Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

This course focuses on the principles and basic procedures used in the laboratory, and laboratory math. Topics include laboratory safety, WHMIS, laboratory calculations, water quality and reagent preparation, operation and maintenance of microscopes, balances, pH meters, spectrophotometers and other related laboratory equipment. Emphasis will be placed on accurate and complete documentation methods.

The theory begins with a survey of basic concepts in inorganic chemistry which includes atomic structure, bonding and the periodic table, followed by writing and balancing chemical equations. Calculations involving the mole, composition and stoichiometry are presented. Hydrogen ion concentration (pH) and the theory of buffer solutions are discussed. Laboratory exercises include gravimetric analysis as well as acid-base, precipitation, complexation, and redox-titrations.

Students will develop their written and oral communication skills by writing, editing, reviewing, and presenting various forms of technical communications including workplace correspondence, short technical reports, and formal technical reports. Students will use MS Office applications to create and import graphs and tables into a document, as well as apply standard formatting conventions, desktop publishing and mail merge functions. Students will also learn to create and use appropriate and effective audio/visual aids to deliver oral presentations during classes.

The course will provide an overview of the composition, structure and function of populations, communities and ecosystems with a focus on western Canada. A fundamental treatment of ecological principles emphasizing the ecosystem concept, natural selection and speciation, nutrient cycles relating to environmental sampling, energy relationships, limiting factors, population dynamics, and community ecology will be examined. The laboratory component includes practical studies of local ecosystems and population dynamics, with practice classifying Ecosites of West-central Alberta. The lab will also introduce small mammal handling.

This course focuses on the tools and methods used to study the microbial world. An overview of the vast diversity of microorganisms is provided as well as a comparison of the distinguishing characteristics of bacteria, archaea, fungi, prions and viruses. Other topics include techniques for cultivating microorganisms, handling and disposing of biohazardous materials, and controlling microbial growth. This course introduces classic strategies used in applied microbiology and environmental microbiology to identify, characterize and quantify microbes.

This course examines the diversity of Alberta invertebrate and vertebrate taxa including methods for collection and classification of these organisms. Students will have the opportunity to conduct biodiversity surveys of aquatic and soil invertebrates and learn to recognize communities of species as indicators of ecosystem health and biological integrity. Students will compare key features of these organisms including structure and function of parts, in relation to their ecological role and how they respond to environmental impacts. Strategies for mitigation will be discussed.

Interpersonal and teamwork skills required in the workplace will be developed through various activities; peer evaluation will be implemented to assess these skills. Safe work practices and professional behaviour related to the environmental field will be discussed and demonstrated within the classroom setting. Students will investigate organizations and publications relevant to environmental monitoring and assessment, and will apply professional codes of ethics in the environmental field. Organisational behaviour, time management, prioritization, budgeting, and other aspects of today’s workplace will be explored.

This course is an introduction to the classification, identification, ecological adaptation and distribution of the native plants of Alberta. The focus is the use of botanical dichotomous keys, identifying characteristics, morphology, and terminology in the Flora of Alberta. Concepts of botanical nomenclature, species epithet, and author are taught, in addition to collection principles and the creation of permanent herbarium records. For higher taxa, the plant phylogeny, life cycles and characteristics are discussed. While the focus is on vascular plants, a brief survey of a number of common mosses and Sphagnum is included.

This course focuses on the nomenclature, structure and the physical and chemical properties of biological and environmentally important organic compounds, including hydrocarbons, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, amines, carboxylic acids and their derivatives. Elements of petroleum processing will also be presented. Laboratory work includes basic techniques for measurement, separation, identification, and synthesis of compounds of biological interest.

The purpose of the course is to give students an introduction to how positional information is collected and used. Students learn different techniques for data capture and become familiar with how to put data to use through a geographic information system.

The course provides an introduction to soil genesis, nomenclature, classification, and the use of the Canadian System of Soil Classification. Focus is on the physical, biological and chemical properties of soils and includes the application and understanding of field sampling and lab analysis. The course includes an introduction to wetland function and classification. There is one mandatory fieldtrip to the monolith collection at the University of Alberta.

This introductory course focuses upon organizing data and selecting appropriate statistical tests for biological data. Descriptive statistics from samples and populations are used to organize raw data from databases into summaries, tables and charts. Confidence intervals for means, proportions and regression lines are calculated and interpreted. Normal, Binomial, Poisson, and Chi Distributions are studied. Fundamental principles of experimental design are explained and applied. Hypothesis tests are conducted on biological data sets with particular focus on career relevant scenarios (traditional non parametric and parametric testing Z test, t-tests, correlations, regressions, one-way and two-way ANOVA, Chi2, post hoc contrasts, etc.,). Analyses are performed manually or using commonly available software with various demo software introduced for awareness.

