Announcing the 2023 Water SOURCE Symposium: The symposium is the first time the preliminary results of the SOURCE project’s scientific research will be shared with members of the public. The meeting will address adapting to the challenges of and exploring opportunities for water management in a changing climate on Prince Edward Island. Our objective is to share recent scientific research and connect people who are working on expanding our knowledge of water and policy on PEI and the Southern Gulf of St Lawrence region.
- Date: Tuesday, 7 November 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (storm date Thursday 9 November)
- Location: University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown Campus
Click here to view the Symposium’s Draft Agenda and Details.
Continue reading to access the SOURCE Project’s public research survey.
The SOURCE Project: Phase One Research Survey
RESEARCH TITLE: “THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WATER RESOURCES IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND AND THE WILLINGNESS OF STAKEHOLDERS TO UTILIZE NON-TRADITIONAL WATER SOURCES”
This research will examine the links between climate change and water on Prince Edward Island. The research includes a short survey asking participants how climate change will affect water sources on the Island. It also asks about their knowledge of discovering and using other water sources, including offshore groundwater.
Phase One Research Project Overview
This research will assess the practicality of introducing a non-traditional water source (offshore groundwater aquifers) and investigate the applicability of the existing policy framework to govern the introduction. It will also garner and assess the citizen’s perception of the source and their willingness or unwillingness to utilize it for personal and economic activities.
Meet the Research Team
Participation in Current Research
Residents and visitors of Prince Edward Island who are 18 years of age or older can participate in the research. Participation includes the completion of a survey instrument. The survey can also be accessed here.
Participants interested in completing the survey should read the Participant Letter of Information before proceeding.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Dr. Joshua MacFadyen and Donna Miller-Ayton using the contact information below.
Dr. Joshua MacFadyen – jdmacfadyen@upei.ca or 902-620-5142
Donna Miller-Ayton – dkmiller-ayton@upei.ca
SOURCE PROJECT BACKGROUND
Groundwater represents the world’s largest freshwater resource and provides drinking water for two billion people globally and over 10 million Canadians. Prince Edward Island is 100% dependent on groundwater for irrigation and drinking, but this resource has faced compounding stresses in recent years due to the extensive agricultural industry and the impacts of climate change. Freshwater offshore aquifers beneath the seafloor may represent PEI’s new and critical water resource.
SOURCE is a multi-sector consortium designed to investigate freshwater offshore aquifers (FOAs) and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) at the north-western Atlantic margin. The research team will focus on the continental shelf surrounding Prince Edward Island (PEI) to discover and map FOAs, investigate their connectivity with land aquifers, explore the mixing processes between SGD and ambient ocean water, and study the effects of SGD on benthic ecosystems.
For more information, please visit the project website.
GeoREACH Lab’s SOURCE Project Responsibilities
The GeoREACH Lab spearheads Work Package Seven (WP7) and is responsible for Public Engagement and the Social Impacts aspects of the SOURCE Project. The research team will engage in Stakeholder Consultations and Policy Reviews, Knowledge Mobilization (KM), Local Science Communication Studies and Publications. The principal methods will involve qualitative social science research, literature reviews, and structured surveys conducted through interviews, indigenous history circles, and online platforms.
They will also integrate the results of all work packages and make the findings available for the PEI Government, Sectoral Groups and First Nation communities.
Dr. Joshua MacFadyen leads the project with the assistance of graduate students in the Island Studies program. For more information, please get in touch with Dr. MacFadyen at 902-620-5142 or jdmacfadyen@upei.ca.
Participation in Future SOURCE Research Projects
The SOURCE project team will start phase two of the project soon. This phase will involve interviews and focus group meetings.
If you want to participate, please click here to complete the contact information form. Completing this form does not affect your participation in this survey. The information collected will remain anonymous.