There are plans for residential/commercial/industrial developments in upstream sections of Carp River Watershed (CRW). This will have impacts on the quantity and quality of the river water downstream as well as the sediment loads. In addition, due to climate change it is expected that both quantity and quality of the Carp River will deviate from the norms. Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) is in charge of managing and protecting Carp River Watershed.

The forWater Network, funded by the federal government as well as industry partners and provincial governments, is a national research network looking into the impacts of forest-management strategies on drinking-water source quality and treatability. forWater Network researchers at Dalhousie University (including Duinker, the supervisor in this application) are working with Halifax Water and Westfor Management Inc. to determine how the Pockwock forested watershed can be managed to improve water treatability. A key issue here is the movement of dissolved organic carbon (DOC).

Wetlands are important habitats for many plant and animal species, and also provide valuable ecosystem services to society such as improving water quality and releasing groundwater into streams. While wetlands are often protected from development through the land use planning process in Ontario, development and land use change near wetlands can still alter the amount and timing of water flowing into and out of a wetland.

Systematic conservation planning tools allow us to use data on species distributions, habitat quality, and cost to and identify optimal areas to invest conservation and restoration resources. These tools can be particularly helpful in highly contested biodiverse landscapes where pressures from growing populations and economic development compete with conservation objectives.

How urban residents perceive and value nature within our cities shapes how we manage it for current and future generations. Given the diversity of perspectives and beliefs brought to bear on an urban system, we can expect that not everyone will enjoy nature the same way, or for the same reasons. If democracy is our goal, then we must create processes that allow people to express their opinions about where they want greenspace, what they want to use if for, and how it ought to be managed.

The ultimate objective of this research project is to use a form of artificial intelligence to be able to classify and identify images of microscopic particles. Machine Learning is the term applied to this type of process, in which an algorithm is created by the computer software itself (i.e. mostly hidden from human intervention) to complete the task.

Composting is a method of waste management using biological degradation at aerobic condition. Although the process is one of the efficient and least expensive waste management options, nuisance odors emanating from waste processing facilities degrade the air quality of neighborhood. Odor compounds vary significantly depending on the type of wastes, process conditions and include bioaerosols, biomolecules, volatile organics, ammonia, and organic sulphur compounds.

This project is designed to create a strong plan for both the environmental and economic sustainability of the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust and the properties they manage through the ecological gifts program. Another benefit to this project for the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust is that donors are much more likely to contribute land and dollars to the Land Trust if they are comfortable with role the Land Trust plays as a steward of the land, including activities related to ecological restoration and of damaged properties.

In Canada, the transportation sector is the second largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter and a large contributor to air pollution emissions, which can cause significant health impacts. Since electric vehicle (EV) does not generate any exhaust emissions, introducing EVs can bring health and climate co-benefits to society. From a life cycle perspective, this study will evaluate the environmental, health and economic impacts of introducing EVs in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

In Canada’s mountains, climate change is leading to the retreat of glaciers, permafrost thawing and accelerated snowmelt. These factors contribute to a significant increase in slope stability hazards and the risk of landslides, placing numerous communities and critical infrastructure at risk. Volcanoes are particularly vulnerable as they are commonly hydrothermally altered and weakened, thereby compounding the effects of climate change and further increasing the associated risk of collapse.