are primarily shaped by the geometry of the river channel. In flowing water the conditions are particular structures within the flow, for example, the rotational currents formed in meanders or the back-eddies and pools of refuge created next to torrents and rapids.
The flowing forms are also responsible for shaping mobile streams into meanders, pools and riffles. Both water conditions are strategically used by insects and fish for migration, spawning, feeding and resting.
Stream Restoration Science - New Blends of Old Wine: The present uncomplicated hydraulic theory for uniform and rapidly-varied river flow is derived from observations and experiments undertaken in the 18th Century, for example by Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782) and Antoine Chezy (1718-1798).
Other scientists and engineers have further defined the forms of flow and their occurrence in natural channels; Froude (state of flow), Reynolds (turbulence), Prandtl (separation), Yalin (meanders), and Leopold and Wolman (river geometry) to name a few. Contemporary studies in stream ecology (now coined as eco-hydrology) have followed the advice of Noel Hynes in 1971 to “unite the stream and its valley”. This led to the also uncomplicated river continuum model and the use of flow parameters to describe the habitats of insects, fish and aquatic plants.
The early science and contemporary observations are presented and then illustrated in a few examples of restoring fish habitats and migration in channelized and dammed streams. Poster
http://www.newbury-hydraulics.com%20
2008 - Dr. Wolfgang Junk, National Amazonian Research Institute, Cuiaba, Brazil
The Canadian Rivers Institute is delighted to have Dr. Junk as our 2008 Hynes Lecturer. is a retired leader of the Working Group of Tropical Ecology at Max Planck-Institute for Limnology, Plon, Germany. Currently, he is a visiting professor at INPA and State University of Manaus (UEA), Manaus, and Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiaba, Brasil.
Dr. Junk's area of expertise is in ecology and sustainable management of floodplains, land-water interactions. His main research areas are: studies on biomass, primary production, and decomposition of wetland plant communities; nutrient fluxes between land and water; adaptations of plant and animals to periodical drought and flooding; ecology of aquatic macrophytes and fish communities; biodiversity; conceptional considerations on river-floodplain systems, sustainable management of wetland resources and wetland protection with emphasis on the Amazon River floodplain and the Gran Pantanal, Brazil.
On Wednesday, October 15th, 7 pm, Dr. Junk will be delivering a public lecture on "Why rivers need floods: lessons from the Amazon and elsewhere"at Hazen Hall Lecture Theatre, UNB Saint John.
On Friday, October 17th, 2:30 pm Dr. Junk will deliver a public lecture on "Floodplains of tropical versus temperate regions: similarities and differences" at Bailey Hall room 146, UNB Fredericton.
Abstracts
Why Rivers Need Floods: Lessons From the Amazon and Beyond
River floodplains are very complex ecosystems. Hydrologic dynamics and the shift between terrestrial and aquatic phases create permanently changing environmental conditions that are difficult to understand and even more difficult to predict. However, the species-rich and, in part, highly adapted flora and fauna point to inherent regulations that make river floodplain systems to a certain extent predictable and explain the development of the various adaptations of their plants and animals. The Flood Pulse Concept (FPC) integrates scientific data to explain the structure, function, and biodiversity of river floodplains. It also contributes to predicting the impacts of floods and droughts as well as those of man-made changes on the hydrology, connectivity between floodplain and river channel, and in the resident flora and fauna. This lecture provides an overview of floodplain ecology in the context of the FPC. The most common human impacts on floodplains are discussed and proposals are made for the sustainable management of floodplain ecosystems.
Floodplains of tropical versus temperate regions: similarities and differences
Large-river floodplains occur along the entire climatic gradient, from high latitudes to the humid tropics. These climatic variations have a major impact on the biota living in river-floodplain ecosystems. Differences in the reactions of plants and animals to similar flooding events can be explained by differences in climate; however, they also require an analysis of the paleo-climatic history, as it strongly influenced the evolution of organisms and, due to the varying extinction rates, the composition of the fauna and flora. Evidence for this view is provided by comparing the ecological conditions in the tropical Amazon River floodplain and the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil, with those in the large-river floodplains located in temperate regions of Europe and North America. Poster
2009- Dr. Faye Hicks, Professor and Researcher in Hydrotechnical Engineering, University of Alberta
This year, ourspeaker will be Dr. Faye Hicks, one of the leading experts on river ice, a subject of obvious importance to anyone studying rivers in Canada. Dr. Hicks is a professor at the University of Alberta, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in hydraulics, and has research interests in the areas of river ice processes and hydraulics, ice jam flood forecasting, and environmental impacts of river ice.
From her webpage, you can see her many interests, teaching, and awards, including recent ones for outstanding contributions to the development and practice of
hydrotechnical engineering in Canada, and modernization of the provincial river ice program, as well as the highest award given to professors at University of Alberta, and a mentoring award from the Alberta Women's Science Network.
The lectures will take place as follows: Hynes Lecture Part 1 2009: Wednesday, October 21st, public lecture at 7 pm in Fredericton (Room 146, Bailey Hall); Hynes Lecture Part 2 2009; Thursday, October 22nd, scientific lecture at 11:30 am at Ganong Hall Room 115, UNB Saint John.
Abstracts
Public Lecture:
The Weird and Wonderful World of River Ice, Wednesday, 21st October, 2009; 7 pm in Loring Bailey Hall, room 146, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton.
Each year, as winter approaches, our Canadian rivers undergo a magical transformation as flowing water begins to freeze. Whether it is frazil ice, hanging dams, hummocky ice, anchor ice, ice jams or even ‘pizza' ice - the processes that form river ice are beautiful and fascinating. Perhaps you have never noticed the complexities of river freeze-up and would like to learn more, or maybe you have witnessed these processes many times and would just like to know exactly why these strange things happen?
In this presentation, we will explore both freeze-up and breakup processes on rivers, through a combination of photographs and video clips. Learn why some rivers never freeze over, why anchor ice is dangerous to fish and why some rivers freeze from the top down, while others do the opposite. Witness the awesome power of river breakup, and the fearsome nature of the flash floods caused by ice jams as they form and release. Learn how river ice engineers and scientists study and predict these complex natural phenomenon. Together we will visit some of Canada's most remote, dynamic and beautiful rivers as they experience the weird and wonderful world of river ice. For a web-cast of this lecture please Click Here.
Science Lecture:
Predicting Dynamic River Ice Processes, Thursday, 22nd October, 2009, 11:30 am in Ganong Hall, Room 115, University of New Brunswick, Saint John
River ice can be both beneficial and detrimental to Canadians. While ice roads and ice bridges provide essential transportation links to Canada's north, ice jams can cause flash floods that threaten lives and property with little or no advance warning. Of increasing concern are the potential impacts of human influences on river ice processes, both directly in terms of hydro-power development and indirectly in terms of climate change.
In this lecture, we will explore complexities of dynamic ice processes through a combination of photographs and video clips. Specifically, you will see the many ways in which river ice scientists and engineers use experimental and field studies to expand our knowledge and understanding of river ice dynamics. With an emphasis on processes, problems and solutions, rather than the underlying math-physics, we will also examine the new developments in computer modeling aimed at predicting ice jam floods, as well as the influences of hydro-power development and climate change on the ice regime of rivers. We will also examine the implications of this research for a variety of water resources engineering and ecological applications, including flood forecasting, and the assessment of winter water supply and physical fish habitat.
