Parks Canada

Hydrological patterns determine water depth, flow intensity, duration, and frequency of flooding, as well as low flow periods. Water levels in streams are not considered stable, but fluctuate seasonally. Hydrologic conditions primarily affect abiotic factors such as habitat structure, temperature...

Annual aerial surveys are conducted along transects in late February to monitor the size of the Sturgeon River Plains Bison population, one of the few wild populations remaining in North America. This species is a key grazer of grasslands and a unique part of regional biodiversity in and around...

Trends in the relative abundance of paired loons on small lakes in Prince Albert National Park have been conducted by park staff and dedicated volunteers since 1996. Loons are apex piscivores in aquatic ecosystems and the presence of breeding loons is an indication of a healthy lake....

Avian point counts are conducted annually by collecting and transcribing acoustic recordings. Recording stations are located along 11 transects, and are visited on mornings between late May and early July. Songs and calls for all identifiable species are documented. Migratory songbirds are an...

The park monitors water quality of streams and ponds (lakes) on a triennial cycle, reporting on total organic carbon, acidity, phosphorus, nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and Chlorophyll A. These metrics are compiled into a water quality index (WQI) that summarizes overall water quality.

Terra Nova National Park employs fixed station pressure/temperature loggers to continuously monitor stream water temperatures over the entire summer at designated stream study sites.

Terra Nova National Park uses fixed station stream gauges and pressure temperature loggers to monitor the following stream flow aspects: Richards-Baker index of flashiness, ratio of yearly precipitation to runoff, low flow volume, annual maxima/minima, and mean monthly flow.

Terra Nova National Park employs a kicknet sampling procedure to monitor the species richness and relative species abundance of stream invertebrates. Streams chosen for sampling are randomly selected within second order watersheds.

PEI National Park samples Chlorophyll-a to measure aquatic productivity in four freshwater ponds. The sampling is carried out on an hourly basis between May-October each year using YSI sonde data loggers. In PEINP, all freshwater ponds are shallow (maximum depth is 4.5 m) and non-stratifying....

Odonata monitoring is conducted in four shallow water ponds within the wetland ecosystems of PEI National Park. Park staff collect exuviae (the remains of aquatic larval stage exoskeleton) of metamorphosed larvae from the order odonata twice per year: in the early summer (June) and late summer...