Our planet has never been hotter. Canada's rate of warming is about twice the global rate, and the Arctic is warming even faster. At the same time that permafrost and glaciers are melting more rapidly, there are also increasingly shorter seasons for ice and snow to build up. All of these changes impact our freshwater supply.
Furthermore, as things heat up in freshwater ecosystems, aquatic species have to adapt – if they can’t, their populations may be at risk. Furthermore, warmer temperatures can also intensify the impacts of pollution or contamination. For example, when an excess of nutrients (pollution) enters our waterways, it fuels algae growth. Algae grow even more rapidly in warmer waters, sometimes developing into a harmful bloom that depletes freshwater oxygen supplies, creating “dead zones” that kill fish and other aquatic species.