Troy, MSc student
Who am I and what is my fieldwork project?
My name is Troy and I am a 2nd year MSc student in the Arnott Aquatic Ecology Lab! My project looks at the potentially toxic effects of road de-icer alternatives. We are all used to seeing a lot of road salt on the ground and this salt, when washed into water, is bad for freshwater. In response to this, there have been new alternatives developed. I tested how toxic these alternatives were to aquatic communities of zooplankton, important primary consumers in aquatic ecosystems, using a mesocosm experiment at the Queen’s University Biological Station (QUBS). I lived and worked at QUBS for two months, using mesocosms as simulated lake environments to assess how different concentrations of different chemicals affected communities. I also am part of a side project where we use conductivity loggers to determine when the salt runoff is greatest in lakes. We were able to place loggers in local lakes to see how runoff varies, doing field work in both summer and winter!
What was the best part of fieldwork?
By far, the best part of field work was definitely living at the field station and being able to work outside every day. I also loved getting a chance to be out on the water at multiple lakes. I grew up being able to swim and canoe, and knowing that my work was helping to protect these bodies of water was amazing. The other awesome thing about my work is getting to connect with the public at multiple events like the QUBS Open House and the Sydenham Lake Day.
What was the most challenging part of fieldwork?
Even on the bad days, you still have to collect your data. That means even when it is pouring rain, super buggy, or the hottest day of the summer, we had to go out. However, I had the best field assistant anyone could ask for which made things so much better. The other end of that spectrum is the winter field work, where it was freezing cold and we had to lug heavy equipment 100m through the snow. But overall, doing this work with great people and knowing you are helping the environment makes the bad days worth it.
