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The implementation of solar shelters over top of parking spaces has the potential to make the production of renewable energy a secondary function of parking lots without impeding their ability to function as parking locations. This has the capacity to reduce the amount of natural space converted to solar farms as solar energy becomes more common. In addition, if these shelters are outfitted as charging stations for electric vehicles, they could serve as a driver for a cultural shift towards a more sustainable vehicle fleet. Implementation of this technology has begun on a small scale in San Diego, California and this project assessed the feasibility of implementation in Kingston, Ontario. This study set out to determine how much energy could be produced by a solar shelter over one parking space and how many parking spaces would be required to produce 1% of Kingston’s total electricity consumption. An insolation model was written in C, which used past climate data and mathematical models to incorporate the effects of latitude, cloud cover and snow. This model was compared to the current production in San Diego to check for validity. Since the insolation model was deemed to be valid, the results were used in conjunction with typical solar panel efficiencies in Kingston to calculate the potential energy production per structure. This was then used to determine the number of structures that would be required to provide 1% of Kingston’s electricity. Through literature review, it was determined that although snow on the panels would have a drastic effect on power production, it would not remain on the panels long enough to cause a significant effect. It was found that a single parking space in Kingston would be capable of generating 5500±_800^1000 kWh/year using the single-axis tracking model that is currently being implemented in San Diego, although a dual-axis tracking model would be capable of generating 11% more energy. Using the current prototype, Kingston would require implementation across about 2750 parking spaces in order to provide 1% of its electricity and it has ample locations which would be suitable. However, due to the current $40,000 price tag per structure, the current buy-back period is about 55 years which makes the current technology not economically feasible without lowering the cost or increasing the efficiency.

Historic and future extreme precipitation and wind events over southern Baffin Island, more specifically Iqaluit, Kimmirut, Pangnirtung and Cape Dorset are examined. Two sets of modeled re-analysis data, the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) forced with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Regional Analysis 40 (ERA40) and the other the North American Regional Re-analysis (NARR) dataset were used to characterize the atmosphere during historic events. Two sets of CRCM data forced with Canadian Global Climate Model (CGCM) data, one from 1961-1990 and the other from 2041-2070, are compared to assess the changes in extreme events in the future. Extreme events were defined by daily precipitation and sustained wind thresholds. Based on the CRCM future projection, events were inferred to increase in intensity for all communities and increase in frequency for 3 of the 4 communities. A shift in the Arctic storm season was also inferred in the future projection.

A planet once flourishing with ecological biodiversity is now experiencing catastrophic changes as it undergoes a severe exploitation of its natural resources. Such a level of exploitation is predominantly caused by various but linked human-centric or anthropocentric forces. Everything we do as humans has an effect on the planet, and many human activities have grave and at times, unforeseeable effects. At present, we overexploit the Earth’s resources constantly – with the flick of a switch we utilize fossil fuels that power electricity; with a trip in the car we emit greenhouse gases; with a purchase at the grocery store we use excessive packaging – and the extent to which the Earth’s resources are being used to meet the demand of a large and growing human population has created severe exploitation. This feeding frenzy has led to the current prognosis: an astronomical number of environmental disasters and projected global temperatures that cannot sustain plant, animal, or human life in the future. The widespread consequences of human activities such as major wildlife extinction, rising sea levels, air pollution, and irreversible global warming look to perpetuate until the Earth is uninhabitable. As one population among many at extreme risk of major die-off, it is crucial that we explore what remedial options we have left. These ecologically catastrophic changes are only characteristic of our relatively recent history as humanity’s recent answers to fundamental survival questions have trended towards overlooking environmental sustainability. I have come to understand agriculture, from its ancient form to the current industrial and mass-scale variety, as one game-changing initiation if not the origin of massive human exploitation of the Earth’s resources. Thus, both industrial and ancient agriculture will be the focus of my research. Through the exploration of recent historical and scientific research surrounding agriculture, I will provide insight into how we made our way to the current crisis, what prevents us from changing our unsustainable behaviour, and how we can look within ourselves and at the external complex system in which we live, to change the current prognosis and come home to a sustainable way of life on this planet.

