The rapid increase in shale gas development in the Peace Region has been accompanied by concern about environmental impacts, and in particular, fugitive methane migration into shallow groundwater. The goal of the proposed research project is to establish a dedicated groundwater monitoring well network in order to collect data to inform the following questions: 1) […]

The goal of this research is the development and operationalization of new hazardous ice mapping technology to mitigate impacts of warmer winters and springs on sea-ice travel in Arctic communities. In partnership with the northern social enterprise, SmartICE, we will develop the capability to detect and map slush and incorporate the technology into their mobile […]

Considerable advances in geological and rock engineering mapping methods using both conventional and remote sensing techniques have occurred over the last decade. The primary objective of the proposed research is to further develop the use Virtual and Mixed Reality (VR/MR), techniques in improving structural geological and rock mass field data acquisition. New uses of MR […]

Understanding of Earth history involves many approaches. In the case of this project, the focus is understanding the distribution (paleogeography) of ancient shallow-marine and coastal environments of Alberta and Saskatchewan during the Lower Cretaceous. The Grand Rapids Fm represents an important interval that occupies a crucial location for resolving the history of such environments, particularly […]

The project aims to refine a process developed by Terra CO2 Technologies to use a small proportion of geopolymer cement made from mine tailings to solidify and stabilize a bulk volume of tailings against leaching and water contamination. Beyond tailings stabilization, waste mineral geopolymer cement may be advantageous as an environmentally-friendly replacement for Portland cement […]

Wildlife have remarkable adaptations for responding to environmental change; however rapid increases in the magnitude of environmental disturbances may compromise their ability to cope. Physiological measures, such as hormones, provide a window into the responses of wildlife to environmental change. We propose to identify and rank the relative importance of multiple potential stressors that could […]

Recent severe forest fire activity and loss of vegetation from Mountain Pine Beetle has resulted in impacts to river channel stability and Chinook salmon habitat in several key sub-catchments of the Thompson River Watershed. Interest exists in conducting remedial work to improve and restore salmon habitat in several locations, but risk of ongoing channel instability […]

Salmon are inarguably one of the most culturally, ecologically, and economically important fish in British Columbia, however, their stocks have been declining since the 1990’s. The Cohen Commission of Enquiry expert panel emphasized that juvenile mortality during the first months at sea was the most likely cause of fishery declines. This Mitacs project represents Phase […]

The Lockport Group is a succession of carbonate rocks that subcrops in southwestern Ontario. It is of great interest as a source of potable water at shallow depths in Wiarton-Guelph-Hamilton area, of production of oil/natural gas and storage of natural gas and as a hydrochemical indicator interval for potential disposal of nuclear wastes in the […]

The mountains of British Columbia store vast, but varying, amounts of water in winter snowpacks. Accurate estimates of snow water equivalent (SWE) in these mountains are critical for hydroelectric power generation and flood forecasting, but the current observation network is often insufficient. Working with both industry and academic partners, Mitacs interns will use airborne laser […]

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 […]

Porphyry Cu-Au-Mo systems, especially those formed along continental active margins, are generally considered to have formed in contractional tectonic environments of crustal thickening, surface uplift and rapid exhumation (e.g., Sillitoe, 2010). The tectonic environment of porphyry systems formed in island arcs, such as those located within the Stikine terrane of northwestern BC, are not as […]