Browsing Theses by Supervisor "Petrone, Richard"
Now showing items 1-16 of 16
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Analyzing the influence of environmental conditions and anthropogenic disturbance on Picea mariana xylem traits in boreal peatlands of northern Alberta
(University of Waterloo, 2021-09-27)In the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR), wetlands dominate 55 500 km2 (54%) of the landscape despite its subhumid climate and prevailing moisture deficits. The variability and complexity of the AOSR landscape has allowed ... -
Assessing hydrometeorological controls on subalpine plant community evapotranspiration and evaluating the METRIC method using high-resolution UAV imagery in the Canadian Rocky Mountains
(University of Waterloo, 2023-01-06)Subalpine wetlands in the Canadian Rocky Mountains function as buffers for snowmelt runoff towards downstream systems and communities. However, hydrological regimes are changing rapidly in these ecosystems due to climate ... -
Assessing the role of tree growth patterns on the spatial variability of evapotranspiration on a subalpine transition zone in Kananaskis, Alberta
(University of Waterloo, 2020-05-28)Canada’s Rocky Mountains provide a large and essential supply of freshwater to downstream ecosystems and communities. Previous research has demonstrated that warmer temperatures, associated with climate change, are expected ... -
Deeper Burning Increases Available Phosphorus, Promotes Moss Growth, and Carbon Dioxide Uptake in a Fen Peatland One-Year Post-Wildfire in Fort McMurray, AB
(University of Waterloo, 2019-01-25)Carbon storage in northern peatlands is estimated to be ~795 Tg, equivalent to ~40% of atmospheric CO2. Peatlands are dominant features of the Western Boreal Plains (WBP), which are experiencing a regime shift to a ... -
Environmental controls on carbon sequestration in a saline, boreal, peat-forming wetland in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region
(University of Waterloo, 2018-04-13)Saline boreal fens represent potential models for post-mining landscape reclamation in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) (Canada) where wetland construction is challenged by salinization. One of the key indicators of ... -
Hydrology and Nutrient Biogeochemistry of Shallow Pond-Peatland Complexes, Hudson Bay Lowlands
(University of Waterloo, 2018-06-25)Across the circumpolar north, the degradation of permafrost in tundra and peatland landscapes has resulted in significant changes to land cover, including an increase in the extent of thermokarst landforms. Climatically-driven ... -
Microclimatic Effects of Forest to Peatland Transitions Within the Boreal Plains
(University of Waterloo, 2019-04-30)Peatlands cover approximately 50% of the total landscape of the Western Boreal Forest, which includes the sub-humid Boreal Plains (BP) ecozone. The BP experiences persistent water deficit conditions, promoting anaerobic ... -
Nutrient and Hydrologic Conditions Post-Fire: Influences on Western Boreal Plain Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) Re-establishment and Succession
(University of Waterloo, 2016-03-28)The Western Boreal Plains of Alberta (WBP) contains a mixture of peatlands and forests, with the latter dominated by trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Given the sub-humid climate of the WBP, where evapotranspiration ... -
Progressing Towards Understanding Water Use Efficiency in Southern, Ontario Canada: Quantifying Water Use Efficiency Metrics (WUE) and Investigating Soil and Plant Physiology Influences on WUE
(University of Waterloo, 2020-12-14)Climate change, and corresponding temperature increases of 1.4 - 4.8 ºC by the end of the century, are expected to cause shifts in agricultural production. Additionally, shifts in precipitation patterns are expected to ... -
Quantifying coniferous subalpine tree transpiration and source water under seasonal and hydrological stress in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Kananaskis, Alberta
(University of Waterloo, 2019-06-04)Fresh water supplies in mountainous regions are at risk as snow and ice stores continue to decline under rising global temperatures, earlier winter snowmelt and changing climate regimes. Alpine forests are of particular ... -
Quantifying the Influence of Soil Prescriptions on Ecosystem Processes in Reclaimed Forests of Varying Age in a Post-Oil Sands Landscape in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada
(University of Waterloo, 2020-03-03)The Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) in northern Alberta, Canada contains ~4800 km2 available for surface mining, and as of 2017 ~767 km2 had been disturbed for oil sands operations. The Alberta government requires this ... -
Quantifying the role of shade on microclimate conditions and water use efficiency of a subalpine wetland in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Kananaskis, Alberta
(University of Waterloo, 2020-01-17)Alpine regions contribute 60 % of annual surface runoff, playing an important role in regulating the global water balance. Many of the world’s major river networks originate from alpine headwater basins, popularizing ... -
Quantifying water use and rainfall partitioning of dominant tree species in a post-mined landscape in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta
(University of Waterloo, 2020-12-08)Large-scale oil sands mining has caused significant disturbances to forest and wetland ecosystems in the Western Boreal Plains of Northeastern Alberta. Provincial and federal laws mandate restoration of these systems in ... -
Sulfur biogeochemistry in a constructed fen peatland in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada
(University of Waterloo, 2018-05-14)In peatlands, increased sulfate (SO42-) availability can stimulate dissimilatory SO42- reduction (DSR), allowing it to become a prominent anaerobic carbon (C) mineralization process. In turn, methane emissions may be ... -
Understanding the Ecohydrological Role of Seasonal Ground Ice in a Boreal Peatland
(University of Waterloo, 2022-07-13)Seasonal Ground Ice (SGI) in peatlands forms in late fall when air temperatures begin to cool, and water in peat pores freeze. It differs from permafrost peatlands in that the SGI freezes and completely melts away every ... -
Using stable water isotopes to partition source water contribution and assess spatio-temporal source water dynamics of wetlands ecosystems in the eastern Canadian Rocky Mountains
(University of Waterloo, 2022-01-28)Subalpine and montane regions of the Canadian Rocky Mountains are expected to experience continued changes in hydrometeorological processes due to anthropogenically-tied climate warming. These regions are important in ...