The intent of this study is to describe and analyze the interrelations of vegetation and environment in the east-central sector of the Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories. It traces the sequence and function of the allogenic events which create varying habitat systems and determines whether environmental modification, once initiated on terra nova is directional - in either a physical or floristic expression. In determining the sequence and influence of physical environmental factors, the following parameters were measured, employing standard instruments and field investigation techniques: micro-relief; depth, areal extent, and duration of flooding; thickness, areal extent, and particle-size distribution of annual deposits of alluvium; magnitude and significance of erosion; patterns of microclimatic variation (including air temperature and humidity, evaporativity, precipitation, wind speed, solar radiation, and net radiation); lake and channel temperatures; soil pH, moisture (hygrotope class), and temperature; development of varying active layer depths; and freezeback of the active layer. To analyze the vegetation of the study area, the phytosociologic methods of the Braun- Blanquet (Zurich-Montpellier) school were applied. Nine seral associations and the climax ecosystem were studied; each was fitted into a successional category. Plant succession was analyzed by reconstructing the course of vegetative development from pioneer to climax community with the aid of successional transects. Results of this study indicate that environmental and floristic changes in the Mackenzie Delta are directional - that given the formation of new ground, such as on the slipoff slope of a shifting channel, ecologic variation will follow a predictable direction. As the seral sequence advances, autogenic influences become dominant over the allogenic initiators until in the climax association, relatively steady-state conditions of environment and vegetation are attained. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

The Pangnirtung Tourism Program was initiated by the Government of the Northwest Territories as a pilot study in northern community based tourism in Pangnirtung, Baffin Island, in 1981. This thesis is a case study documentation and evaluation of that program. Its focus is to examine the program from the perspective of its participants, which include the residents of Pangnirtung, and planners, tourism representatives, consultants and government officials that have been involved with the program. The thesis identifies what the program's objectives are, what the program's strengths and weaknesses are in achieving its objectives, and how it could have been improved to better meet local community development goals. Documentation methods included an extensive literature search, personal interviews with 101 program participants, and a one-month stay in Pangnirtung. The Pangnirtung Tourism Program was initiated with the following main objectives: a) to set up a test case and demonstration project in northern tourism that could be learned from; b) to strengthen and diversify the economy in Pangnirtung; c) to encourage development that fit in with local lifestyles and social goals; and d) to contribute to capacity building in local community development. During the program's planning phase, community consultation was held, a local Tourism Committee was formed, and a consultants' report outlining a five-year strategy was produced. During implementation, the Tourism Committee has taken the lead in managing the program. Development programs have included: trail construction, historic sites development, a visitors' centre, host programs, cultural programs, outfitter training, local purchase of the hotel, and Committee organization. Since the program started, tourism visitation has increased, the industry is more controlled by locals, and there are more tourism activities in the community. As a test case, the program pioneered a new method of tourism development in the north, and much has been learned. No formal monitoring has been done, however, and this has limited its value as a tourism research and demonstration tool. The program has also created jobs and increased incomes in the community, however, most new jobs and income have been in the public sector. Therefore, it is questionable whether the program has served to decrease or increase dependency on government. The lack of documented data makes it impossible to do a detailed economic analysis. With rapidly increasing visitation and changing public expenditures, the economic impacts of the program should be closely monitored in the future. The program has also fitted in reasonably well with local lifestyles, and its cultural projects have contributed to local social programs. Minor disruptions of lifestyles and culture were documented, however, and these may well increase with increased visitation. The program should be monitored in the future to identify and mitigate potential social problems. The program also contributed, in a limited way, to capacity building in community development. Through involvement in businesses and the Tourism Committee, local people have controlled the direction of the program and have started building skills in business and program management. A lack of business awareness and management skills is still a major problem in the community, however, and increased training and organizational development to build this capacity should be given a priority. In conclusion, the program has been successful in achieving many of its objectives, and provides many lessons for tourism development in the north. By emphasizing local control, involvement and management, tourism has been developed with the participation of local people for the benefit of local people. By pioneering and demonstrating this approach in one Inuit community, the Pangnirtung Tourism Program has contributed significantly to facilitating community based tourism development in the north. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Palynological and maturation data are combined to reconstruct the burial and thermal history of three oil wells in the Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin. From south to north, the three wells are Netserk F-40, Tarsuit A-25, and Orviiruk 0-03. Each well was examined palynologically and zoned based on species ranges of pollen, spores, fungi, and algal cysts. Using local extinction events of zonally diagnostic species to define the tops of intervals, seven informal palynozones are presented: Laevigatosporites (Pleistocene); ChenopodipoJlis (Pliocene to early Pleistocene); Ericipites (middle to late Miocene); Selenopemphix-1 (middle to late Oligocene); Integricorpus (early Oligocene); Araliaceoipollenites (late Eocene to early Oligocene); Pistillipollenites (middle Eocene). Correlations within the basin indicate that the proposed zonation may be useful for local correlations. Correlations outside the basin indicate that the palynological assemblages from the Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin may not be as isolated and endemic as first thought. A high recovery of algal cysts is attributed to less harsh maceration techniques, and confirms a significant population of cysts from a region in which they were formerly believed to be relatively scarce. The palynology does not exhibit an increase in marine influence with decreasing proximity to the basin margin. Instead it shows a consistent, strong terrestrial influence throughout each well. The large terrestrial discharge from the Mackenzie River is interpreted to have masked the effect of basin proximity on the palynology of the area. The study wells are dominated by terrestrial Type III organic matter. Recycled and terrestrial inert material often make up over 95 % of the residues. These results support a terrestrial source for the offshore oils in the Beaufort -Mackenzie Basin. There is a small but consistent presence of potential oil-generating material throughout each well (amorphous and liptinite). The liptinite is largely composed of pollen grains, spores, and leaf cuticle. Algal cysts are present but less abundant. If the observed amounts of amorphous and liptinite material continue to some depth, where the required level of thermal maturation might be reached, these sediments could act as source rocks for hydrocarbons. The rare occurrence of resinite in the study wells questions the resinite source theory for the hydrocarbons in the basin The sediments in each of the three study wells are immature to total depth, and could not be the source of Tertiary oils in the Beaufort - Mackenzie Basin. The levels of maturity in the wells, and the low maturation gradient calculated for Netserk F-40 (0.07 Ro/km), suggest that thermal maturation will only be achieved at much greater depths. This is most likely due to rapid sedimentation rates in the basin during the Tertiary. By combining the zonations from Chapter 3 with the maturation data from Chapter 4, the burial and thermal history of each study well is reconstructed. Using a modified version of Lopatin's method, paleo-geothermal gradients are calculated for each well. In each case, the gradient that best accountes for the measured maturities is 15 °C/km. The calculated gradient is approximately 1/2 to 1/3 of the present geothermal gradients for the wells. The gradient is in agreement with those previously calculated from similar basins, and is considered responsible for the failure of any of the study wells to encounter effective source rocks. Source rocks of Tertiary oils in the Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin will only exist at greater depths than those encountered in this study. Prospective targets may therefore be located adjacent to sites where vertical migration of hydrocarbons is likely, such as steeply-dipping faults. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

