Interaction between Taiwan and China has increased remarkably in recent decades. From being complete enemies in 1949 to the momentum created by the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement in 2010, both countries have come a long way. This thesis focuses on the extent of interaction and cooperation between businesses and Chinese local authorities in the Chinese Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and Pearl River Delta (PRD) and their impact on Taiwanese investment. The Chinese central government has expressly set out its policies of encouragement of specific preferential treatment, and the researcher seeks to answer: to what degree in fact local governments share central government objectives and implement such preferential policies in their areas (including by way of their own policies), and what are the factors governing their decisions. It also explains how the local authorities and local Taiwanese investors (taishang) have interacted. To that end, it analyses an important set of relationships: that between Chinese central and local governments; between the Taiwanese government and Taiwanese business elites; and between Taiwanese investors and Chinese local governments in the YRD and PRD. This study places trans-border interactions in the context of globalization, regionalism and economic integration. China's overriding goal of uniting Taiwan with the PRC has remained constant but the method of achieving this objective has modified, adapting to the global environment, and its vision of a growing economy through its more recent national plans. Emphasis is now on greater economic linkages with Taiwan's economy, thus creating Taiwanese dependence on China's prosperity. Beyond economic reasons it is also hoped that greater connections between Chinese and Taiwanese will strengthen their sense of shared identity, thus making for unification via a "soft landing". This thesis examines the opportunities and constraints that Taiwanese businesses in the YRD and the PRD have in practice encountered, in order to determine whether Chinese local bureaucrats are a help or hindrance in this broader political objective of preferential treatment. It compares Taiwanese businesses with other overseas investors in both secondary and tertiary sectors in the two localities. The research methodology used has included semi-structured elite interviews in China and Taiwan between 2008 and 2010 with relevant decision-makers, namely Taiwanese investors, non-Taiwanese foreign investors, Chinese and Taiwanese government officials. In order to obtain qualitative insights into Chinese local authorities' viewpoints, attitudes and strategy of their approaches to the Taiwanese businesses in China, as well as knowledge of how Taiwanese businesses develop their business activities in China, the main method of data collection in this thesis is therefore in the form of elite interviews. The research concludes that while Taiwanese investors generally do get preferential treatment from Chinese local governments as compared with other investors, there is no general rule which can give them assurance of this. From an examination of several criteria influencing local governments, it seems that much depends on personal relations (guanxi) with Chinese officials, Chinese society being still heavily influenced by traditional attitudes and relationships. Further, the application of laws is still guided by 'rule of man' instead of 'rule of law'. Company location, size and type of industry are other important factors in the application of the preferential policies. Moreover, the incentives that Taiwanese investors have previously received are gradually decreasing, mainly for two reasons. One is the evolution of Chinese central government's plans, aiming to achieve their objectives for economic development of the country, while also making for a wider distribution of wealth and giving greater support to Chinese domestic companies. The other is because of the increased role of local governments, allowing them to set their own initiatives; their response is found to have been to put their localities' interests first and act more independently and pragmatically to changes in their local circumstances. This thesis has made a contribution to the application of methodology by its in-depth analysis and diversity of people interviewed, and to existing literature by exploring the less-developed area of cross-strait political economy studies. However, the qualitative nature of this study and its reliance on a situation which is subject to constant change provide room for further examination by others with different backgrounds or may usefully be looked at again in the light of additional information, such as larger samples of interviews, a different methodology such as quantitative methods, different variables such as Chinese domestic companies, different regions of China, or developments in the countries and regions under study.

