The Water Institute for Semi-arid Ecosystems (WISE) is a diverse partnership of federal, provincial, academic, and private sector organizations. WISE studies and promotes the sustainability of water resources in semi-arid ecosystems through research and education, and provides input into policies related to water resources management. As a founding member of WISE, the University of Lethbridge is building upon its past water research endeavors and developing new resources to support water research. These are some of the people that make it happen.

DR.STEWART ROOD

Dr. Rood devotes much of his time to river resources management, namely researching plant physiology and the ecophysiology of river valley cottonwood trees. The combination of his expertise in riparian ecosystems with his enthusiasm for improved ecosystem health makes him a much sought after research collaborator. Dr. Rood is a past recipient of the Emerald Award for Research and Innovation in the environment; and the E.E. Ballantyne Award for Excellence in Environmental Research. He currently holds a University of Lethbridge Board of Governors Research Chair and leads the WISE Aquatic Ecosystems research theme. Dr. Rood is a member of the Department of Biological Sciences.

Dr. Klein leads the Economics and Social Impacts Research theme in WISE. He devotes his research to agriculture economics and has published extensively in the area of farm production, technological chance, input markets, and international trade and development. More recently, Dr. Klein has researched the importance of water to economic growth and sustainability in Alberta. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Agriculture Economics Society, a University of Lethbridge Board of Governors Research Chair and a member of the Department of Economics.

Dr. Rasmussen’s work links ecosystem, community and the biology of individual species. It uses the nested hierarchy of ecology to link the efficiency of energy flow through food webs to the composition of communities of organisms and to the ways in which organisms adapt and respond. His work has clarified how community makeup affects nutrient efficiency and contaminant transfer. His findings contribute to our understanding and management of the aquatic ecosystem. Dr. Rasmussen is a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Ecosystems and a member of the Department of Biological Sciences.

Dr. Hontela’s research program focuses on one of the most important environmental issues we face today the health of animals and aquatic species that are continually exposed to chemicals from man made sources – pesticides, metals, pharmaceuticals – in the wild. Are the current concentrations acceptable to environmental agencies? How safe are the newer contaminants, such as veterinary and human antibiotics and drugs detected in surface waters? These contaminants lack specific guidelines for safe drinking water and survival of aquatic life? Dr. Hontella is a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Ecotoxicology in the Department of Biological Sciences.

The Scientific Director and GIS/IT theme leader in WISE, Dr. Peddle is an expert in remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). His research interests include forested ecosystems, mountainous terrain, agriculture, water, and Arctic sea ice. Dr. Peddle’s collaborations are multidisciplinary in nature including projects on precision farming, forestry management, carbon cycling and climate change, irrigation, and mountain and ocean hydrology. Dr. Peddle is a member of the Department of Geography.

Scientific uncertainty

Science doesn't claim to have all of the answers. Sometimes information may be lacking or conditions may be so subject to change that scientific analysis becomes difficult to apply. Outcomes are sometimes difficult to predict. There are occasions when not all scientists will agree on the science itself.

To address such cases scientists have developed what is known as the precautionary principle. This means that where science is uncertain about outcomes, and the outcomes could be potentially very harmful, society should err on the conservative or safe side when making decisions.

Misuse of the precautionary principle can occur and if taken to extremes can paralyze most decisions in society. On the other hand, application of the precautionary principle to recognize the potential range of results and risks before proceeding with an important project can be a wake up call that is ignored at our peril. The challenge is understanding how to assess the data and possible risks.

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