The research problem to be addressed is the diversion of organic waste from landfills which, currently, in addition of using the limited space available, generate polluting leachate and greenhouse gases. On the other hand, landfilling organics represent a wasted opportunity to recover valuable chemical and energy resources. The internship will focus on the investigation of […]

Rockfalls and landslides are a common hazard throughout Canada and have a significant impact on transport corridors, infrastructure associated with natural resources, and in public areas. The ability to determine the potential for slope failures is often limited either by the lack of a detailed assessment of the slope, or by the understanding of the […]

Wetlands provide important ecosystem services to human communities, such as groundwater recharge, storing floodwater, and supplying fishery resources. In Alberta, wetlands cover ~21% of the province, forming one of the Canada’s largest wetlands reserves; however, many of these wetlands have been impacted or lost through human activities. Over the past 30 years, there have been […]

Glass sponges build their skeletons out of silicon dioxide (i.e. glass). While these animals are found all over the world in very deep water, they only exist shallower than 50 m in a few places in the world. In very rare cases, new sponges grow on top of existing, dead sponges and form reefs in […]

Sound localization involves the triangulation of the location of a sound source by recording it on multiple microphones. One potential application of sound localization technology is to monitor the movements of vocalizing animals passively, without the need for a human observer. This project aims to further develop and test sound localization technology, then to apply […]

Although selenium is an essential element for human and animal health, it has a narrow concentration range before becoming toxic. Industrial practices, such as mining, can result in elevated levels of selenium to be introduced into surface water bodies, hence, treating mine processing water and wastewater is commonly done to reduce the potential for environmental […]

Plankton food-webs are the primary support system for juvenile salmon, necessary for their growth, health, and ultimately survival at sea. Understanding how and why plankton food-webs respond to changing ocean conditions is one of the major goals of the Pacific Salmon Foundation, with the view to understanding fluctuations and declining trends of salmon stocks in […]

The Pacific Salmon Foundation is leading a multi-year project: Salish Sea Marine Survival Program (SSMSP) to determine what is affecting the survival of juvenile salmon and steelhead in the Salish Sea. There are three hypotheses to investigate. The impact of availability of food for the fish, the predation on the fish and other factors including […]

Pesticide application in crops has been considered a potential cause of bat population declines in Europe. However, no research on this topic has been conducted in tropical agrosystems, where the use of pesticides is extensive and bat diversity is higher. Considering that insectivorous bats can eat more than 90% of their body mass every night, […]

The coastal wet mixedwood forests of Nova Scotia are globally important for lichen biodiversity, but several lichen species are now declining or endangered. This is concerning for forest managers, because forest companies may be subject to penalties if they inadvertently destroy the habitat of an endangered species. The causes of lichen declines are not fully […]

This project will use a drone to map aquatic habitat in Carnation Creek. Research better characterizing fish habitat is critical given the declines seen in many coastal fish stocks. Traditional methods of surveying aquatic habitat are often physically demanding and limited to short channel segments. However, advances in fish ecology suggest that better management of […]

The proposed research project focuses on the development of a novel model for the computation of sea ice parameters in near real- time relying on satellite data. The interdisciplinary team will investigate solutions for high performance computing to monitor sea ice and calculate ice parameters with the high spatial resolution. This project includes R&D activities […]