Loss of sea ice due to global warming may affect the phenology and distribution of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) denning by altering access to denning habitats. We examined trends in the selection of maternal denning substrate (land versus sea-ice denning) in the southern Beaufort Sea (SB), addressing the potential influence of summer land-use and fall sea-ice conditions on substrate selection. We developed an algorithm based on statistical process control methods to remotely identify denning bears and estimate denning phenology from temperature sensor data collected on collars deployed 1985–2013 in the SB and Chukchi Sea (CS). We evaluated cub survival relative to den entrance, emergence, and duration, and examined differences in the phenology of land and sea-ice dens. Land denning in the SB was more common during years when ice retreated farther from the coast and off of the continental shelf in September. All SB bears that occupied land prior to denning subsequently denned on land; however, only 29% of denning bears that summered on sea ice denned on land. Den entrance and duration in the SB and CS were similar, although CS bears emerged later. Land dens were occupied longer than those on ice. Bears later observed with cubs remained in dens 23 days longer and emerged from denning 17 days later on average than bears that denned but were subsequently observed without cubs, suggesting that den exit dates are related to cub survival. The increase in land-based denning in the SB when sea ice retreated farther from shore, along with the positive correlation between fall land-use and land denning, suggest that further sea-ice declines may result in continued increases of onshore denning. Growing numbers of denning females along the coast may increase the potential for human-bear interactions.

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are experiencing rapid and substantial changes to their environment due to global climate change. Polar bears of the southern Beaufort Sea (SB) have historically spent most of the year on the sea ice. However, recent reports from Alaska indicate that the proportion of the SB subpopulation observed onshore during late summer and early fall has increased considerably. Previous research suggests that the number of polar bears onshore is linked to sea ice conditions and the availability of subsistence-harvested whale carcasses, which are referred to as bone piles. My objectives were to determine the development and fitness consequences for SB polar bears that come onshore. Furthermore, I aimed to reveal the number of polar bears that come onshore and feed at whale carcasses. I used a combination of genetic and behavioral data collected on SB polar bears from 2010-2013 to determine if onshore behavior developed through genetic inheritance, asocial learning, or social learning. I found that onshore behavior was primarily transmitted via mother-offspring social learning. I used hair samples collected at bone piles near Kaktovik, Alaska from 2011-2014 and genetic capture-recapture techniques to estimate the annual number of polar bears that visited the bone piles and rates of apparent site fidelity to the bone pile. I estimated that as many as 146 (SE = 21) SB polar bears visited the bone piles near Kaktovik in 2012. Annual rates of apparent site fidelity to the bone pile for male polar bears ranged from 0.60 (SE = 0.07) to 0.61 (SE = 0.07), and female rates of apparent site fidelity was 0.69 (SE = 0.19). Lastly, I used quantitative fatty acid signature analysis to estimate the proportion of bowhead whale, ringed seal, bearded seal, and beluga whale in the diets of SB polar bears from 2004-2015. I revealed that polar bears achieved higher body condition by coming onshore and feeding at whale carcasses. Overall, my results indicated that SB polar bears are socially learning from their mother to come onshore and that this behavior is linked to increased body condition.