‘Urban Metabolism’ (UM) is a well-established concept based on the parallels between the metabolisms’ of ecosystems and cities. These parallels consist of the intake, storage, and transformation of materials and energy, and the creation and output of wastes. These traits, which suggest cities possess a metabolism similar to ecosystems, also exist within water distribution systems (WDSs). Four common areas of UM assessments include: the evaluation of environmental sustainability indicators; greenhouse gas accounting; numerical models for the assessment of metabolic flows; and design and decision support tools. These applications show promising opportunities if applied to WDSs, and therefore a novel framework based on UM was developed specifically for the assessment of WDSs. This framework was tested on a water distribution network via three experiments. Experiment 1 utilized factorial design to systematically assess predominate network parameters (water demand, static lift, and pipe roughness). Experiments 2 and 3 studied the effects of two network management strategies (water conservation and pipe replacement scheduling) as well as the effects of static lift and pipe roughness in the presence of these strategies. The results were reported in terms of four metabolic flows: water, operational energy (O/E), embodied energy (E/E), and greenhouse gases (GHGs). Experiment 1 showed that individual increases in water demand, pipe roughness, or static lift, all led to decreases in network pressures and reductions in leakage volume. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated increases to leakage volumes and decreases in per capita GHG emissions in the presence of water conservation measures, and decreases in leakage volumes and increases in O/E transmission efficiency in the presence of pipe replacement programs. Experiments 2 and 3 also demonstrated a reduction in network pressures, and a resulting reduction in leakage volumes, due to additional static lift and pipe roughness. Recommendations for future work were made in four specific areas: (1) the expansion of pre-established metabolic flows, (2) the further study of the effects of pressure management under the scenarios studied, (3) the consideration of other urban systems which may benefit from the application of an UM-based assessment, and (4) the assessment of non-hypothetical WDSs using the developed framework.

The development of a cost structure for energy storage systems (ESS) has received limited attention. In this study, we developed data-intensive techno-economic models to assess the economic feasibility of ESS. The ESS here includes pump hydro storage (PHS) and compressed air energy storage (CAES). The costs were developed using data-intensive bottom-up models. Scale factors were developed for each component of the storage systems. The life cycle costs of energy storage were estimated for capacity ranges of 98-491 MW, 81-404 MW, and 60-298 MW for PHS, conventional CAES (C-CAES), and adiabatic CAES (A-CAES), respectively, to ensure a market-driven price can be achieved. For CAES systems, costs were developed for storage in salt caverns hard rock caverns, and porous formations. The results show that the annual life cycle storage cost is $220-400 for PHS, $215-265 for C-CAES, and $375-480 per kW-year for A-CAES. The levelised cost of electricity is $69-121 for PHS, $58-70 for C-CAES, and $96-121 per MWh for A-CAES. C-CAES is economically attractive at all capacities, PHS is economically attractive at higher capacities, and A-CAES is not attractive at all. The developed information is helpful in making investment decision related to large energy storage systems.

Municipal water distribution system (WDS) expansion is often focused on increasing system capacity with designs that best meet hydraulic requirements at the least cost. Increasing public awareness regarding global warming and environmental degradation is making environmental impact an important factor in decision-making for municipalities. There is thus a growing need to consider environmental impacts alongside cost and hydraulic requirements in the expansion and design of WDSs. As a result, the multiplicity of environmental impacts to consider in WDS expansion can complicate the decisions faced by water utilities. For example, a water utility may wish to consider environmental policy issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, non-renewable resource use, and releases to land, water, and air in WDS expansion planning. This thesis outlines a multi-objective optimization approach for WDS design and expansion that balances the objectives of capital cost, annual pumping energy use, and environmental impact minimization, while meeting hydraulic constraints. An environmental impact index that aggregates multiple environmental measures was incorporated as an environmental impact objective function in the multi-objective non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) optimization algorithm. The environmental impact index was developed to reflect stakeholder prioritization of specific environmental policy issues. The evaluation of the environmental impact index and its application to the WDS expansion problem was demonstrated with a water transmission system example. The environmental impact index and multi-objective non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) optimization algorithm were applied to the “Anytown” network expansion problem. Preliminary results suggest that solutions obtained with the triple-objective capital cost/energy/EI index optimization minimize a number of environmental impact measures while producing results that are comparable in pumping energy use and, in some instances, slightly higher in capital cost when compared to solutions obtained with a double cost/energy optimization in which environmental impact was not considered.

Rapidly changing environments impact avian populations greatly. Indeed, variable weather affects the timing of crucial resource availability and behaviours of breeding birds. Migratory birds are particularly threatened by advancing springs and must adjust their migration timing to remain synchronized with spring phenology. Environmental factors such as weather variability are known to influence bird timing both during breeding and migratory periods but have rarely been investigated for their impact across migration routes. Once birds are at their breeding locations, how environmental factors influence local timing and movements has also been little examined. In this study, in a declining long-distance migrant, the purple martin (Progne subis), I first investigate how extrinsic (environmental), and intrinsic (morphological, migration destination) factors impact migration timing and rate. Second, I investigate the timing of parental roosting during active parental care, and how environmental and nest conditions influence this behaviour. I found that variation in destination and timing are the main influence on spring arrival date and migration rate, while to a lesser extent favourable weather promotes faster migration. The great influence of spring departure on migration rate and arrival suggests selective pressure on migration timing across routes to match with conditions at the breeding grounds. I also found that summer roosting is prominent in purple martins with colder evenings and increased parental investment increasing the odds of parents remaining at their colony at night. Overall, my findings indicate that the influence of environmental factors on movement behaviour may vary by season, with spring migration being mostly driven by intrinsic factors, while summer roosting may be most influenced by local temperature. Future research on the effects of environmental factors on migratory stopover duration and the seasonality of roosting would further our understanding of these timing behaviours and how they may interact with advancing climate change.

