Earth and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honours Theses
Recent Submissions
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Characterization of Calcite Amygdules in Devonian Basalts, in the McArras Brook Formation, Nova Scotia
(2024-04)Along the North Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada vesicular basalts in the McArras Brook Formation are host to carbonate amygdules and veins. These basalts are interbedded within a well characterized Devonian strata but have ... -
Quantifying the Impacts of Nova Scotia Forest Management Practices on Forest Stand Albedo and Surface Temperatures
(2024-04)In an effort to mitigate climate change, the Canadian government has increased focus on natural carbon sequestration through afforestation (i.e., the planting of forests where there were previously no forests) and reforestation ... -
The impact of precipitation phase and aquifer type on changing groundwater levels in mountain regions of Canada and the United States
(2024-04)Groundwater in alpine regions plays an essential role in downstream water supply. As the climate warms, mountain water resources are under threat with reduced snowpack, glacier recession, and precipitation phase change ... -
Halifax Residential Air Quality: Public Perceptions and PM2.5 Concentrations
(2024-04)Residents of Halifax's North End have raised concerns over air quality in their neighbourhood. Exposure to elevated levels of airborne particulate matter pose serious risks to human health and increases strain on local ... -
Assessing Eutrophication Vulnerability as an Indicator of Cyanobacteria Presence in Kejimkujik National Park
(2024-04)Kejimkujik National Park (KNP) and National Historic Site (Nova Scotia, Canada) is home to numerous lakes that support a multitude of recreational activities and aquatic habitats. The park is comprised of camp sites, ... -
Identifying and prioritizing barriers to Atlantic salmon habitat connectivity in Napu’saqnuk (St Mary’s River), Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia, Canada)
(2024-04)Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are an anadromous fish species that migrate from headwaters of their home rivers out to the open ocean and back; this ecologically, economically, and culturally significant species requires ... -
Mapping lobster habitat in the Northumberland Strait using multibeam echosounders to assess juvenile lobster conservation zone placement
(2024-04)The Northumberland Strait, located in the southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence, is an important area for scallop and lobster fishing. To mitigate the negative ecological effects of fishing, marine management strategies in ... -
Determining the Effectiveness of Forestry Beneficial Management Practices for Olive-sided Flycatcher, a Species at Risk Bird in Nova Scotia
(2024-04)The Olive-sided Flycatcher (OSFL) is a bird species at risk that breeds across Canada, including in Nova Scotia's forests. It is considered threatened in the province, experiencing recent population declines. While OSFL ... -
Predicting Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) Breeding Habitats in Southwestern Nova Scotia Using LiDAR Metrics Informed by Drone Data.
(2024-04)The Olive-sided Flycatcher (OSFL) is a migratory species at risk bird, currently listed as “Threatened” in Nova Scotia, and “Special Concern” federally. The strategy to promote the recovery of OSFL population is expected ... -
An Analysis of Introductory Environmental Science Textbooks’ Approaches to Commonly Held Climate Change Misconceptions
(2023-04)A climate literate public is becoming increasingly important as the threats of climate change grow (Johnston 2019). Climate literacy is taught across introductory environmental science courses in higher education ... -
Telling the North American beaver tale: modelling Castor canadensis distribution in Mi'kma'ki (Nova Scotia, Canada)
(2023-04)The American beaver (Castor canadensis) is a keystone species of both significant ecological and biocultural importance in Mi'kma'ki (Nova Scotia). In North America, several environmental covariates are known to influence ... -
Where is the Carbon? Spatially Mapping Organic Carbon on the Seafloor in the Eastern Shore Islands, Nova Scotia, Canada
(2023-04)Coastal sediments contain some of the largest stocks of organic carbon on earth and play a vital role in influencing the carbon cycle. Protecting organic carbon hotspots is essential to mitigating climate change since ... -
Characterizing the Conifer Density Gradient from the Halifax Peninsula to the Hinterlands of the Halifax Regional Municipality
(2023-04)The urban-forest tree-species composition is influenced by the urban environment and thus by daily anthropogenic activity. However, in the naturalized woodlands, species composition is primarily influenced by natural ... -
Investigating pyrite genesis and relation to gold at the Lone Star Deposit, YT
(2023-04)The Klondike region of the Yukon Territory, Canada, is famous for extensive placer deposits, recovering over 20 million oz since discovery, but lacks any major defined bedrock resources. As a result of a surge in exploration ... -
Machine Learning Focal Mechanism Inversion for Hydraulic Fracturing Induced Earthquakes
(2023-04)Hydraulic fracturing has been found to be a major contributor to the increase in induced seismicity worldwide, with pore pressure, poroelasticity, and coulomb stress transfer identified as the three main triggering ... -
Petrology and Geochemistry of Ignimbrites from the Bears Brook Volcanic Group, Arisaig, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia.
(1978-03-15)A chemical study of the ignimbrites of Arisaig, Nova Scotia, was undertaken to determine their geochemical character, any variations within flow units, and their relationship to associated volcanics. The ignimbrites are ... -
Structural Analysis of the George River Group at North Mountain, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
(1978-03-15)Several different explanations of the structure of the George River rocks at North Mountain have been suggested in the past, none of which has proved to be very satisfactory. Milligan has proposed that the structure is ... -
Regional Geochemical Variations of Upper Cenozoic Volcanic Rocks in the Andes
(1978-03-15)Regional variations in the chemical composition of Miocene-to-Recent volcanic rocks from the Central Andes are investigated on the basis of 260 chemical analyses compiled from the literature in addition to 25 new analyses ... -
An Application of Pleistocene Geology to Mineral Exploration in Southwestern Nova Scotia
(1978-03-15)An esker complex near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia has been investigated to determine the mode of origin of the eskers and to evaluate their usage in mineral exploration. Field work involved describing sections through eskers, ... -
Gravity and Magnetic Investigations of the Deep Cove Intrusive, Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia
(1978-03-15)Gravity and magnetic surveys were conducted on the Deep Cove quartz monzonite intrusive to ascertain its subsurface configuration and, in particular, the attitude of its west contact with the surrounding Fourchu volcanic ...