Primary plant succession was examined on the foreland of the retreating Twin Glacier at Alexandra Fjord, Ellesmere Island. The position of the glacial front was monitored directly from 1980 to 1995 (except 1986-1991), and airphotos show the position of the glacier in 1959. Hence, there was an excellent opportunity to study primary succession where there was adequate chronological control. Presently, a well preserved pre-Little Ice Age plant community and organically rich (paleo) soil are being released from the Twin Glacier, in addition to glacio-fluvial sediments, rendering this foreland study unique. A terrain age scheme was developed using direct retreat measurements, airphotos and Salix aging. The relationship between the clump diameters of Luzula confusa and terrain age was determined to provide an alternative to lichenometry. Vegetation cover was assessed in 1994 and 1995 using a stratified random design. TWINSPAN and canonical correspondence analysis (detrended and non-detrended) were used together to examine vegetation patterns in relation to environmental variables. Soil seed bank and seed rain patterns were examined in relation to the above-ground vegetation. The seed bank was sampled in 1994, including samples from paleo-soil and glacio-fluvial sediment. To assess the fall-winter seed rain, seeds were collected between mid-August 1994 and early June 1995, using seed traps (artificial turf). Winter seed rain was sampled by collecting snow-core samples in early June 1995. Terrain age accounted for most of the variation in species composition over the study area. By directional-replacement, the succession followed four main stages of dominance in 44+ years: mosses —> graminoid-forb —> deciduous shrub-moss —> evergreen dwarf-shrubmoss. There was little difference in the successional sequences exhibited by the vegetation growing on the paleo-soil compared to that growing on the glacio-fluvial sediment. The relationship between the Luzula confusa clump diameters and terrain age was logarithmic. Luzula confusa dominated the above-ground vegetation, as well as, the germinable seed bank and seed rain. The average germinable seed bank, fall-winter seed rain and winter seed rain densities were 367 ± 32, 384 ± 47 and 180 ± 53 seeds/m2, respectively. The seed bank was significantly positively correlated with the above-ground vegetation cover for all species combined, Luzula confusa (monocotyledons), dicotyledons and Papaver radicatum. There was a significant positive correlation between the fall-winter seed rain and the above-ground vegetation cover for Luzula confusa. No difference was detected in seed bank density between the paleo-soil and the glacio-fluvial sediment. However, the total vegetation cover was significantly higher on the paleo-soil. The relationship determined between Luzula confusa clump diameters and terrain age appears to be a valuable alternative to lichenometry on the Twin Glacier foreland. Although the results showed that directional-replacement is possible in high arctic environments, this mode of succession is likely atypical of such environments; the Twin Glacier foreland is located in one of the very few polar oases in the Queen Elizabeth Islands. The positive correlation of the above-ground vegetation with the seed bank and fall-winter seed rain suggests that colonization is largely constrained by seed availability. The winter seed rain appears to be relatively important on the Twin Glacier foreland. The higher vegetation cover on the paleosoil versus the glacio-fluvial sediment suggests, at least for some species, that the former provides conditions more favourable for establishment and growth than the latter. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

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published_or_final_version / Geography and Geology / Master / Master of Philosophy