Thesis (M.S.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-73).

Thesis (M.S.)--Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Dept., South Dakota State University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 230-2̀49). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (doctoral)--Wageningen Universiteit, 2003. / "Propositions" inserted. Includes bibliographical references (p. 153-161). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xx, 417 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Small wetlands are often ignored in inventory studies; consequently they are less protected and therefore more vulnerable. Moreover, previous research indicates the importance of small wetlands as they can provide important ecosystem services to human kind. The Environmental Protection Agency of Sweden has carried out a national wetland inventory, however they have applied a limited area, which consequently excludes smaller wetlands. This study aims to make an inventory of the excluded wetlands smaller than 10 hectares in Laholms municipality, Halland. In this inventory study I have applied GIS as a method by comparing different map layers, such as aerial photos, land cover data and Google Earth. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate the ecosystem services provided by the located wetlands in the study area and discuss how this exclusion could affect the services. The results of the inventory indicate that 745 wetlands are missing in the Environmental Protection Agency inventory, which correspond to 12 percent of the total wetlands in Laholms municipality. The results also indicate that 99,1 percent of the missing wetlands are mire and 0,9 percent are riparian wetlands. In the literature study I found that mire provides ecosystem services such as carbon storage, material such as peat, and unique habitats for biodiversity. Riparian wetlands provide ecosystem services such as unique habitats for biodiversity, improving the quality of the water, reduce fertilization and provide recreational values. Moreover, both type of wetlands are also important to the wetland mosaic in order to maintain proliferation and the local hydrological systems.  Additionally, small wetlands are especially important to invertebrates and amphibians. Though, if the small wetlands in Laholms municipality continue to be ignored then the benefits of the ecosystem services mentioned above are likely to be reduced and limited.

The formation and common occurrence of riparian wetlands within the semi-arid Highveld interior of South Africa, a landscape setting undergoing extensive long-term fluvial incision, is an enigma and the underlying controls on the formation and hydrogeomorphological dynamics of these wetlands has not been widely investigated. Wakkerstroom Vlei is one such enigma in that it is a large (~ 1000 ha) Highveld system comprising extensive reaches of unchanneled valley-bottom wetland with considerable (up to 2 m deep) peat deposits. Accommodation space for wetland formation is thought to be controlled by the superimposition of the main (Wakkerstroom/Thaka) river upon an erosion-resistant Karoo dolerite sill at the toe of the system, which forms a stable local base-level along the rivers course. As a result, the river has carved broad (up to 1300 m), gently sloping (average slope ~ 0.17 %) valleys along softer shale valley reaches upstream of the dolerite barrier. Examination of the valley fill along these valley-bottom wetland reaches, together with analysis of historic aerial photography, reveals that continuous tracts of meandering river and floodplain wetlands formerly existed, and that the wetland experienced an abrupt shift to valley-bottom wetland conditions where surface flow of water is diffusive. Following the creation of accommodation space along the main river valley, lateral tributary streams began to deposit substantial amounts of course sediment into the main valley via alluvial fans. Several of these fans have coalesced to form multiple coalescing alluvial fan complexes that historically were able to extend far across the floodplain from either side of the valley, resulting in main river valley impoundment. This has promoted flood-out formation, along the main valley which, together with the denser growth of vegetation across the floodplain, has created conditions suitable for organic sedimentation and peat accumulation. The formation and evolution of Wakkerstroom Vlei has thus been controlled by the complex interaction between geological, geomorphological and biotic processes. Understanding the role of these factors in shaping both the short- and long-term hydro-geomorphic dynamics of the system is essential in implementing effective management and conservation strategies both within Wakkerstroom Vlei and other large valley-bottom wetlands within the South African Highveld interior. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009.

No description available.

