Shifting demographics—that is, the growing number of older adults in Canada and internationally—and intersecting climatic risks create a complex landscape of aging in place in disaster contexts. Some older adults ar...Shifting demographics—that is, the growing number of older adults in Canada and internationally—and intersecting climatic risks create a complex landscape of aging in place in disaster contexts. Some older adults are vulnerable due to their underlying health conditions and limited physical mobility. Yet they also exhibit resilience in a distinct manner, owing to their wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and ability to navigate adversities. This article elucidates potential avenues for promoting the involvement of older adults in disaster recovery efforts. Our intention is to recognize and foster older adult resilience and mitigate vulnerability by drawing upon insights from the study titled “In the Aftermath of the 2016 Alberta Wildfires: The Role of Social Work Practitioners and Human Service Professionals in Long-Term Disaster Recovery.” Employing a qualitative research approach, that study recruited 51 participants for semistructured interviews and focus groups. A thematic analysis of the collected data unveiled the pivotal roles played by social workers and human service practitioners in facilitating recovery from the 2016 wildfires in the research. Notably, three overarching themes emerged concerning the promotion of older adults' involvement in disaster recovery: fostering supportive relationships, building partnerships and enhancing collaboration, and addressing ongoing challenges. These findings offer valuable insights into how social work practitioners and human service professionals can effectively facilitate the engagement of older adults in disaster recovery initiatives. This article emphasizes the significance of actively promoting the participation of older adults in disaster mitigation efforts, thereby fostering greater resilience within communities.展开更多
Heilongjing (China) and Alberta (Canada) provinces are situated at the same latitude, with similar nature conditions. Mammals in Alberta account for 87 species and in Heilongjing, 97 spcsics, among which a number of o...Heilongjing (China) and Alberta (Canada) provinces are situated at the same latitude, with similar nature conditions. Mammals in Alberta account for 87 species and in Heilongjing, 97 spcsics, among which a number of orders, families and species are in common. Continents of Eurisia and North America histoi cally were connected and separated for several times, so there are a number of animal forms in common, among them the similarity of herbivores is rather high. The similarity index of ccrvidae is 0.54. Other orders with comparatively similar compiosition arc Tnscvtivora, Chiroptera and Lagomorpha. In two orders, there arc no common species. In these two regions ,duc to historical reasons, a number of specific genera and species were formed.展开更多
Fold-thrust belts generally exhibit significant variations in structural styles such as differences in thrust geometries and frequencies in imbrication. A natural laboratory of this pattern is preserved in the central...Fold-thrust belts generally exhibit significant variations in structural styles such as differences in thrust geometries and frequencies in imbrication. A natural laboratory of this pattern is preserved in the central Alberta Foothills of the Canadian Rockies, where differences in thrust geometries are represented by the existence vs. non-existence of triangle zones. To seek the factors that make this difference in these regions in terms of structural geometry, stratigraphic thickness variations and mechanical stratigraphy of the sedimentary layers, structural interpretation is conducted based on admissible cross-sections and well log interpretations. In northern region, a backthrust is detached from an incompetent layer(viz.Nomad Unit of the Wapiabi Formation), which gets thinner from the Foothills to the Plains, indicating that it is developed where the shale layers are pinched out where triangle zone is developed. Backthrust is also developed in the southern region, where mechanical strengths of strata(viz. Bearpaw Formation)increase toward the foreland. In the central region, however, only forethrusts are developed along the weak continuous decollement layers(viz. Turner Valley and Brazeau formations), forming an imbricate fan without development of the triangle zone. Incompetent layers such as the top Wapiabi(Nomad),Brazeau(Bearpaw), Coalspur and Paskapoo formations are also pinched out laterally, forming fault glide horizons in different stratigraphic levels in each region. These results indicate that, along the transport direction, triangle zone is developed in relation to the stratigraphic pinch out of the Nomad Unit in the northern region, and is formed associated with the variations in strengths of the layers constituting the Bearpaw Formation in the southern region. It is notable that all the glide horizons are developed along incompetent layers. However, triangle zones are not developed in the areas of continuous stratigraphy of the Nomad Unit, which does not serve as a glide horizon in the central re展开更多
