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Surface reflectance/albedo is important for many geophysical applications, atmospheric circulation, and climate modeling (Henderson-Sellers et al. 1993). It is a key input parameter for land type classification and serves as a major boundary condition in surface-atmosphere radiative transfer modeling, which determines the distribution of solar energy between the surface and the atmosphere. Surface reflective properties can be retrieved from satellite observations. A surface target may be observed by satellite from different viewing directions. Due to the anisotropy of surface reflection, this leads to diversity of surface properties retrieved from satellite composite images (Li et al. 1996). To address this problem, one needs to determine the surface bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) properties and correct for them in the final product. Integrals of BRDF functions result in the so-called black-sky and white-sky albedos that convey important information concerning the inherent properties of surface albedo (Wanner et al. 1997).

Competencies have been used for many years to align the values, behaviour, knowledge, and skills of individuals with the goals of the organizations in which they are employed. The organization in which I am employed in the role as a technical instructor, previously did not have a curriculum in place to support a competency-based model for the apprentices who are working in an aviation maintenance capacity. This action research paper outlines the redesigned curriculum, grafting reflective and social learning aspects; the result of is intended to affect positive change in the learning practices of both the individual and organization.

In 1976-77, a set of 13 jack pine biomonitoring sites was established in the Athabasca Oil Sands area in order to biomonitor both impingement and impact of emissions characteristic of oil sands extraction operations. No measureable air pollutant effect was observed on either vascular or lichen communities at any site even though significantly high tissue pollutant concentrations were documented from sites within 10 km of GCOS. The importance of future time-course sampling of permanent sites is emphasized because our inability to measure a biological effect at these sites may have been purely because of the great natural variability in the region.