M.Sc. (Aquatic Health) / The increased supply of water to areas targeted for development and the concomitant increase in land use and waste disposal activities has lead to the deterioration in the quality of water in South Africa‟s freshwater systems (DWA, 2011a). In order to manage this, the South African Department of Water Affairs (DWA) has developed numerous water quality policies and management approaches. One such approach is the determination and use of Resource Water Quality Objectives (RWQOs) (DWAF, 2006a). Resource Water Quality Objectives are a set of instream water quality objectives that aim to ensure that water that is fit for use is supplied to downstream users through the management and control of upstream impacts (DWAF, 2006b). In this study, site specific RWQOs were determined for the Modder and Riet Rivers as a means of providing a basis for reporting on instream water quality. As with many of the freshwater catchments in South Africa, the Modder-Riet catchment, located in the Free State and Northern Cape Provinces, is a water limited catchment (Slabbert, 2007). Historically most of the Modder and Riet Rivers would typically have had low water yields, with dry periods and pools forming in large endorheic areas (Grobler and Davies, 1981). As the need to supply water for crop production and domestic use grew, various transfer schemes and reservoirs were developed between the Caledon, Orange and Modder-Riet River systems (DWAF, 2006a). In order to distribute this water, various canal systems and operating rules for the storage dams were developed to transport water to the predominantly agricultural and domestic water users in the various parts of the catchment. Much of the water that is used in the Modder-Riet catchment therefore originates from reservoirs and from outside the catchment, completely transforming it from its natural state. This change in land-use and hydrology of the Modder-Riet catchment resulted in a concomitant change in the water quality. Salinisation, microbial contamination and eutrophication have, in particular, been recorded as the most significant problems affecting the fitness for use of the water in the Modder-Riet catchment. In order to manage these water quality problems and the effects on downstream users, a Catchment Management Strategy (CMS) for the Modder-Riet catchment was developed in 2006 which identified the users in the catchment and put forth a set of catchment-wide RWQOs (DWAF, 2006a). Further studies in the area have also subsequently highlighted that, given the current growth in water use, the associated negative water balance and the potential for serious deleterious effects of increased return flows on the water users, the need for improved efficiency of water use and the management of water quality in this catchment (as well as in those catchments which support the Modder and Riet Rivers) will become ever increasingly important (DWA, 2006a; DWA, 2012a; DWA, 2013a). The aim of this study was to: 1) determine whether catchment characteristics, water quality and user requirements across the catchment differed enough to warrant the separation of the catchment into different Management Units (MUs) for which site specific instead of generic RWQOs should be set, 2) to set low confidence level 3 RWQOs for various sites which represent each MU and 3) to determine the implications for the future management of the water quality in the Modder-Riet catchment. Fourteen Level 3 RWQOs for the main constituents of concern, namely phosphate (PO4), ammonia (NH3), ammonium (NH4+), nitrate and nitrite (NO3 + NO2-N), Escherichia coliform (E. coli), Electrical Conductivity (EC), chloride (Cl), sodium (Na), the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), aluminium (Al) and fluoride (F), were determined at strategic sites within six water quality MUs. These MUs were roughly the same as those determined in the Modder-Riet CMS, with a few exceptions:  the Upper and Middle Riet MUs from the CMS were not found to be different enough in terms of land use and water quality to warrant their separation and in this study were lumped together to form the Upper Riet MU, and  the Lower Riet MU from the CMS did not take account of the operation of the Kalkfontein and Orange-Riet transfer schemes which, in this study, resulted in the delineation of the Middle Riet River MU from Kalkfontein Dam to the outlet of Kalkfontein Canal and the Lower Riet MU from below the Kalkfontein Canal end point on the Riet River and the transfer site on the Modder River (at Scholzburg Weir) to just above the zone of influence from the Vaal River on the lower Riet River below Soutpansdrift. As with the delineation of the MUs, the location of the RWQO sites were determined in consultation with the Modder-Riet Catchment Management Forum (CMF) and were based on 1) their ability to exercise control over the quality of water entering a MU (resulting from upstream water uses) and 2) the need to provide water that is fit for use for the downstream users in areas of similar land uses. Within each MU, additional sites were added that would ensure fitness for use at specific strategic points. Since the RWQOs that were set at these sites were based predominantly on the current state of the water quality in the Modder and Riet Rivers they varied widely, with the strictest RWQOs being set for the transfers from the Caledon River via Novo Transfer Scheme, at Mazelspoort Weir on the Modder River and within the Kalkfontein Canal at the outlet of Kalkfontein Dam on the Riet River. Whether the status quo should be maintained, improved or allowed to deteriorate was determined by considering the water quality management vision and goals for the catchment, the water quality needs of the downstream users and the potential impact on the upstream uses. Although the RWQOs in almost all cases were more stringent than those set for Modder and Riet Rivers in the. CMS, of greater significance was the variation between the RWQOs set at each of the sites. By using the current state of water quality as a reflection of fluvial processes (such