Three IISD-ELA Researchers Encouraged Reddit Users to 'AMA'

Do you have burning questions about the unique freshwater science that goes down at IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA)? Something you have always wanted to know about the site, but have never gotten the chance to ask?

On Tuesday, February 28, 2017 from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. (CST) three IISD-ELA researchers (Vince Palace, Lee Hrenchuk and Ken Sandilands) encouraged Reddit users to "Ask Me Anything" (AMA). This meant that anyone signed up as a user on the site could ask pretty much anything they wanted to know about the research, work, facilities, lakes, landscapes, fish and, of course, dogs, at the one-of-a-kind open-air laboratory.

You can read the full conversation here.

"Hi Reddit.

We are researchers at IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA to its friends), the only place in the world where you can conduct big experiments on whole lakes. We study things like climate change, contaminants (such as metals and nutrients), flooding and aquaculture, just to name a few. We do all of this to better understand human impacts on freshwater lakes all over the world. 

Some of the science we do is pretty unique and we do it all year round—yes, even in the harsh Canadian winters!

We are located in a remote area of Northwestern Ontario where there are thousands of small freshwater lakes, and we have been doing experiments on 58 of these lakes since the late sixties. You have our science to thank for phosphorus being banned in laundry detergents and for other strong environmental laws around the world.

Today, we have biologists Lee Hrenchuk and Ken Sandilands, who work on fish (Lee) and water science (Ken), and spend more than 6 months per year doing field work at the IISD-ELA research station (including during the throes of winter!); and our Chief Research Scientist Vince Palace, who dreams up some of the experiments we conduct.

Go on, and ask us anything…"