Nature is also restored

2001/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

Many times we have news that we are destroying nature. We also know that it has recovered from time to time. The latter is the case of Lake Meretta in the Canadian Arctic. In 1949 the headquarters of the Department of Transportation of Canada and other institutions began to pour waste into the lake. Since the 1970s, however, the number of people living and working there has been decreasing and currently only 65. In addition, waste is now not poured directly. And the lake has also noticed it.

At the end of the discharges, samples were taken. Diatoms are analyzed in the samples. Diatoms are unicellular and green microscopic algae that have been used as indicators of water quality. Studies show that water quality has improved significantly. Thus, researchers at the University of Toronto have confirmed the resilience of nature and have proven that diatoms are a good biological indicator. The number and type of diatoms in the sediments will also serve to know the history of the lake.