The team members also say this first-ever Canadian sighting of the American migrant underlines the importance of maintaining a unique habitat in Ontario that has shrunk to a sliver of its historical size under urbanization, farming and other human activities.

In a paper published recently in the Journal of the Entomological Society of Ontario, the researchers describe their first-ever Canadian record of the hibiscus bee (Ptilothrix bombiformis).

Janean Sharkey, a master’s student in the School of Environmental Sciences, wrote the paper along with Dr. Alana Pindar, a post-doc researcher in SES, and Dr. Nigel Raine, holder of the Rebanks Family Chair in Pollinator Conservation at U of G.

The bee was found in the Ojibway Prairie Park Nature Reserve (OPPNR) in Windsor, Ont., in 2018.

Sharkey said the find may mean the bee has taken advantage of climate change to expand its normal range from the eastern United States, although more research is needed to learn more.

The OPPNR, a 65-hectare provincial park, is one of the largest remnants of oak savannah habitat in Canada. Despite its small size, it is considered a biodiversity “hot spot.”

“It should definitely be a priority for conservation,” said Sharkey. “This area has a suite of other species of insects and larger animals and plants that are endangered and can only be found in these communities.”

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A study co-authored by a University of Guelph researcher projects that more people will be exposed to intense heat due to increased greenhouse gas emissions and urban population growth.

“A major reason that cities are often warmer is the built infrastructure – the paved roads and the building and residential roofs that absorb and emit heat, the tall buildings that retain that heat – those are major factors that make cities hotter than rural areas,” says Prof. Scott Krayenhoff, School of Environmental Sciences, who co-authored the study with researchers at Arizona State University.

The researchers calculated that population-weighted exposure to extreme heat will increase at least 12-fold by the end of this century. As much as two-thirds of the world’s people are projected to be living in cities by mid-century.

Study findings may help planners and policy makers in adapting to climate change and in implementing urban features from street tree-planting to additional cooling centres.

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The research team modelled prospects for growing major food crops in new farmland that may come available as climate change alters growing seasons worldwide.

The researchers found Earth’s agricultural landmass could increase by almost one-third, including vast new farming prospects in Canada’s North – but not without major environmental impacts such as soil carbon emissions, loss of biodiversity, and declines in water quality.

Areas that may become newly suitable for one or more crops — so-called climate-driven agricultural frontiers – cover an area equivalent to more than 30 percent of the landmass already being farmed worldwide.

In Canada, four crops – wheat, potatoes, corn, and soy – are cold-tolerant enough to grow in more northerly regions under climate change, according to the study.

Growing food in new areas may promote economic development, reducing poverty and food insecurity in Canada’s North.

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A University of Guelph grad leading the fight against wildfires in southern British Columbia is finding that his physics degree has come in handy.

In recent years, Bryce Moreira’s job as aviation specialist with the Kamloops Fire Centre has been intensely demanding, given the highly combustible conditions in B.C.’s forests. But Moreira, 29, says he is able to keep his cool in part because of the practical skills he learned studying physics at U of G.

“When I finished my degree and moved back to B.C., I was unsure of my next step,” said Moreira. “But because of my degree I was able to get a job with the BC Wildfire Service in the winter, a job that was directly applicable to physics.”

He oversees deployment of helicopters for transporting firefighters or dumping water on fires.

Depending on the size of the fire, the response can involve anywhere from one to 30 helicopters. While Moreira is not a pilot himself, he sometimes finds himself in the co-pilot’s seat hovering over a blaze.

Operation parameters change constantly. Pinpoint calculations are needed to ensure the best possible response and outcome, he said.

Controlling a fire is exhausting, he said, but the sense of accomplishment is huge.

“It certainly can be a lot of pressure, but we all accept that pressure as part of the job we have,” he said. “I am looking for the best possible way to control and suppress the fire and to protect life and property. You have to take it one task at a time.”

His U of G education gave him a good foundation for understanding physics and its varied applications. His job mostly involves analysis and organization of complex and urgent firefighting strategies. The more fires burning, the more involved the strategy becomes. The skills in data analysis he learned at U of G have been indispensable in his work, he said.

The 2017 and 2018 fire seasons were the most extreme in the province’s history, burning more forest and forcing more evacuations than ever before. This year, conditions improved.

Moreira said the recent spike in the number and size of fires has been fuelled by climate change. Dry conditions caused by a lack of snowfall in winter and extreme temperatures in spring and summer are the major contributor, a perspective backed up in a recent study by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Extreme fire seasons are likely to become more common as global temperatures continue to rise, according to the study.

In 2018, 2,117 fires covered more than 1.3 million hectares of land and cost the province $615 million to fight; in 2017, 1,500 fires covered more than 1.2 million hectares and cost about $650-million to fight. On average, about 42 per cent of fires are caused by people and 57 per cent by lightning.

“There is so much math involved in a physics program, and math explains things in a very technical and rudimentary way,” he said. “It helps explain the principles of how things operate and gives you an appreciation for larger ideas based on these simple principles.”

Originally from British Columbia, Moreira completed his U of G degree in 2013. He spent summers in Kamloops working for the BC Wildfire Service, a job that he began while in high school.

He gained hands-on experience fighting fires and landed a full-time job because of his ability to analyze data and solve problems.

“Being able to understand things from their basic principles and seeing the root cause helped me to solve unique problems that come up day-to-day in my work,” he said.

As a top high school volleyball player, Moreira competed for two years on the provincial team. He was an assistant coach on the Gryphons women’s volleyball team in 2012-13.

“Typically, I had a pretty good eye for technical skills,” said Moreira, who now coaches varsity volleyball in B.C. “I was able to add technical expertise and to support the whole team.”

With two record-breaking wildfire years in the province, recent fire seasons have been tough on crews and coordinators, he said. During time off, he gets rest and stays physically active to deal with the stress.

Moreira said it is difficult to witness the destruction wreaked on B.C.’s environment, but he credits his U of G education for his ability to focus on minimizing the damage.

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Mario Martinez’s research project was one of eight international plant-based meat initiatives chosen to receive funding by the Good Food Institute, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.

Martinez and four U of G colleagues will use $330,000 to develop prototypes for plant-based meat.

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The money comes from the province’s greenhouse gas campus retrofits program within its larger climate change action plan.

Plans include upgrading and expanding the heat recovery system, installing real-time energy monitoring meters and a new electric boiler and pursuing other projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The provincial money includes $9.5 million in grants and $16.8 million in interest-free loans. Buildings to be upgraded will include the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre and Rozanski Hall, the largest classroom facility on campus.

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