Planning for offshore hydrocarbon development in Canada’s Beaufort Sea currently occurs on a project-by-project basis. This is despite a collective understanding that impact assessment should go beyond the evaluation of site-specific project impacts to consider the broader policy and regional planning context in which development projects operate. The need for such a regional and strategic approach to impact assessment in Canada’s Beaufort Sea, known as regional strategic environmental assessment (R-SEA), arises from the looming large-scale offshore hydrocarbon development in the region and the lack of a mechanism to plan for future energy development, establish a long-term regional vision, or assess and effectively manage the potential cumulative environmental and social effects arising from development. At such a critical moment, little research exists to advance R-SEA from a concept to an applied planning, assessment and decision-support process. This dissertation draws on experience from the implementation of strategic environmental assessment in offshore jurisdictions internationally, along with existing initiatives for marine planning in the Beaufort Sea, to advance effective R-SEA implementation in the region. The research methodology includes a literature review, case reviews and key informant interviews. The research results are reported in three manuscripts. The first manuscript examines the influence of R-SEA on planning and development decisions in Norway, Atlantic Canada and the UK. The second manuscript examines existing planning, assessment, and science initiatives in the Beaufort Sea. The third manuscript identifies key opportunities for, and challenges to, the implementation of R-SEA in the Beaufort Sea. Significant findings demonstrate that R-SEA can offer a much-needed framework to accommodate and address stakeholder issues and concerns regarding future offshore development in the Beaufort Sea, despite acute implementation challenges, such as scepticism of scenario-based planning. Key findings reveal many expectations of what R-SEA could deliver in the Beaufort Sea, a result of the varied stakeholder priorities and goals. Understanding the root of different expectations and perceptions, ensuring follow-up programs pay attention to horizontal linkages between R-SEA strategies and current marine planning initiatives, and that supporting institutional arrangements are in place for a preferred strategy to succeed lie at the core of advancing R-SEA as a viable tool in the Arctic.

Cette étude porte sur trois secteurs des massifs cristallins externes des Alpes Françaises: les secteurs de Vallorcine(massif des Aiguilles Rouges),de Beaufort et de la Lauzière (massif de Belledonne). Ils présentent tous trois la particularité de renfermer des indices d'uranium,en liaison au moins spatiale avec des intrusions granitiques. Aussi le problèmedes granitisations a-t'il constitué le fil directeur de cette étude, méme sileur rôle s 'est révélé moins important que prévu pour la formation des concentrations uranifères. Le granite de Vallorcine est intrusif dans une s'érie po1ymétamorphique ancienne(infracambrienne ou pa1éozoïque inférieure), d'origine volcanosédimentaire : la série des Aiguilles Rouges. Son âge n'est pas connu avec certitude, mais pourrait étre namurien. De caractères pétrographiques assez constants, il présente un chimisme de monzogranite alumineux. Le granite de Beaufort est intrusif dans une série migmatitique peu connue, prolongeant probablement vers le Nord le groupe de St Rémy (infracambrien ou paléozoïque inférieur). Il n'est pas daté radiométriquement, mais pourrait présenter un âge namurien, comme le granite des 7 Laux (datation BR G M, inédite) auquel il est comparable en tous points. Plusieurs générations de granites ont été distinguées dans le massif de la Lauzière : - La première correspond à des granites orthogneissifiés (complexe du Col de Montjoie), dont la mise en place est contemporaine du dépôt des séries les plus anciennes (série de la Montagne des Plans -gneiss de Pussy Plan du Col, série du Bois des Ravères-groupe de St Rémy), d'âge infracambrien ou paléozoïque inférieur, et qui ont été métamorphisés avec ces dernières au Briovérien ou au Calédonien. Ils constituent donc l'un des termes d'un vaste complexe plutonovolcanosédimentaire développé à l'échelle des massifs cristallins externes. - La deuxième génération correspond à une lignée à tendance calcoalcaline, dont les termes les plus représentés sont granodioritiques et monzogranitiques. Elle comprend le granite d'Epierre-7 Laux, les granodiorites du Colomban et les granitoïdes de Champoudru- Les Chavannes. Son âge est namurien (âge du granite des 7 Laux, BR G M inédit). - La troisième génération correspond à une lignée subalcaline potassique, très différenciée depuis des termes monzosyénitiques (monzosyénites du Lac de la Grande Léchère, complexe granitoïde de la Lauzière pro parte) jusqu'à des termes granitiques (complexe granitoïde de la Lauzière pro parte). Son âge, déterminé par la méthode Rb -Sr, est très récent (permotriasique). Du point de vue métallogénique, il semble qu'une grande partie du stock initial d'uranium provienne, dans les trois secteurs étudiés, des séries métamorphiques encaissant les granitoïdes. Ceux-ci ne présentent pas, en effet, les caractères de granites fertiles. Les indices franchement intragranitiques sont rares dans le granite de Vallorcine,plus nombreux mais peu importants dans le complexe granitoïde de la Lauzière. Ils sont plus intéressants dans le granite de Beaufort, où les concentrations sont liées à des phénomènes de paléoaltération. Le rôle des granites n'est toutefois pas négligeable, même s'il apparait souvent indirect. Ils ont pu en effet se contaminer en uranium lors de leur mise en place (monzosyénites du Lac de la Grande Léchère). Ils ont permis d'autre part la mise en circulation d'un système hydrothermal, transportant l'uranium et le déposant dans des pièges mécaniques ou physicochimiques. Quoiqu'il en soit, l'histoire des minéralisations est complexe, en raison de la pluralité de sources d'uranium et de l'existence de plusieurs phases de remaniement, tardihercynienne(s) et alpine(s). Le contrôle structural s'avère toujours d'une importance primordiale.

