Mapping the penetration and retention potential of two weathered diluted bitumen crude oils for the shorelines of Northern British Columbia, Canada

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 2017208
Author(s):  
Lennie Boutet ◽  
Sonia Laforest ◽  
Patrick Lambert ◽  
John Harper ◽  
Gary Sergy
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Particle Size Analysis ◽  
Laboratory Research ◽  
Size Analysis ◽  
Retention Data ◽  
Coarse Sediments ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Of Canada ◽  
Conventional Oil

With the increase in bitumen production from Alberta's oil sands, there is a related increase in the transport of non-conventional crude oil throughout Canada including proposed pipeline projects to move diluted bitumen (dilbit) to facilities on the East and West coast of Canada. While the behaviour of conventional oil is well known, little information is available about the fate of any potential dilbit spills on marine shorelines. As a part of Enhancing Marine Safety Strategy launched in 2013 by the Government of Canada, a R&D program has been developed by the Emergencies Sciences and Technology Section (ESTS) from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to study the behaviour of non-conventional oil. More precisely, one of the objectives is to develop tools to help oil spill responders to predict the fate of dilbit on shorelines of Northern British Columbia (BC). To address this objective, we collected data from three sources; BC segmentation of the upper intertidal zone for the Douglas Channel and Haida Gwaii Island, particle size analysis results of sediment samples collected directly from Northern BC shoreline and meso-scale laboratory research results on the penetration and retention of dilbit in different type of sediment. This last experiment was conducted in laboratory by the contractor Coastal and Ocean Resources Inc. to estimate penetration (cm) and retention (% of the loading) of different weather dilbit (AWB [18% loss by weights] and CLB [15% loss by weight]) in different types of sediments (from coarse sand to very large pebble). These previous data were combined to associate each shoreline type with dilbit penetration and retention data. For each shoreline type, we did a quantitative (penetration) and qualitative (retention) estimation of dilbit properties. The estimations were also visually represented on ArcMap 9.1. In Northern British Columbia, most of the shoreline is associated with low penetration and low retention corresponding to bedrock substrate. Conversely, high penetration and retention is mainly associated with coarse sediments like pebble/cobble beaches. These shoreline types represent an indicator of difficulty of cleanup operations. Likewise, high retention can be found in coarse sediments but also in sensitive shorelines like marshes. So these maps can be used as an operational tool to establish the priorities and to determine the best strategy for the shoreline cleanup methods (penetration maps), but also as an indicator of shoreline sensitivity (retention maps).

“This Is Going to Affect Our Lives”: Exploring Huu-ay-aht First Nations, the Government of Canada and British Columbia’s New Relationship Through the Implementation of the Maa-nulth Treaty

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Sloan Morgan ◽  
Heather Castleden ◽  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
150Th Anniversary ◽  
Canadian Provinces ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Of Canada

AbstractCanada celebrated its 150th anniversary since Confederation in 2017. At the same time, Canada is also entering an era of reconciliation that emphasizes mutually respectful and just relationships between Indigenous Peoples and the Crown. British Columbia (BC) is uniquely situated socially, politically, and economically as compared to other Canadian provinces, with few historic treaties signed. As a result, provincial, federal, and Indigenous governments are attempting to define ‘new relationships’ through modern treaties. What new relationships look like under treaties remains unclear though. Drawing from a comprehensive case study, we explore Huu-ay-aht First Nations—a signatory of the Maa-nulth Treaty, implemented in 2011—BC and Canada’s new relationship by analysing 26 interviews with treaty negotiators and Indigenous leaders. A disconnect between obligations outlined in the treaty and how Indigenous signatories experience changing relations is revealed, pointing to an asymmetrical dynamic remaining in the first years of implementation despite new relationships of modern treaty.

scholarly journals Strategic Investigation of the Jackpine Mine Expansion Dispute in the Alberta Oil Sands

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Xiao ◽  
Keith W. Hipel ◽  
Liping Fang
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Graph Model ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Global Level ◽  
Environmentally Responsible ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Of Canada

The Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (GMCR) methodology is employed to ascertain strategic insights into a serious conflict over environmental concerns connected to the expanded exploitation of oil sands at the Jackpine Mine Expansion project located in Alberta, Canada. In fact, the expansion of extracting bitumen from large tracts of oil sands in Alberta and its associated potential negative environmental impacts have received increasing attention at the global level. Accordingly, environmentally responsible extended mining of bitumen at the Jackpine site is urgently needed. Hence, the GMCR methodology and its associated decision support system GMCR II are utilized to systematically investigate the conflict of the Jackpine Mine Expansion project. The results imply that the Federal Government of Canada is more concerned about the economic benefits generated by the oil sands projects rather than environmental impacts. It is suggested that more effort should be devoted to the environment conservation by the government.

Advances in Cryoplanation Terrace Research: Recent Contributions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raven Mitchell ◽  
Frederick Nelson ◽  
Kelsey Nyland ◽  
Clayton Queen
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Particle Size Analysis ◽  
Size Analysis ◽  
Automated Recognition ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Relative Dating ◽  
Geographical Scale ◽  
Gravity Driven ◽  
Exposure Ages

<p>Cryoplanation terraces (CTs) are large, staircase-like erosional features found in upland periglacial environments throughout the circum-Arctic region. They are ubiquitous in unglaciated Beringia. This presentation summarizes recent research on these features conducted in interior and western Alaska and northwestern British Columbia. The work falls into several categories:</p><p>(1) Relative dating: Relative weathering indices (fracture counts, Cailleux roundness and flatness, Krumbein sphericity, rebound, and weathering rind thickness) were measured at a series of sites extending across eastern Beringia. Patterns of these indices indicate that inner treads were more recently exposed than distal locations. A model of time-transgressive CT development through nivation-driven scarp retreat addresses the removal of weathered material from terrace treads down side slopes through piping and gravity-driven mass-wasting processes.</p><p>(2) Absolute dating: Several <sup>10</sup>Be and <sup>36</sup>Cl Terrestrial Cosmogonic Nuclide ages reveal that terrace scarps in the Alaskan Yukon-Tanana Upland were last actively eroding during the last glacial maximum (LGM). CT treads exhibit time-transgressive development. Boulder exposure ages and distances between sampled boulder locations were used to estimate rates of scarp retreat. The numerical exposure ages demonstrate that CTs are diachronous surfaces actively eroding during multiple cold intervals.</p><p>(3) Landscape evolution: The unusual deglaciation history of “Frost Ridge” in northwestern British Columbia facilitates estimation of long-term denudation attributable to nivation processes since the LGM. Snowbanks accumulated and persisted in marginal drainage features on the ridge’s north-facing ridge flank, creating a series of CTs through nivation. Data obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle were used to estimate the volumes of eroded material. Estimated erosion rates are comparable to short-term nivation rates reported from Antarctica and mid-latitude alpine periglacial areas.</p><p>(4) Process monitoring: Soil thermal and moisture records, particle-size analysis, apparent thermal diffusivity calculations, and sediment-deposition patterns were used to examine periglacial processes operating on two active CTs. The coarse portions of sorted stripes function as underground channels (pipes) for sediment transportation across CT treads by flowing water. Late-lying snowbank environments are highly dynamic during warm weather, with large amounts of sediment transported over short periods.</p><p>(5) Geomorphometry: Semi- and fully automated recognition algorithms (CTAR) were applied to high-resolution DEMs to identify the locations of CTs. CTAR achieved an overall accuracy of 90 percent. A strong linear relation exists between the size of CTAR-delimited terraces and those identified in a previous study. Hypsometric analysis was applied over extensive areas of eastern Beringia. Glaciated areas have hypsometric signatures distinctly different than those of cryoplanated terrain, across a spectrum of geographical scale. Results from fluvial morphometric analysis of a sorted-stripe field verifies the origins of such networks and their effectiveness for transporting water and suspended sediment across CT surfaces.</p><p>(6) Climatic dependencies: Geospatial analysis involving nearly 700 CTs in eastern Beringia demonstrates that their elevation rises from Bering Sea islands to the Alaska-Canada border at rates nearly identical to those of Wisconsinan cirques, indicating close genetic links between the two classes of feature. Cryoplanation terraces can be considered the periglacial equivalent of glacial cirques.</p>