as assimilation, deposition and dilution), the RWQOs in this study took account of the differences in the effects of the various land uses and allowed for the determination of objectives which were tailored to specific areas of the catchment. They therefore more accurately represented the user requirements and the need for interventions. The RWQOs set by the CMS on the other hand were applied at catchment scale (i.e. there was one set of RWQOs for the entire catchment) and as such may have been too lenient in some areas and too strict in others. Thus although broad scale objectives set by the CMS may be useful for water quality assessments in the Modder-Riet catchment, the need to account for differences in local factors which influence water quality across the catchment (such as the presence of multiple transfer systems and large dams, and variations in land and water use) would warrant the determination of level 3 RWQOs. Based on an assessment of the compliance to the RWQOs over the past three to five years, PO4, NH3, EC, E.coli and Al were identified as the major water quality variables which have the potential to impact on the downstream users and for which Source Management Objectives (SMOs) and water quality allocation, management and implementation plans for the urban and agricultural sectors will be required. This is especially evident in the middle Modder and lower Riet catchments as well as below the numerous small urban areas which occur throughout the catchment. Key factors which have been highlighted for consideration in the future management of water quality in these catchments include inter alia: the consideration of appropriate water quality models, the development and implementation of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) and the improved management of Sewerage Treatment Works (STWs). In addition, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and metals such as Al, chromium and manganese have been identified as potential variables which may affect users and for which further investigations are required. In conclusion, the hypothesis that that “the characteristics of the Modder-Riet catchment were different enough to warrant the determination of level 3 RWQOs, where in the more impacted portions of the catchment, water quality stress would be evident and would require a number of source directed interventions” could be accepted. It was however also found that interventions to improve instream water quality should not only be based on Source Directed Controls (SDCs) in their strictest sense, but should also incorporate aspects of good governance and effective regulation. This includes improved co-ordination of water quality monitoring and data management and reporting, effective and sustained capacity building and community learning and the establishment of functional, multi-scale feedback mechanisms. The application of the principles of Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM) was also identified a key element in the future management of water quality in this catchment.

The Sustut Group within the study area is a nonmarine succession of fine to coarse grained elastics, deposited in an alluvial fan environment. Regionally, the Sustut Group is divisible into the Tango Creek and Brothers Peak Formations. In the study area, the two formations are entirely Late Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian) in age, based on palynological evidence. In the southern Sustut Basin, only the uppermost 400 m of the Tatlatui Member of the Tango Creek Formation is exposed. Sediments of the Tatlatui Member are divided into fine and coarse grained lithofacies. The fine grained lithofacies is composed of interbedded mudstone, siltstone and fine grained sandstone, which is interpreted as an alluvial plain deposit. Pebble conglomerate interbedded with coarse to medium grained sandstone comprise the coarse grained lithofacies which is considered to be a braided river deposit. The Brothers Peak Formation comprises 1 000 m of diverse elastics and tuffs, which are divisible into the lower and upper Laslui Member, and the overlying Spatsizi Member. The lower Laslui Member conformably overlies the Tatlatui Member of the Tango Creek Formation, and is characterized by several fining upwards sequences of cobble conglomerate to medium grained sandstone, attributed to deposition by high energy braided streams in the mid-fan region of an alluvial fan complex. Sediments of the upper Laslui Member are divided into a fine grained lithofacies consisting of mudstone, interbedded with lesser amounts of siltstone, fine grained sandstone and tuff beds, and a coarse grained lithofacies composed of orthoconglomerate, paracong1omerate and coarse grained sandstone. The fine grained lithofacies comprises the majority of the sequence and is interpreted as an alluvial plain deposit. Coarse grained sediments of the upper Laslui Member were likely deposited during stages of high water discharge, by major distributaries, sheetfloods and debris flows. The Spatsizi Member is gradational from the upper Laslui Member and is composed of sandstone/mudstone sequences interpreted as sandy braided stream deposits of an alluvial plain. Detrital components of the Tango Creek and Brothers Peak sandstones are mainly chert, quartz, plagioclase and volcanic rock fragments. Paleocurrent measurements and provenance considerations suggest source terranes were located to the east during Tango Creek deposition, and to the west during Brothers Peak deposition. In the southern Sustut Basin, the Tango Creek Formation documents uplift and erosion in the Omineca Belt and Paleozoic rock units, following accretion of the first composite terrane (terrane I) to the North American Margin. The Brothers Peak Formation is considered a result of local uplift and volcanic activity, accompanying the accretion of a second composite terrane (terrane II). / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

