Humber river, Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada

Environment

Environment

Affected by human activity

Affected by human activity

Pollution

Pollution

Little

Surrounding area

The area in the biotope is a middle reach section of humber river, via binderwine park. the area above the water is quite open, with no overhanging trees that shade the water, making the water not that cool compared to headwater section but still not so warm like lower reaches. There are extensive raparian vegetation, dominating by grass species that are very hard to identify without labatory analysis.

Underwater landscape

The specific water section I focused on is a transitioning zone from the riparian zone, where a large dead tree trunk has created a deposition area with slow water flow, accumulating sediment and other branches. This zone transitions into the mid-flowing run area of the river.

The sediment composition shifts from fine, grey limestone and shale to larger grain-sized gravel, pebbles, and rocks composed of feldspar or quartz, originating from moraine deposits during the last glacial maximum. Water turbidity is relatively high due to a medium load of clay and silt. Mid-column fish juveniles are found in such areas, and benthic species like darter are found in relatively fast-flowing areas.

Fishlist:

• Notropis atherinoides (Cyprinidae)
• Etheostoma caeruleum (Percidae)
• Etheostoma flabellare (Percidae)
• Luxilus cornutus (Cyprinidae)
• Hypentelium nigricans (Catostomidae)
• Rhinichthys cataractae (Cyprinidae)

 

Aquatic plants:

• Poaceae (Aufwuchs)

Threats to ecology

There are several factors affecting the ecology and healthiness of the Humber River. Only 38% of urban areas have good systems to manage stormwater. More work is needed to control urban runoff. Climate change leads to more intense urban flooding, causing more erosion to the river bank, raising the sediment load of the river, and increasing the average water temperature in summer, which makes cooler water species like ridgeside dace suffer.

The increase in sediment load also affects fish breathing and predation. Road salt used in winter raises the salt levels in the river, harming fish and other aquatic life.

Additionally, in-stream barriers like dams and culverts hinder fish migration, further impacting fish populations.

Riparian zone

Trees near the aquatic habitat

Few -