The Chukchi and Beaufort Sea shelves host diverse and productive seafloor ecosystems important for carbon and nitrogen cycling for the Arctic Ocean. The benthic food web transfers energy from primary producers to high trophic level organisms (e.g., birds, fish, and mammals), which are important for cultural practices and subsistence hunting by Native Alaskans. This work focuses on the trophic ecology of arctic food webs through use of several different approaches. First, variation in the natural abundance of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes facilitated the identification of trophic pathways and, subsequently, allowed the comparison of trophic guilds and food webs from the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Compared to water column and sedimentary organic matter end-members, second trophic level grazers and suspension feeders were conspicuously ¹³C-enriched throughout the Chukchi Sea, which supports the hypothesis that microbial degradation of organic matter occurred prior to metazoan assimilation. Second, food web recovery from disturbances caused by exploratory oil drilling at the seafloor that had occurred approximately 20 years prior were assessed in both the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Based on isotopic trophic niche overlap between organisms common to drilled and reference sites in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, the oil drilling sites had similar food web structure, indicating recovery from the activity associated with the drilling process. Third, photosynthetic pigment biomarkers were used to better understand the diagenetic process, specifically focusing on how both microbial and metazoan grazing pathways degrade organic matter in relation to seasonal sea ice retreat in the Chukchi Sea. The benthic macrofaunal and microbial food web caused rapid degradation of organic matter upon the initial pulse of microalgal food sources to the seafloor. These diagenetic pathways are linked to the ¹³C-enrichment of residual organic matter, which corresponds to the stable isotope values measured in the benthic macrofauna. Lastly, high-precision liquid chromatography and spectrophotometry were compared for estimating sedimentary pigments in the marine environment. Substantial differences in pheopigment (chlorophyll degradation products) concentrations were observed between the two techniques, suggesting the need for revisions to the monochromatic spectrophotometric equation that relates absorbance to pigment concentrations. One pheopigment, pheophorbide, was found to interfere with the accuracy of the spectrophotometric equation and caused the overestimation of pheopigments. / text

The Arctic region has experienced the largest degree of anthropogenic warming, causing rapid, yet variable sea-ice loss. The effects of this warming on the Canadian Beaufort Shelf have led to a longer ice-free season which has assisted the expansion of northern development, mainly in the oil and gas sector. Both these direct and indirect effects of climate change will likely impact the marine ecosystem of this region, in which benthic fauna play a key ecological role. The aim of this thesis was to expand the current baseline knowledge of benthic fauna in the interest of developing the capacity to identify, predict and manage benthic change. The distribution of benthic macro- and megafauna was characterized utilizing community data from two recent benthic surveys on the Canadian Beaufort shelf and slope. Fauna were collected from 63 stations using box core and trawl sampling gear over the summers of 2009 through 2012 between depths of 30 and 1,000 m. Spatial patterns of abundance, biomass and α and β diversity metrics were examined. Megafaunal abundance and α diversity were elevated on the shelf compared to the slope while the macrofauna did not vary significantly with depth. Multivariate analyses illustrated that both macro- and megafaunal community composition varied more across the depth gradient than from east to west along the shelf. However the change across the depth gradient was greater for the megafauna than for the macrofauna. I proposed that megafaunal slope taxa were differentiated from shelf taxa, as faunal replacement not nestedness appeared to be the main driver of megafaunal β diversity across the depth gradient. The lack of correlation between macro- and megafauna in abundance, biomass and α and β diversity suggests that these faunal components vary at different spatial scales. These results demonstrate how separately sampling the different benthic components can yield different spatial patterns, with implications for future benthic monitoring in the region. This work contributes to the current regional baselines by providing the first comprehensive description of megafaunal distribution on the Canadian Beaufort shelf and by extending our knowledge of benthic distribution patterns deeper on the slope. / Graduate / 0329