The quality of surface water is rapidly changing due to climatic variations, natural processes, and anthropogenic activities. The objectives of this study were to classify and analyze the surface water quality of 12 m...The quality of surface water is rapidly changing due to climatic variations, natural processes, and anthropogenic activities. The objectives of this study were to classify and analyze the surface water quality of 12 major rivers of Alberta on the basis of 17 parameters during the period of five years (i.e., 2004-2008) using principal component analysis (PCA), total exceedance model and clustering technique. Seven major principal components (PCs) with variability of about 89% were identified. These PCs were the indicators of watershed geology, mineralization and anthropogenic activities related to land use/cover. The seven dominant parameters revealed from the seven PCs were total dissolved solids (TDS), true color (TC), pH, iron (Fe), fecal coliform (FC), dissolved oxygen (DO), and turbidity (TUR). The normalized data of dominant parameters were used to develop a model for obtaining total exceedance. The exceedance values acquired from the total exceedance model were used to determine the patterns for the development of five clusters. The performance of the clusters was compared with the classes obtained in Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI). Cluster 1, cluster 2, cluster 3, cluster 4 and cluster 5 showed agreements of 85.71%, 83.54%, 90.22%, 80.74%, and 83.40% with their respective CWQI classes on the basis of the data for all rivers during 2004-2008. The water quality was deteriorated in growing season due to snow melting. This methodology could be applied to classify the raw surface water quality, analyze the spatio-temporal trends and study the impacts of the factors affecting the water quality anywhere in the world.展开更多
The increase in natural gas production in North America resulting from the implementation of new technologies related to the fracturing (fracking) of natural gas-bearing shale reservoirs has enhanced the security of s...The increase in natural gas production in North America resulting from the implementation of new technologies related to the fracturing (fracking) of natural gas-bearing shale reservoirs has enhanced the security of supply and lowered energy costs in the continent. Yet the environmental impact associated with shale gas development has raised concerns and debate among energy and environmental policy makers as to how best to address these concerns. As Canada’s largest producer of natural gas, the Province of Alberta is an example of a jurisdiction with numerous regulations for dealing with such environmental risks. This paper applies the CO/RE model of Konschnik and Bolingin examining Alberta’s environmental regulatory framework and the impact;it will have on further shale gas production in the province. Aside from the identification of risks associated with increased seismicity, the results of this examination suggest that the current regulatory environment does not appear to have any adverse effect on current and future shale gas production within the province. Furthermore, Alberta’s environmental regulation has influenced shale gas producers to pursue innovation in technology and engineering practice and has helped establish a collaborative approach to mitigating environmental risk.展开更多
The impact of the built environment on public health is complex, involving several determinants of health including indoor air quality. People who spend the most time indoors can be exposed to indoor air pollutants fo...The impact of the built environment on public health is complex, involving several determinants of health including indoor air quality. People who spend the most time indoors can be exposed to indoor air pollutants for long periods of time. These are often the same people who are most susceptible to adverse effects if exposures are high enough (young children, elderly, and chronically ill, especially those suffering from respiratory diseases). An analysis of data on selected indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from community studies in Alberta, Canada was undertaken. Measures of typical (central tendency) and high end (upper limit) indoor concentrations were estimated from seven studies in Alberta. Best estimates of central tendency indoor concentrations for 12 VOCs—benzene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, 3-methylhexane, heptane, octane, nonane, decane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, tetrachloroethylene, and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene—were less than 5 μg/m3. Best estimates of central tendency indoor concentrations for three VOCs—toluene, m/p-xylene, and limonene—were greater than 5 μg/m3. In the case of best estimates of upper limit indoor concentrations—benzene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, hexane, 3-methylhexane, heptane, octane, nonane, carbon tetrachloride, and tetrachloroethylene had upper limit concentrations less than 15 μg/m3. Best estimates of upper limit indoor concentrations for toluene, m/p xylene, decane, limonene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene were greater than 15 μg/m3. Upper limit concentrations observed inside Alberta residences were about 4 to 10 times higher than typical concentrations for most of the VOCs observed. Upper limit indoor concentrations for carbon tetrachloride and benzene in Alberta are similar to or greater than levels judged by US EPA to imply a concern for potential cancer effects. This indicates that some homes in Alberta can have levels of carbon tetrachloride and benzene that may be of concern from a public health point-of-view.展开更多
