Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Reconstructing Hydrologic Conditions And Metals Supplied By The Peace River To The Peace-Athabasca Delta, Jelle André Faber

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD) in northern Alberta, Canada, is recognized internationally for its ecological, historical, and cultural significance. The delta is mostly within Wood Buffalo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. The construction of the WAC Bennett Dam (1967) and the Site C Dam (ongoing, 2024) on the Peace River, and expansion of the Alberta Oil Sands industry along the Athabasca River have raised concerns over water quantity and quality in the delta. When industry operations began, effective monitoring had not been implemented. Consequently, pre-industrial reference conditions are unknown and can …

Understanding The Physiological Effects Of Suspended Material On Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Tyler J. Weinhardt

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The effect of global warming on northern environments is becoming increasingly evident. Melting of underlying permafrost is associated with widespread impacts in these environments. The loss of permafrost results in a destabilizing of underlying sedimentary layers resulting in thermokarst slumping. When this occurs on a large scale (mega-slumping) soil material becomes mobilized and is carried into local streams and rivers. The purpose of this study is to examine the sub-lethal physiological effects that suspended material has on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the context of the Peel River Plateau. Juvenile rainbow trout were exposed (following Environment Canada exposure …

An Investigation Into The Spatial And Temporal Movement Of The Sand Dunes In The West Lake Ecosystem Of Sandbanks Provincial Park And The Implications For Management (Ontario), Jayson A. Childs

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Sandbanks Provincial Park is located on the northern shore of eastern Lake Ontario approximately 150km east of Toronto. The park is located on the southwestern shore of Prince Edward County in Hallowell Township and the research site was located on the larger of the two baymouth barriers the park protects. The research into aeolian sediment transport was carried out over twelve months in 2003--2004 on the Wellington Baymouth barrier. Vegetated sand dunes are sensitive geomorphic systems and when the protective cover is damaged and removed, changes are inevitable. The study examined variations in the amount of sediment transport in different …

Structural And Sedimentary Characteristics Of The Tsergo Ri Rockslide Breccia, Langtang, Nepal, Himalaya, Mark B. Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The high magnitude Tsergo Ri landslide (c. 100ka), Langtang Himal, with a volume in excess of 15km^3 and a vertical displacement of more than 1500m remains the largest crystalline rockslide in Nepal Himalaya. The Quaternary landslide affected rocks in gneissic fancies of the High Himalayan Crystalline Sequence adjacent to the Tibetan Sedimentary Series. Depositional characteristics from exhumed transport slope sites were analysed at both the macroscopic and the microscopic scale to investigate (i) localised fracture in terms of orientation and density, and (ii) petrography of slide induced host rock deformation. Fracture orientation analysis indicate the spatial orientation of preexisting discontinuities …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Fluvial Suspended Sediment Yield From Eastern North America, Catherine Treena Conrad

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A knowledge of spatial and temporal patterns of sediment yields and an understanding of the factors that determine those patterns have theoretical, environmental and socio-economic significance. To assess the change in sediment yields (in both space and time) a data base of 193 river gauging sites spanning the eastern provinces of Canada and eastern United States was compiled. The original source of the data was the United States Geological Survey data base (obtained from a Hydrosphere Data Inc. cd-rom) and Environment Canada (HYDAT) data base, which included stream discharge, sediment loads and basin areas, with record lengths of one year …

Fluid Patterns, Sediment Pathways And Woody Obstructions In The Pine River, Angus, Ontario, John T. Beebe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The objective of this research was to determine the effects that woody obstructions have on flow patterns and sediment pathways in a sand-bed river in Central Ontario. The Pine River near Angus, a tributary of the Nottawasaga River, was chosen because it contained a number of woody obstructions to flow from which to choose study sites. Two reaches, one containing a trunk oriented in the direction of flow, were chosen as the study reaches. Sampling of fluid speeds through the study reaches showed that the cross-stream obstruction acted to slow fluid as it approached and exited the obstruction zone, while …

Depositional And Deformational Structures In Three 'Esker-Like' Ridges, Southwestern Ontario, John D. Parish

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Dundalk Till Plain in southwestern Ontario is crossed by five “esker-like” ridges, believed to have been formed simultaneously during the early stage of the mid-Port Burce Stadial. The three middle ridges are the focus of this research, with each ridge having a different topographic form, but the length of, and distance between, ridges are similar. Occurrences of differing depositional structures and the presence of deformational structures over short lateral and vertical distances reveal the complexity of processes involved. The dominant primary sedimentary structures are large-scale tabular cross-beds. Many individual cross-beds are composed of poorly sorted, matrix-supported gravels. High variability …

The Effect Of Particle Size On Phosphate Adsorption By Fluvial Sediment, Michael F.A. Stone

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The quantitative phosphate adsorption behaviour of ten grain size fractions of an experimental sediment (silica sand) and fluvial sediment from two Southwestern Ontario rivers, were evaluated and compared to determine the effect of particle size on phosphate absorption. In addition, the elemental composition of grain size fractions of fluvial sediment were determined by X-Ray fluorescence spectrometry to study the combined effect of particle size and sediment geochemical composition on phosphate adsorption. Results of the adsorption studies indicate that phosphate adsorption per unit mass increases in non-linear fashion with decreasing grain size. The capacity of grain size fractions of silica sand …

A Sedimentological Study Of Modern And Ancient Lacustrine Environments At Michael Bay, Lake Huron, Lindsay D. Nakashima

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Modern and ancient environments associated with Lakes Algoma and Huron were studied according to attributes of stratigraphy, sediment texture, parameters, sediment size distribution, bedforms, and primary sedimentary structures. Results from a computation of wave refraction diagrams and from an examination of the wave climate characteristics indicate that the modern embayment is low energy.

A sediment texture comparison between modern and ancient environments indicates that higher energy pervailed in the ancient environment relative to the present day environment. The cobble and gravel sediments as well as an extensive belt of foredunes preserved in the ancient environment are evidence of this high …

Sedimentology Of The Glaciofluvial Deposits Of Woolwich And Pilkington Townships, Ellis Bowes

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Lake Wisconsin glaciofluvial deposits in Woolwich and Pilkington townships are examined for the purpose of environmental reconstruction and the establishment of the paleocurrent patterns. Sediment grain size and primary sedimentary structure are used to define sedimentary facies of environmental studies while the distribution of indicator pebbles, trends in clast size reduction and primary sedimentary structures and employed for paleocurrent analysis. The exposures most representative of the depositional sequences encountered are examined and provide an impression of the sedimentological characteristics of the various glaciofluvial deposits.

Three distinctive types of glaciofluvial deposits can be identified on the basis of surface morphology …