The first comprehensive analysis of surface waters in the Labrador Sea for 236U was completed via Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. Through the analysis of 236U the method for AMS measurement was fine-tuned to allow for more precise results. Surface samples for the anthropogenic isotopes 137Cs and 129I were also collected along with two depth profiles of 129I. Samples were also collected in the Beaufort Sea and analyzed for the aforementioned isotopes. It was found that anthropogenic 129I from reprocessing plants is easily discernible at different concentrations among water bodies in both the Labrador and Beaufort Sea. 137Cs in surface waters is close to global fallout levels with no discernable influence from reprocessing plant inputs, but follows a similar trend to that of 129I with depth in the Beaufort Sea. 236U among surface waters in the Labrador Sea did not follow the same trends as 129I but had concentrations indicative of a mix of global fallout as well as reprocessing plant influenced waters. 236U samples from the Beaufort Sea were contaminated by an unknown source of 236U and were inconclusive but were reproducible and allowed for continued development of the AMS analysis methodology.

This thesis looks at Stephen North's 1987 claim of the limits of ethnography in composition research and looks at modern, published research studies to see how they have heeded North's warnings. In 1987 Stephen North claimed that the future of ethnographic methodology in composition research was doomed unless those who would adopt this qualitative technique understood its limitations. North argued that each ethnography is only valuable as an individual study, that individual studies are not cumulative towards some absolute and discoverable positivistic model of knowledge. This warning of the problem and limitations of modern qualitative ethnography was issued over 2 decades ago; how have we done? Does the modern composition researcher who uses ethnographic methodology heed North's warning not to generalize, or do they just tip their hat at North and do it anyway? But regardless of North's dire predictions and warnings, it is apparent that ethnography as a research methodology (in its many disputed forms) is here to stay in composition studies. This thesis provides a sample of research ethnographies published since North's 1987 warning and looks at the methodologies, narrative style, and theoretical conclusions used by some current researchers. By using a close rhetorical analysis which compares the language choices and theoretical positions of those well-received studies against the idea of the non-cumulative nature of ethnographic study, I will contrast what modern researchers say they will do versus what is presented within their published work. Using North's and others' claims on the limitations of generalizable knowledge and hypotheses-testing fallacies of ethnographic methodology for research in composition studies, this thesis first defines the research questions, offers a definition of methodological terms in context of rhetoric and composition research, offers a background of critique, and applies this critique to a sample of post-North published dissertations and monographs.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / It is often argued that public participation is the cornerstone of constitutional democracy especially in countries such as South Africa with the history of segregation which was characterised by the exclusion of the majority of citizens from the decision-making processes of the state based on race, class and gender. As such, following the introduction of the various pieces of legislation in 1994, the dominant narrative was that the progressive laws that were passed would serve as a ‘panacea’ to the challenges of participatory governance in South Africa. It was inconceivable that 25 years into democracy, South Africa would still be grappling with the concept of public participation and the extent to which citizens could influence, direct and own decisions made by and with government especially at a local level. This study assessed the state of public participation in the Western Cape focusing on Beaufort Municipality in the Central Karoo District. It argued that public participation is a prerequisite for democratic governance and that the state could be deemed illegitimate if it does not prioritize the involvement of communities in its affairs. In this context, a particular focus was placed on the effectiveness of the ward committee system (as state sponsored mechanisms of public participation) in enhancing participatory democracy in Beaufort West Municipality. It refuted assumptions on the institutional arrangements made in the legislative framework governing public participation