Ecological impacts of contaminants on population patterns in wild fish are impacted by many contaminants that readily enter aquatic systems. Responses to toxicants by individuals in lab studies generally do not predic...Ecological impacts of contaminants on population patterns in wild fish are impacted by many contaminants that readily enter aquatic systems. Responses to toxicants by individuals in lab studies generally do not predict population level consequences in natural systems. Trace levels of contaminants are present in all major rivers in southern Alberta, Canada, with concentrations higher down-stream of anthropogenic inputs like agricultural land-use and inputs of municipal wastewater effluents. Longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) were used as a sentinel species to study field-based population-level responses to contaminants. We hypothesized that biomarker activity, triggered by contaminant exposure, should increase downstream of anthropogenic inputs in two southern Alberta rivers, with corresponding relations between biomarker activity and sex ratios, after accounting for age structure. Liver detoxification (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity = EROD) measured at reference and exposed sites on each river differed significantly in only the Bow River system. Sex ratios varied more downstream of anthropogenic inputs than upstream, but the direction of sex ratio bias was inconsistent and temporally dynamic. Sex ratios correlated with liver detoxification in only the Bow River. Taken together, these results suggest that contaminants alter sex ratios in long-nose dace, but that there is variation in anthropogenic stressors among rivers.展开更多
There are rich oil and gas resources in Alberta oil sand mining area in Canada.Since the 1960s,the Canadian government decided to increase the mining intensity.However,the exploitation will bring many adverse effects....There are rich oil and gas resources in Alberta oil sand mining area in Canada.Since the 1960s,the Canadian government decided to increase the mining intensity.However,the exploitation will bring many adverse effects.In recent years,more people pay attention to the environmental protection and ecological restoration of mining area,such as issues related with changes of vegetated lands.Thus,the authors used the Landsat-5 TM and Landsat-8 OLI remote sensing images as the basic data sources,and obtained the land cover classification maps from 1995 to 2020 by ENVI.Based on the NDVI,NDMI and RVI,three images in each period are processed and output to explore the long-term impact of exploitation.The results show that from 1995 to 2020,the proportion of vegetation around mining areas decreased sharply,the scale of construction land in the mining area increased,and the vegetated land was changed to land types such as tailings pond,oil sand mine and other land types.In addition,three vegetation indexes decreased from 1995 to 2020.Although the exploitation of oil sand mining area brings great economic benefits,the environmental protection(especially vegetation)in oil sand mining areas should be paid more attention.展开更多
基金supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)。
文摘Shifting demographics—that is, the growing number of older adults in Canada and internationally—and intersecting climatic risks create a complex landscape of aging in place in disaster contexts. Some older adults are vulnerable due to their underlying health conditions and limited physical mobility. Yet they also exhibit resilience in a distinct manner, owing to their wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and ability to navigate adversities. This article elucidates potential avenues for promoting the involvement of older adults in disaster recovery efforts. Our intention is to recognize and foster older adult resilience and mitigate vulnerability by drawing upon insights from the study titled “In the Aftermath of the 2016 Alberta Wildfires: The Role of Social Work Practitioners and Human Service Professionals in Long-Term Disaster Recovery.” Employing a qualitative research approach, that study recruited 51 participants for semistructured interviews and focus groups. A thematic analysis of the collected data unveiled the pivotal roles played by social workers and human service practitioners in facilitating recovery from the 2016 wildfires in the research. Notably, three overarching themes emerged concerning the promotion of older adults' involvement in disaster recovery: fostering supportive relationships, building partnerships and enhancing collaboration, and addressing ongoing challenges. These findings offer valuable insights into how social work practitioners and human service professionals can effectively facilitate the engagement of older adults in disaster recovery initiatives. This article emphasizes the significance of actively promoting the participation of older adults in disaster mitigation efforts, thereby fostering greater resilience within communities.