Delivered during a one-week period in the field, students will gain experience with various soil and water sampling techniques and vegetation surveys, and apply protocols for storing soil, water, and invertebrate samples. Students will learn to assess potential hazards and risks at typical work sites and complete the appropriate paperwork. Students will also learn to maintain accurate records using field journals, data sheets, and chain of custody forms. Additionally, students will tour industrial sites relevant to the Environmental Sciences specialization, including reclaimed and/or remediated sites.

A lecture/laboratory course dealing with the theory and fundamental laws related to the instrumental analytical areas of spectroscopy and chromatography. Spectroscopy topics include ultraviolet, visible, and atomic spectroscopic methods (including flame and flameless AA and plasma emission). Chromatography topics include gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, and the combined technique of gas chromatography – mass spectroscopy.

In this course students discuss environmental management systems and environmental laws, acts, regulations, and guidelines at federal and provincial levels. Further, emphasis is placed on the application of Alberta environmental guidelines and code of practices. The environmental management portion deals with the requirements for a quality assurance program (including quality control) in environmental sampling/analysis/report writing, statistical quality control and environmental management systems (ISO 14001 in particular).

This introductory course will focus upon the procedures for conducting Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments (ESAs) in accordance with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Z768-01 and CSA Z769-01) guidelines. Typical principles of contaminant transport and effects on receptors will be presented. Delineation and remediation principles will be introduced in general terms. Case studies of contaminated site assessments in Alberta will be presented. Students will conduct exercises on different components of Phase I ESAs on urban sites as well as oil and gas sites. Students will also conduct a simulated Phase I site assessment of a property.

Priority air pollutants are examined in relation to their sources, factors affecting their formation and degradation in the environment, and reasons for concern (including physiological effects and risks). Laboratory exercises emphasize standard methods of analysis for each air pollutant.

A comprehensive study of the physical, chemical, and biological components of concern in water quality studies as it applies to streams and lakes. Emphasis is on the source of contaminants and their direct/indirect impact on the quality of water. Sampling equipment, techniques, handling, and methods of analysis are performed and discussed. Laboratory exercises involve analysis of a variety of water quality parameters while emphasizing techniques and accuracy.

The course investigates soil and wetland reclamation in Alberta and includes reclamation of industrial, agricultural, municipal, and natural sites. It includes discussion and/or application of erosion prevention and control techniques; land capability classification; wetland mapping, classification, and delineation; wetland and riparian reclamation; and, shoreline stabilization. Physical characteristics of soils and soil stability are addressed (e.g., slope, concept of shear strength, behaviour of clays). Plant species requirements for reclamation and Weed Control Act Regulations are investigated, and Alberta legislation and reclamation criteria are applied. Where appropriate, federal legislation is discussed. This course may include field trips to upland and wetland reclamation sites.

This course is designed to give students experience in researching and presenting scientific literature, designing and creating a research proposal, and implementing a research project. Students conduct their research and write a technical paper summarizing their results as part of a team. Details of the research project are also delivered in a final group oral presentation.

Air Pollution control equipment and pollution prevention techniques for the control of point source gas/vapor and particulate emissions – including their effectiveness and operational limitations – are examined. Air dispersion modeling, point source, fugitive emissions and ambient air monitoring methods are also discussed. Because many of the methods used to monitor ambient air quality are similar to those used to assess indoor air quality, a portion of the course is devoted to techniques used to monitor indoor (e.g. workplace/residential) air quality as well. Laboratory exercises introduce point source manual monitoring, fugitive emissions monitoring, air emission assessments, operation and calibration of continuous analyzers and indoor air sampling techniques.

This course will examine the movement and storage of water on the earth's surface (hydrology) and the subsurface (hydrogeology). The hydrology part of this course will address how the major components of hydrological cycle impact the water balance and distribution of water resources within a watershed basin and impact the geomorphic processes such as erosion and sedimentation. The hydrogeology part of the course will address the interactions of geologic materials with water, and how such interactions affect groundwater movement, pumping rates of groundwater for domestic and industrial uses, and movement of pollutants through the subsurface environment. Topics will include groundwater terminology, aquifer properties and pumping tests, groundwater flow mapping, sampling techniques, groundwater chemistry and quality, sources of groundwater contamination, instrumentation and an introduction to software used in groundwater studies.

This course focuses on the remediation of contaminated and disturbed sites in industrial, commercial, agricultural, residential and natural areas. Remediation includes physical, chemical, and biological methods. The course also covers Alberta Tier 1 & 2 soil and groundwater guidelines, and CCME guidelines.

Waste Management techniques from identification, collection, source-separation, treatment, and disposal are reviewed. Solid and Hazardous Waste/Recyclables are discussed – including regulatory approaches (classification and transportation) to Hazardous Waste Management for general industry and the upstream oil and gas industry. The shift to pollution prevention versus traditional waste management is reinforced. The students will also explore the characteristics and management of wastewaters produced in the major industrial sectors in Alberta: energy extraction and refining, mining, agriculture, and pulp/paper.