and ward committees – identifying and outlining some of the unanticipated consequences of these pieces of legislation. The study used qualitative research methods to collect data. Primary and secondary data was gathered to assess the state of public participation in the Western Cape with specific reference on the effectiveness of the ward committee system and the role of legislative and regulatory framework governing public participation, the institutional architecture and the roles of various stakeholders involved in public participation. The primary data was gathered through structured interviews and questionnaires while the secondary data was collected the analysis of the literature on public participation and ward committees including municipal reports, guidelines on public participation, legislation and policy frameworks. The research found that it is precisely the state sanctioned ward committee system that has contributed to the collapse of public participation in South Africa. The ward committee system was identified as a ‘poisoned chalice’ - so compromised that it has become an instrument to legitimise predetermined decisions of the politically connected elite, a rubber v stamp platform to comply with the policy and legislative framework. To address this problem, the study recommended a number of measures and interventions that could be introduced which entails the reconfiguration and overhaul of the legislative framework governing public participation and ward committees including the review of the role of politicians in public participation, training and capacity building, allocation of dedicated budget for public participation etc.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / It is often argued that public participation is the cornerstone of constitutional democracy especially in countries such as South Africa with the history of segregation which was characterised by the exclusion of the majority of citizens from the decision-making processes of the state based on race, class and gender. As such, following the introduction of the various pieces of legislation in 1994, the dominant narrative was that the progressive laws that were passed would serve as a ‘panacea’ to the challenges of participatory governance in South Africa. It was inconceivable that 25 years into democracy, South Africa would still be grappling with the concept of public participation and the extent to which citizens could influence, direct and own decisions made by and with government especially at a local level. This study assessed the state of public participation in the Western Cape focusing on Beaufort Municipality in the Central Karoo District. It argued that public participation is a prerequisite for democratic governance and that the state could be deemed illegitimate if it does not prioritize the involvement of communities in its affairs. In this context, a particular focus was placed on the effectiveness of the ward committee system (as state sponsored mechanisms of public participation) in enhancing participatory democracy in Beaufort West Municipality. It refuted assumptions on the institutional arrangements made in the legislative framework governing public participation and ward committees – identifying and outlining some of the unanticipated consequences of these pieces of legislation. The study used qualitative research methods to collect data. Primary and secondary data was gathered to assess the state of public participation in the Western Cape with specific reference on the effectiveness of the ward committee system and the role of legislative and regulatory framework governing public participation, the institutional architecture and the roles of various stakeholders involved in public participation. The primary data was gathered through structured interviews and questionnaires while the secondary data was collected the analysis of the literature on public participation and ward committees including municipal reports, guidelines on public participation, legislation and policy frameworks. The research found that it is precisely the state sanctioned ward committee system that has contributed to the collapse of public participation in South Africa. The ward committee system was identified as a ‘poisoned chalice’ - so compromised that it has become an instrument to legitimise predetermined decisions of the politically connected elite, a rubber stamp platform to comply with the policy and legislative framework. To address this problem, the study recommended a number of measures and interventions that could be introduced which entails the reconfiguration and overhaul of the legislative framework governing public participation and ward committees including the review of the role of politicians in public participation, training and capacity building, allocation of dedicated budget for public participation etc.