Since humans began to permanently settle locations for extended periods of time there has been the challenge to safely dispose of, or treat human effluent. In specific to the communities of Nunavut and Arctic Canada, the treatment of wastewater has been particularly challenging. The harsh climate, remote nature and socio-economic factors are a few of the aspects which make the treatment of wastewater problematic in Canadian Arctic communities. In the past several decades a number of conventional and alternative wastewater treatment systems (e.g. lagoons and tundra wetlands) have been proposed and implemented in Nunavut and other remote Arctic communities. Knowledge of performance of these systems is limited, as little research has been conducted and regulatory monitoring has been poorly documented or not observed at all. Also, in the past, the rational design process of treatment systems in Arctic communities has not acknowledged cultural and socio-economic aspects, which are important for the long-term management and performance of the treatment facilities in Arctic communities. From 2008 to 2010 I characterized and studied the performance of several tundra wastewater treatment wetlands in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, as well as two in the Inuvaliat Region of the Northwest Territories. Performance testing occurred weekly throughout the summer of 2008. Characterization included surveys of plant communities in the tundra wetlands, specifically analyzing the relationship between Carex aquatilis and various nutrient contaminants in wastewater. Through their characterization I was able to provide greater insight into primary treatment zones within the wetland, and identify the main potential mechanisms for the treatment wastewater in the Arctic. I also studied the performance of a horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) constructed wetland in Baker Lake Nunavut; the first system of its kind in the Canadian Arctic. The weekly performance study showed average weekly percent reduction in all parameters, with small deviations immediately after snow-melt and at the beginning of freeze-up. For the six parameters monitored I observed reductions of 47-94% cBOD5, 57-96% COD, 39-98% TSS, >99% TC, >99% E. coli, 84-99% NH3-Nand 80-99% TP for the six tundra treatment wetlands. Whereas, the wetland characterization study through the use of spatial interpolations on each of the wetlands and their water quality showed that concentrations of the wastewater parameters decreased the most in the first 100m of the wetland in all three treatment wetlands used in this portion of the analysis (Chesterfield Inlet, Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok). Areas of greatest concentration where shown to follow preferential flow paths with concentrations decreasing in a latitudinal and longitudinal direction away from the wastewater source. The Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok treatment wetlands were observed to effectively polish pre-treated wastewater from the facultative lake and engineered lagoon, with removals of key wastewater constituents of cBOD5, TSS and NH3-N to near background concentrations. And despite the absence of pre-treatment in Chesterfield Inlet, the wetland was also observed to effectively treat wastewater to near background concentrations. Further characterization on the composition of the sedge C. aquatilis, showed a high percent cover of the species corresponded with areas of high concentration of NH3-N in the wastewater. A principal components analysis verified the spatial results showing correlation between C. aquatilis cover and NH3-N concentrations. Analysis also showed strong positive relationship between sites closer to the source of wastewater and C. aquatilis. No correlation was found between the other parameters analyzed and C. aquatilis. The first year of study of the HSSF constructed wetland showed promising mean removals in cBOD5, COD, TSS, E. coli, Total Coliforms, and TP throughout the summer of 2009; removals of 25%, 31%, 52%, 99.3%, 99.3%, and 5% were observed respectively. However, the second year of study in 2010 the system did not perform as expected, and concentrations of effluent actually increased. I concluded that a high organic loading during the first year of study saturated the system with organics. Finally, a review of planning process and regulatory measures for wastewater in Arctic communities and the impending municipal wastewater standards effluent resulted in the following recommendations; i) wastewater effluent standards should reflect the diverse arctic climate, and socio-economic environment of the northern communities, ii) effluent standards should be region or even community specific in the Arctic, and iii) for planning and management of wastewater incorporation of Inuit understanding of planning and consultation needs to be incorporated in the future. This research has several major implications for wastewater treatment and planning for Nunavut and other Arctic Regions. The performance and characterization of tundra treatment wetlands fills significant gaps in our understanding of their performance and potential mechanisms of treatment, and treatment period in the Kivalliq Region. Although the HSSF constructed wetland failed, further research into engineered/augmented treatment wetlands should be considered as they provide low-cost low maintenance solutions for remote communities. Finally, the data collected in this study will provide significant insight into the development of new municipal wastewater effluent standards for northern communities, which will be reflected in the Fisheries Act.

Beneficial management practices for controlling and managing pollutant loadings from entering source waters are essential to preserving the natural habitat of lakes and rivers. Artificial Floating Wetlands (AFWs) are a promising technology, when applied with other beneficial management practices, for the removal of water borne contaminants in urban and agricultural runoff. To evaluate AFWs for their application for nutrient-rich water remediation, a pilot scale study was assessed at the Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment in Lindsay Ontario. Fifteen ponds, averaging in size from 7.2 m width to 9.7 m length to 3.8 m depth were divided into two controls and three treatments, each with three replicates. The controls were not covered with AFWs and were used for comparative purposes while the treatments had AFW coverage averaging 67% of the total surface area of each pond. The treatments and controls received varying inputs of simulated stormwater runoff during the study. This study was used to determine the effects of high surface area coverage of AFWs on temperature, pH, DO and ammonia. A lab scale study was designed to investigate the results obtained from the pilot study and to assess the effectiveness of 100% AFW coverage for nutrient-rich water treatment. The study consisted of twelve 150 L containers, with four of the containers covered with the AFW, four without coverage and the final four with coverage without vegetation. Water quality parameters including phosphorus, nitrogen, E.coli, pH and temperature were tested on a weekly basis for two five week retention periods. Results from these studies suggest that AFWs can provide a valuable method of treatment when combined with other beneficial management practices. The pilot scale study demonstrated that AFWs inhibit algae growth and create a cooler environment below the wetland surface. Results from the second study indicate AFWs have a much better and quicker removal of phosphorus and ammonia when compared to the treatment with coverage without vegetation. E.coli levels were completely reduced within the water column for all treatments during the testing period. / Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-30 12:57:03.197