文摘Heilongjing (China) and Alberta (Canada) provinces are situated at the same latitude, with similar nature conditions. Mammals in Alberta account for 87 species and in Heilongjing, 97 spcsics, among which a number of orders, families and species are in common. Continents of Eurisia and North America histoi cally were connected and separated for several times, so there are a number of animal forms in common, among them the similarity of herbivores is rather high. The similarity index of ccrvidae is 0.54. Other orders with comparatively similar compiosition arc Tnscvtivora, Chiroptera and Lagomorpha. In two orders, there arc no common species. In these two regions ,duc to historical reasons, a number of specific genera and species were formed.
基金supported by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources research project (2015-11-1637 Development of IOR/EOR technologies and field verification for carbonatereservoir in UAE)+6 种基金funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Information, Communication and Technology)support by the 2017R1A6A1A07015374 (Multidisciplinary study for assessment of large earthquake potentials in the Korean Peninsula) through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Koreasupported by the 20162010201980 (Demonstrationscale Offshore CO2Storage Project in Pohang Basin, Korea)funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Information, Communication and Technology)support by a Basic Research Project (GP2017-021 Development of integrated geological information based on digital mapping) of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM)funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Information, Communication and Technology)
文摘Fold-thrust belts generally exhibit significant variations in structural styles such as differences in thrust geometries and frequencies in imbrication. A natural laboratory of this pattern is preserved in the central Alberta Foothills of the Canadian Rockies, where differences in thrust geometries are represented by the existence vs. non-existence of triangle zones. To seek the factors that make this difference in these regions in terms of structural geometry, stratigraphic thickness variations and mechanical stratigraphy of the sedimentary layers, structural interpretation is conducted based on admissible cross-sections and well log interpretations. In northern region, a backthrust is detached from an incompetent layer(viz.Nomad Unit of the Wapiabi Formation), which gets thinner from the Foothills to the Plains, indicating that it is developed where the shale layers are pinched out where triangle zone is developed. Backthrust is also developed in the southern region, where mechanical strengths of strata(viz. Bearpaw Formation)increase toward the foreland. In the central region, however, only forethrusts are developed along the weak continuous decollement layers(viz. Turner Valley and Brazeau formations), forming an imbricate fan without development of the triangle zone. Incompetent layers such as the top Wapiabi(Nomad),Brazeau(Bearpaw), Coalspur and Paskapoo formations are also pinched out laterally, forming fault glide horizons in different stratigraphic levels in each region. These results indicate that, along the transport direction, triangle zone is developed in relation to the stratigraphic pinch out of the Nomad Unit in the northern region, and is formed associated with the variations in strengths of the layers constituting the Bearpaw Formation in the southern region. It is notable that all the glide horizons are developed along incompetent layers. However, triangle zones are not developed in the areas of continuous stratigraphy of the Nomad Unit, which does not serve as a glide horizon in the central re
文摘The quality of surface water is rapidly changing due to climatic variations, natural processes, and anthropogenic activities. The objectives of this study were to classify and analyze the surface water quality of 12 major rivers of Alberta on the basis of 17 parameters during the period of five years (i.e., 2004-2008) using principal component analysis (PCA), total exceedance model and clustering technique. Seven major principal components (PCs) with variability of about 89% were identified. These PCs were the indicators of watershed geology, mineralization and anthropogenic activities related to land use/cover. The seven dominant parameters revealed from the seven PCs were total dissolved solids (TDS), true color (TC), pH, iron (Fe), fecal coliform (FC), dissolved oxygen (DO), and turbidity (TUR). The normalized data of dominant parameters were used to develop a model for obtaining total exceedance. The exceedance values acquired from the total exceedance model were used to determine the patterns for the development of five clusters. The performance of the clusters was compared with the classes obtained in Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI). Cluster 1, cluster 2, cluster 3, cluster 4 and cluster 5 showed agreements of 85.71%, 83.54%, 90.22%, 80.74%, and 83.40% with their respective CWQI classes on the basis of the data for all rivers during 2004-2008. The water quality was deteriorated in growing season due to snow melting. This methodology could be applied to classify the raw surface water quality, analyze the spatio-temporal trends and study the impacts of the factors affecting the water quality anywhere in the world.