Providing multidisciplinary scientific advice for coastal planning in Kitimat Arm, British Columbia

2019 ◽  
Vol 477 (1) ◽  
pp. 567-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwyn Lintern ◽  
Andrée Blais-Stevens ◽  
Cooper Stacey ◽  
John Shaw ◽  
Peter Bobrowsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Tsunami Modelling ◽  
Multidisciplinary Study ◽  
Subaerial Landslide ◽  
Seabed Mapping ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Of Canada ◽  
Geotechnical Testing

AbstractA 6.3 m tsunami swept through Kitimat Arm, British Columbia in 1974. An even larger wave struck and damaged the Northlands Navigation dock at Kitimat and the Haisla First Nation docks at Kitamaat Village the following year. Further down the fjord, two large coastal block failures were observed on the fjord walls across from the Gitga'at village of Hartley Bay. Several large infrastructure projects have recently been proposed for the Kitimat Arm coastal areas. The Geological Survey of Canada has therefore embarked on a five-year project to understand the magnitude and frequency of submarine mass movements in this fjord system to provide information regarding the risks from these events and to propose mitigation measures that may reduce these risks. We provide here an overview and the main results to date of an ongoing multidisciplinary study, which includes palaeotsunami studies, geomorphological and sub-seabed mapping, subaerial landslide hazard assessment, tsunami modelling, in situ and laboratory geotechnical testing, and the real-time tracking of seismic activity and seafloor movement. Some of these activities are reported in greater detail elsewhere in this book. The results of this research are summarized as a list of conclusions and recommendations to the Government of Canada.

Acyclovir Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticle Based Cream: A Novel Drug Delivery System

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
EL- Assal I. A. ◽  
Retnowati .
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Drug Release ◽  
Antiviral Agent ◽  
Study Drug ◽  
Particle Size Analysis ◽  
Stability Study ◽  
Size Analysis ◽  
Solid Lipid ◽  
Dermal Delivery

Objective of the present investigation was enthused by the possibility to develop solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of hydrophilic drug acyclovir. Also study vitro and vivo drug delivery. Methods: Drug loaded SLNs (ACV-SLNs) were prepared by high pressure homogenization of aqueous surfactant solutions containing the drug-loaded lipids in the melted or in the solid state with formula optimization study (Different lipid concentration, drug loaded, homogenization / stirring speed and compritol 888ATO: drug ratio). ACV - SLN incorporated in cream base. The pH was evaluated and rheological study. Drug release was evaluated and compared with simple cream- drug, ACV – SLN with compritol 888ATO and marketed cream. The potential of SLN as the carrier for dermal delivery was studied. Results: Particle size analysis of SLNs prove small, smooth, spherical shape particle ranged from 150 to 200 nm for unloaded and from 330 to 444 nm for ACV loaded particles. The EE% for optimal formula is 72% with suitable pH for skin application. Rheological behavior is shear thinning and thixotropic. Release study proved controlled drug release for SLNs especially in formula containing compritol88 ATO. Stability study emphasized an insignificant change in SLNs properties over 6 month. In-vivo study showed significantly higher accumulation of ACV in stratum corneum, dermal layer, and receptor compartment compared with blank skin. Conclusion: AVC-loaded SLNs might be beneficial in controlling drug release, stable and improving dermal delivery of antiviral agent(s).

APSAS; an Automated Particle Size Analysis System

Circular ◽  
1985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence J. Poppe ◽  
A.H. Eliason ◽  
J.J. Fredericks
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Particle Size Analysis ◽  
Size Analysis ◽  
Analysis System
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