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Public Meeting Announcement

 

Sable Island Update

 

Illustrated talks about research and operations, with a report on progress toward a secure future.

Followed by a Question & Answer Session, and Reception

 

Thursday, February 16th, 2006 - 7:00-9:30 pm

Sobey Conference Theatre, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax

 

On January 31st 2005, the Government of Canada announced its commitment to conservation of Sable Island, and long-term support of a human presence on the Island. Interim funding for two to three years was organized, and two federal departments - Fisheries & Oceans Canada, and Environment Canada - with assistance from the Government of Nova Scotia, began working to secure long-term funding and effective management for both the Island and the Station.

 

A year has passed, and in February 2006, a public meeting will be held to review ongoing research and operations on Sable Island, and to provide an update on progress toward a secure future.

 

The meeting will begin with an introduction by David Richardson, Dean of Science, Saint Mary’s University. Three guest speakers will provide 15-minute illustrated talks on several of the many programs underway on Sable Island.  Zoe Lucas will review Station operations and notable events of year 2005.  Also, a representative of Environment Canada has been invited to speak regarding the Government of Canada’s progress and vision for Sable Island and the Station.

 

Guest Speakers:

  • W. Don Bowen, Population Ecology Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography.

  • Sonya Dehler, Geological Survey of Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography.

  • Thomas J. Duck, Physics & Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University.

 

The talks will be followed by a Question-&-Answer Session, and a Reception.

 

The meeting has been organized by the Sable Island Green Horse Society and the Ecology Action Centre. Saint Mary’s University, the World Wildlife Fund and the Nova Scotian Institute of Science have joined SIGHS and EAC in hosting the event. Open to the public. All are welcome. No admittance fee.

 

 

 

 

Sable Island Update 2006 - Guest Speakers

 

W. Don Bowen

Research scientist in the Population Ecology Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, and Adjunct Professor of Biology at Dalhousie University, Halifax.

 

Research areas include the population dynamics, ecology, and energetics of North Atlantic phocid seals, with the objectives of understanding the diversity of seals’ life histories and the nature of competitive interactions between seals and commercial fisheries. For the past 15 years has conducted research on reproduction and foraging ecology of grey and harbour seals at Sable Island using a variety of data loggers and satellite telemetry. Since 2000 has been the editor of Marine Mammal Science.

 

Talk subject: Sable Island supports the world's largest grey seal breeding colony. Continuous study of this population began in the late 1960s, and the long-term records for both the population and for a significant number of marked individuals, including complete reproductive histories for animals normally having a life span of 30-40 years, comprise an unparalleled data base. This talk will review how these data, combined with the infrastructure provided by the Station, provide unique opportunities to study the ecological role of seals in the continental shelf ecosystems of Atlantic Canada.

 

 

Sonya Dehler

Research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth.

 

Presently studying the crustal structure and evolutionary history of Canada's east coast continental margins, which formed during the opening of the Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea. Recently initiated the Atlantic Region Teleseismic Experiment, which involves a network of seismograph stations in Atlantic Canada, including Sable Island, that are measuring seismic waves generated by earthquakes.

 

Talk subject: Sable Island, with its unique position near the edge of the continental shelf, provides an ideal platform for studies of the Earth's physical and geologic character. The island is a base for studies of the Earth's magnetic field, and a seismic station for earthquake detection has recently been installed at the Sable Island Station. This talk will discuss these geophysical observatories and how they are contributing to our understanding of local and global geology.

 

 

Thomas J. Duck

Director of the Atmospheric-Optics Laboratory of the Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax.

 

Research areas include use of lidar (laser radar) to study atmospheric transport and mixing of pollutants. Also working with the Canadian Science Team on the Phoenix Mars Scout Project, a joint Canadian Space Agency/NASA project that will place a lidar on Mars in 2008. Founding member of the Canadian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Change which will operate the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory at Eureka to study dramatic and ongoing climate change in the Arctic.

 

Talk subject: Climatological record-keeping on Sable Island began in 1871 with the establishment of the Meteorological Service of Canada, and has been continuous since 1891 - one of the longest continuous collections of weather data in Canada. Meteorological observations are essential not only in forecasting, but also in climate study and atmospheric research. This talk will review the role of the Sable Island Station, and the importance of long-term data, in study of global weather systems and climate change.

 

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