School of Environmental Studies Graduate Theses
Recent Submissions
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Conservation Canines in Canada: Roles, Welfare & Environmental Impacts
People have been employing dogs to assist with conservation work for more than a century. While the literature documents the efficacy of using dogs in these roles, the welfare and experiences of these dogs has received ... -
Phytoremediation of a Cement Kiln Dust (CKD)-Contaminated Landfill Using Halophytes
Soil salinization is an environmental issue affecting global soil quality and plant productivity. Landfilling of cement kiln dust (CKD), a saline waste by-product from the cement manufacturing process, results in soil ... -
Disposing of Risk: The Biopolitics of Recalled Food and the (Un)making of Waste
I use food recalls—the removal from the market of food that violates laws or standardsas a lens to understand how efforts to secure the Canadian food system and Canadian consumers more broadly intersect with the limits of ... -
Wildlife Photography: Ecological Tool or Invasive Practice? A Study of Wildlife Photography and its Practitioners
Based on participant interviews this project describes and interprets the practices, self understandings, and motivations of contemporary wildlife photographers. It seeks to contextualize these practices within the ... -
Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Community Development. A Case Study of AngloGold Ashanti, Adieyie and Teberebie, Ghana
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives have become widespread in the extractive industry, including in Africa. CSR opponents and proponents hold conflicting positions on the conceptualisation, importance and ... -
PALEOLIMNOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE DELORO INDUSTRIAL SITE ON MOIRA LAKE (ONTARIO)
Historical industrial activity at Deloro (1866-1961) included both mineral exploration and mineral processing practices which produced over 650,000 m3 of waste material ultimately dumped on site. Previous studies on the ... -
A Paleolimnological Assessment of Eutrophication Trends in the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern Over the Past 70 Years
Recent surface-water surveys suggest that high nutrient concentrations and nuisance algae remain an issue in the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern (AOC) at Cornwall, Ontario, particularly in the tributaries and nearshore ... -
Toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls and N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine in the juvenile turtle, Chelydra serpentina
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and substituted phenylamine antioxidants (SPAs) are two chemical groups that have been used in multiple Canadian industrial processes. Despite the production ban of PCBs in North America ... -
Digging Deeper than Platinum: South Africa's Participation in an Emergent Fuel Cell Industry
(2016-09-10)South’s Africa’s position as global platinum supplier provides a unique opportunity for an emergent fuel cell industry. The innovative technology’s reliance on platinum has sparked interest in the mining sector, promoting ... -
CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF PRECIPITATED CALCIUM CARBONATE FROM WASTE CONCRETE
(2016-04-20)As a result of human activities, rising concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are causing climate change. One method to sequester CO2 involves the production of synthetic limestone (CaCO3) from calcium silicate ... -
Distribution, associations, and limiting growth factors of tree species in a vegetation transition zone of eastern Ontario, Canada
(2016-02-01)Transition zones between vegetation types have been highlighted as areas of high biodiversity and are longstanding focal areas of research. There is increasing evidence to suggest these areas might be uniquely affected by ... -
Land use and land cover dynamics in the Ganges Delta region, Bangladesh
(2015-12-22)The Ganges Delta is a dynamic landscape that has experienced substantial transformation over the last half century and is particularly susceptible to future change as a result of rising sea levels. The aim of this project ... -
Faecal indicator bacteria monitoring in blue-green algae contaminated water
(2015-10-03)Abstract Due to enhanced human and climatically-driven environmental changes, numerous water bodies including the Great Lakes area have seen increased harmful algal blooms (HABs) (including those caused by blue-green ... -
Understanding the characteristics of algal communities in the tributaries of Lake St. Francis (St. Lawrence River) through intensive sampling and the use of citizen science
(2015-10-03)In recent years, reports of nuisance algae have increased within the Great Lakes Basin. These nuisance algal blooms have been known to include potentially hazardous cyanobacteria. There is a concern that harmful algal ... -
An Investigation into Energy Requirements and Conservation Techniques for Sustainable Buildings
(2015-10-03)Traditionally, societies use to design their built environment in a way that was in line with the climate and the geographical location that they evolved in, thereby supporting sustainable lifestyles (i.e. thick walls with ... -
The Governance of Waste in Iqaluit, Nunavut
(2015-09-10)Through ethnographic fieldwork and archival research, this thesis examines the historical and contemporary governing practices that inform waste management in Iqaluit, Nunavut. I draw on governance theory to critically ... -
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI): Complicating the global narrative
(2015-08-10)The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) developed in Madagascar by French Jesuit and agricultural scientist Fr. Henri de Laulanie in the 1980s has since been propagated to over 50 countries worldwide. By transplanting ... -
Improved Framework for Monitoring Land-cover Changes by Using Remote Sensing Technology: From unsupervised and supervised, to targeted approaches
(2015-06-02)Land-cover change monitoring has remained at the forefront of interest in environmental science and sustainability research for many years. Digital change detection, which mainly relies on remote-sensing technology, has ... -
Spruce bark beetle disturbance in the forest-tundra ecotones of southwest Yukon: impacts and predisposing factors
(2015-05-28)As climate warms, phytophagous forest insects are expected to advance into previously unoccupied regions and/or experience population eruptions within their extant ranges. Already stressed by abiotic factors, arctic and ... -
Land-Use Change and Surface Water Quality in the Cataraqui Region
(2015-01-29)The scientific community has increased its focus on studies dealing with land-use change and water quality. The emphasis on land use and water quality can be attributed to the continued rise in human population leading to ...
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