Coastal cities are grappling with how to shift their approach in designing the built environment to respond to global warming and sea level rise. With the potential increase of sea level rise by 1 metre by the year 2100, and climate change projecting more intense and frequent storms to British Columbia’s coasts, Vancouver will need to consider more resilient approaches to address flood risk along its shores. One area that will be exposed to flood risks includes the False Creek Flats, a historic tidal flat converted to rail and industrial hub in the core of the city, and on the cusp of transforming into the city’s next employment hub. At present, it is indiscernible that the False Creek Flats at one time was a historic tidal flat with a rich ecology supporting a variety of plants and wildlife, providing food and sustenance to the Indigenous people whose traditional territory included this land. The emergence of the rail and industry erased this history, the connection to the water, and the dynamic coastal processes that shaped the landscape. With the False Creek Flats undergoing a significant transformation over the next number of years, there is a window of opportunity to reconnect False Creek Flats to the coastal landscape, while also making room for flood waters and shifting perspectives on how we live with and build with water. This practicum seeks to develop a resilient design approach for False Creek Flats through three lenses: robustness, ensuring people are safe; adaptive, making room for the water; and transformative, shifting perspectives through design interventions. Leveraging the opportunity to make False Creek Flats resilient to climate change and flooding will benefit Vancouver by creating opportunities to shift public perspectives on how the city should adapt to sea level rise and climate change, while also bolstering public policy that will make the city and its residents more adaptive and resilient to change.

Ice is a prominent characteristic of water bodies in cold regions. For rivers regulated for hydropower operations, the production of ice particles can result in obstructions and subsequent performance issues during energy production. Rough and thickened ice covers resulting from high flow conditions can also lead to substantial hydraulic losses. While ice formations impact hydropower operations, a river’s flow hydrograph also influences ice processes from freeze-up through break-up. Research investigations into the influence of regulation on ice processes benefits not only hydropower practioners, but also those who are impacted by hydropower operations. Further, understanding these cause-and-affect relationships supports design of innovative tools to quantify the impact of ice on river hydraulics. In this study, a detailed characterization of ice processes is presented for the regulated Upper Nelson River region located at the outlet of Lake Winnipeg in Northern Manitoba, Canada. With a focus on freeze-up and mid-winter processes, this characterization informed design of a 2D numerical modelling methodology to simulate ice-affected winter hydraulics. Model development included simulation of both thermal and dynamic ice phenomenon, which relied on derivation of numerous site-specific hydraulic functions. The presence of significant skim ice runs in this region inspired development of a novel treatment to simulate freeze-up jamming of skim ice floes on very mild-sloped rivers. The modelling methodology shows strong performance in simulating both freeze-up and mid-winter hydraulics, which is a signficiant contribution considering the complexity of this lake-outlet system. A quantitative evaluation of the effects of climate change on river ice hydraulics is included, with future projection of shorter and warmer winters leading to greater cumulative discharge from Lake Winnipeg. While discharge increases may lead to increased power production in future years, concurrent projections of increased inter-annual variability may present new operational challenges. Findings from this original research can be applied not only to the Nelson River, but also other regulated regions that are impacted by river ice.

The spring bloom of microalgae within the bottom of sea ice provides a significant contribution to primary production in the Arctic Ocean. The aim of this research was to improve observations of the ice algae bloom using a transmitted irradiance technique to remotely estimate biomass, and to examine the influence of physical processes on biomass throughout the sea ice melt season. Results indicate that bottom ice temperature is highly influential in controlling biomass variability and bloom termination. Snow depth is also significant as it buffers ice temperature from the atmosphere and largely controls transmission of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The relationship between snow depth and biomass can change over the spring however, limiting biomass accumulation early on while promoting it later. Brine drainage, under-ice current velocity, and surface PAR in the absence of snow cover are also important factors. Overall this research helps to characterize the spring ice algae bloom in the Arctic by improving in situ biomass estimates and identifying primary factors controlling it.