Search

Fall 2012

Dow, Matthew W.

ABSTRACT: The Alberta oil sands represent tremendous economic growth and prosperity for Alberta and Canada but their development does not come without cost. Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGOs), specifically the Pembina Institute and Greenpeace, have brought significant attention...

2013-11-29

Iqbal, M., Veinot, J.G.C., Purkait, T.K., Goss, G.G.

Oil sands are naturally occurring mixtures of sand or clay, water, fine silts, and bitumen. The oil sands extraction process consumes large volumes of water (i.e., ca. 3 barrels of fresh water for every 1 barrel of oil). Following the extraction of bitumen from the oil sands, a tailings slurry...

2013-10-03

Watson, B.M., Putz, G.

The main goal of this research project was to take the first steps towards development of an integrated hydrologic and water quality model to support oil sands mine reclamation efforts in Alberta. The model utilized in this study is a modified version of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool...

2013-04-09

Mian, H., Mukherjee, A., Fair, A., Fassina, N., Powter, C.B.

NAIT-CGCE, NAIT School of Sustainable Building and Environmental Management, and the NAIT JR Shaw School of Business, in collaboration with COSIA, AIEES, and the Oil Sands Research and Information Network (OSRIN), held a technology innovation workshop on March 19, 2013 at the NAIT campus to open...

2013-08-15

Chai, S-L., Eaton, B., Fisher, J.T., Muhly, T.

The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is a large semi-aquatic rodent that has played a central role in shaping the Canadian boreal landscape, and colonial Canadian history. Exploitation of North American beaver populations to supply the European hat industry spurred the westward...

2013-06-20

Naeth, M.A., Wilkinson, S.R., Powter, C.B., Archibald, H.A., Mackenzie, D.D.

LFH salvaged with small amounts of upper horizon mineral soil for land reclamation (hereafter LFH mineral soil mix) has proven to be an important source of seeds and vegetative propagules for forest plant communities. Until recently in Canada, LFH mineral soil mix was not selectively salvaged...

2013-12-20

Gould, K., Wood, S., Smreciu, A.

Oil sands reclamation guidance documents prepared by the Cumulative Environmental Management Association and endorsed by the provincial government include lists of potential reclamation species and their characteristics (Alberta Environment 2008, 2010). This report consolidates and updates...

2013-02-15

Vinge, T., Pyper, M.

In a short period of time, the conversation around handling woody materials – deadwood such as logs, branches and stumps – has shifted dramatically. From piling and burning, to mulching and now towards keeping ‘whole logs’ on sites. The changes have led to confusion and this guide is intended to...

2013-02-13

Vinge, T., Powter, C.B., Pyper, M.P.

Ecological resilience, first defined by Holling in 1973, can be broadly described as the capacity of an ecosystem to respond to a perturbation or disturbance by resisting damage and recovering quickly, but other authors have provided variations on this theme since 1973. Ecological resilience is...

2013-12-13

Oil Sands Research and Information Network

A group of 48 people from government, academia, consultants and the oil sands and plant production industries gathered on November 25, 2013 to discuss the current state of knowledge about shrubs and their current and future use in oil sands reclamation. The Workshop was organized around four key...