Urban expansion of the City of Vancouver has resulted in increased land development of the municipality of Surrey, and more intensive agriculture on the remaining farmland. From 1980 to 1984 five different fish kills in the Serpentine River attributed to low dissolved oxygen were thought to be caused by a combination of agricultural discharges, high autumn water temperatures, as well as rainfall and river flow patterns. In 1985 an experimental instream aeration system was installed in a lower reach of the river in an attempt to provide additional oxygen during the critical autumn period. This study was undertaken to determine the extent of the agricultural drainage discharge problem. Weekly sampling from July to December, 1987, revealed that organic pollutional loading from dairy farms was high. Nutrients loadings in the river supported a heavy algal growth which resulted in an oxygen deficit during autumn algal die-off and decay. Although the flushing of farm ditches normally exerts an additional oxygen demand on the river, this was not observed in 1987 because the major autumn rains began on Oct 30, and lower water temperatures prevented a rapid exertion of the biodegradable oxygen demand. Implementation of source control of farm animal wastes is strongly recommended, along with a program of public education on conservation and management of natural habitat. Harvesting of filamentous algae in the river may eventually prove necessary for successful rehabilitation as diffused river aeration appears to be having a very small effect. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Inputs, transfer processes, and storage characteristics of water and sediment have been investigated in a 40-km² estuarine system on the central Yukon coast. The setting is transgressive, microtidal, and high-latitude (69°N). The Babbage Estuary system can be subdivided into fluvial, tidal-distributary, delta-plain, intertidal, lagoon, marginal-supratidal, and barrier subsystems, each associated with one or more distinctive depositional environments and characteristic lithofacies assemblages. The structure of the system has been examined in terms of links between subsystems and overall system response to input perturbations. Although the propagation of tide and surge within the estuary may be treated as a quasi-linear stochastic process, transfers of fluvial water and sediment through the system are highly non-linear. Furthermore, the parameters of the system change dramatically on an annual cycle. Inputs and associated system responses are dominated in the short run by seasonal- and synoptic-scale variance, the former reflecting major seasonal adjustments in the phase distribution, circulation process, iand input regime of the estuary. The annual salinity cycle, with a range of at least 60 ppt, exhibits a short reaction and long relaxation response to major snowmelt runoff inputs in May or June, when salt water is flushed completely out of the estuary. Wind-generated waves are effectively absent from the system during 8-9 months of the year, but play a major role during the open-water season. Although direct transport of sediment by ice is relatively unimportant, ice effects are pervasive; they include, in addition to restriction of winter runoff and surface wave generation, creation of hypersaline conditions, control of the sedimentologically important flood events on deltaic supratidal flats, enhanced rates of coastal recession due to thermal degradation of ground ice, and production of distinctive thermokarst morphology on supratidal surfaces. Water level, storage volume, salinity, and suspended sediment series during the open-water season in the lagoon are dominated by synoptic-scale wind effects. In the delta, the major synoptic-scale anomalies of sediment concentration are related to storm runoff. Fluvial clastic sediment inputs to the estuary exceed 10⁸ kg A⁻¹ almost an order of magnitude greater than the estimated littoral transport input. More than 97% of the fluvial input may occur in June; of this, approximately half may be exported directly from the system. At long time scales, the estuarine system has been dominated by rising sea level and coastal recession; Holocene climatic fluctuations may also have been important. A transgressive sequence has developed, including various distinctive features, notably the absence or limited development of aeolian, backbarrier-margin, tidal-delta, and intertidal marsh facies, a largely afaunal intertidal component, and deltaic deposits with poorly developed levees and abundant lake basins. The basal fluvial component includes a sinuous gravel channel assemblage of a hitherto poorly documented type. The Babbage Estuary barrier sequence is primarily transgressive, but incorporates localized elements of progradational and inlet-migration models. Examples of major transgressive, progradational, and inlet-fill barrier sequences occur in close proximity on the central Yukon coast. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

Comparison of the power spectra of TDS time series from different locations on the Lower Colorado River is useful in showing changes in salinity and for indicating physical factors influencing salinity. Similarities between the power spectra of the Lee Ferry and Grand Canyon tine series indicated that lateral inputs and evaporation are not greatly influencing the salinity cycle. The salinity change within this reach was approximated by a constant concentration change of 66.6 ppm. A similar model form was used for the Hoover Dam to Parker Dam reach. Dissimilarities between power spectra indicated that additional inputs are significant and must be accounted for in any model of such reaches. The model for Lake Mead required compensation for evaporation and for the inputs of the Virgin River and Las Vegas Wash. The modeled salinity increase between Parker Dam and Yuma contained a trend factor to allow for the effect of irrigation return flows and seepage. The crosscovariance function was used to approximate the time lag between data stations. Time series statistics, including coherence, response function spectra, and overall unit response, were used and are of utility in estimating salinity in a river system.

The objective of this research is to estimate stakeholder preferences for management alternatives within the Red River of the North basin. Specifically, this thesis analyzes preferences related to water quality, water-based recreation, water supply, and institution. Results are estimated using choice experiments. Data show that residents are willing to pay approximately $84 per year for wetland restoration, $76 per year for additional bike trails, and $117 for enhanced fishery management. Taken to an aggregate level of all counties with land in the basin, willingness to pay is approximately $24 million for wetlands, $22 million for bike trails, and $34 million for enhanced fishery management. These values can assist institutions in making decisions related to the basin's water resources. / National Institute for Water Research / Geological Survey (U.S.)

During the 19th Century, the Mississippi River was the chief commercial highway in the United States. But for two impediments, the Upper and Lower (Des Moines) Rapids, its entire course of 2400 miles would have offered an untroubled thoroughfare to watercraft.The federal government, as well as private concerns, attempted throughout the better part of that century to alleviate the river of its barriers and to develop its rapids as a source of power. Those attempts were disappointingly unsuccessful, however, and not until the advent of the 20th Century, when the nation had matured both economically and technologically, was the Mississippi freed of its obstacles and developed on a large scale as a source of energy.

Health condition of a river is a necessity for the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems. River health status of the Nzhelele River was assessed through the use of water quality, macroinvertebrate taxa composition and aquatic habitat conditions. The study was conducted along the Nzhelele River in Limpopo Province of South Africa where the river transcends six tribal villages. The objectives were to assess water quality conditions in order to determine the magnitude of pollution impact, to correlate species diversity and water quality parameters, to measure the size of degraded areas with respect to species richness and to develop a model for managing river health condition of the Nzhelele River. Data were collected monthly between February and December 2016 (early autumn to mid-summer). Macroinvertebrates were sampled where water samples were collected to ensure that the relationship between water quality and macroinvertebrates was adequately correlated. Water quality parameters that were analysed were pH, stream temperature, river velocity, conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen, Total Dissolved Solids, nitrates, nitrites and chlorine. Assessment of habitat conditions was done through the assessment of habitat and riparian zone integrity. One-way ANOVA was used to determine if there were significant differences between the six sampling areas in terms of water quality and aquatic species composition. Principal Correspondence Analysis (PCA) was used to correlate water quality and macroinvertebrate data. The results indicated that water quality parameters significantly differed among the six sampling sites and that also explained the variations in diversity of macroinvertebrates that were sampled from the six sampling sites. Pollution tolerant organisms constituted a total of 46.7% and the remaining 53.3% represented pollution sensitive organisms. PCA results showed positive and negative correlations between macroinvertebrates and water quality parameters to indicate variations in the levels of pollution along the Nzhelele River. Habitat integrity results indicated that the Musekwa sampling site was the most degraded and had lower species diversity. The Ratio of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) and Chironomidae Abundances should be reviewed to read as Ratio of EPT and Chironomidae-Thiaridae Abundances in order to strengthen the study of the relationship between pollution tolerant and pollution sensitive organisms. / Environmental Sciences / Environmental Science

Sediments in the Trinity River were chemically, physically and biologically characterized and assessed for toxicity. Laboratory bioassays were conducted to identify sediments which induced toxic responses in test organisms and to document these responses through time. Metal and organic contaminant concentrations in bottom sediments were measured. Relationships between these concentrations and biological responses observed in laboratory bioassays were determined. Toxicity identification / reduction methods were used to characterize sediment toxicants. Sediment oxygen demand was also measured in resuspended and undisturbed bottom sediments through time. The Background Sediment Chemistry Approach and the Sediment Bioassay Approach were used to assess sediment quality. Sediment toxicity was observed in whole sediment bioassays using Chironomus tentans as the test species. A relationship between sediment contaminant concentration and toxicity was observed in approximately sixty percent of the sediments. Oxygen demand of resuspended sediments was elevated in sediments at two locations on the river. Oxygen demand of undisturbed sediments was elevated at one location on the river. Characterization of sediment toxicants was conducted using EDTA, pH, and carbon treatments and manipulations of the sediments. Aeration tests were also used to evaluate the contribution of volatile organic contaminants to observed toxicity.