文摘The increase in natural gas production in North America resulting from the implementation of new technologies related to the fracturing (fracking) of natural gas-bearing shale reservoirs has enhanced the security of supply and lowered energy costs in the continent. Yet the environmental impact associated with shale gas development has raised concerns and debate among energy and environmental policy makers as to how best to address these concerns. As Canada’s largest producer of natural gas, the Province of Alberta is an example of a jurisdiction with numerous regulations for dealing with such environmental risks. This paper applies the CO/RE model of Konschnik and Bolingin examining Alberta’s environmental regulatory framework and the impact;it will have on further shale gas production in the province. Aside from the identification of risks associated with increased seismicity, the results of this examination suggest that the current regulatory environment does not appear to have any adverse effect on current and future shale gas production within the province. Furthermore, Alberta’s environmental regulation has influenced shale gas producers to pursue innovation in technology and engineering practice and has helped establish a collaborative approach to mitigating environmental risk.
文摘The impact of the built environment on public health is complex, involving several determinants of health including indoor air quality. People who spend the most time indoors can be exposed to indoor air pollutants for long periods of time. These are often the same people who are most susceptible to adverse effects if exposures are high enough (young children, elderly, and chronically ill, especially those suffering from respiratory diseases). An analysis of data on selected indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from community studies in Alberta, Canada was undertaken. Measures of typical (central tendency) and high end (upper limit) indoor concentrations were estimated from seven studies in Alberta. Best estimates of central tendency indoor concentrations for 12 VOCs—benzene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, 3-methylhexane, heptane, octane, nonane, decane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, tetrachloroethylene, and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene—were less than 5 μg/m3. Best estimates of central tendency indoor concentrations for three VOCs—toluene, m/p-xylene, and limonene—were greater than 5 μg/m3. In the case of best estimates of upper limit indoor concentrations—benzene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, hexane, 3-methylhexane, heptane, octane, nonane, carbon tetrachloride, and tetrachloroethylene had upper limit concentrations less than 15 μg/m3. Best estimates of upper limit indoor concentrations for toluene, m/p xylene, decane, limonene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene were greater than 15 μg/m3. Upper limit concentrations observed inside Alberta residences were about 4 to 10 times higher than typical concentrations for most of the VOCs observed. Upper limit indoor concentrations for carbon tetrachloride and benzene in Alberta are similar to or greater than levels judged by US EPA to imply a concern for potential cancer effects. This indicates that some homes in Alberta can have levels of carbon tetrachloride and benzene that may be of concern from a public health point-of-view.
文摘Ecological impacts of contaminants on population patterns in wild fish are impacted by many contaminants that readily enter aquatic systems. Responses to toxicants by individuals in lab studies generally do not predict population level consequences in natural systems. Trace levels of contaminants are present in all major rivers in southern Alberta, Canada, with concentrations higher down-stream of anthropogenic inputs like agricultural land-use and inputs of municipal wastewater effluents. Longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) were used as a sentinel species to study field-based population-level responses to contaminants. We hypothesized that biomarker activity, triggered by contaminant exposure, should increase downstream of anthropogenic inputs in two southern Alberta rivers, with corresponding relations between biomarker activity and sex ratios, after accounting for age structure. Liver detoxification (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity = EROD) measured at reference and exposed sites on each river differed significantly in only the Bow River system. Sex ratios varied more downstream of anthropogenic inputs than upstream, but the direction of sex ratio bias was inconsistent and temporally dynamic. Sex ratios correlated with liver detoxification in only the Bow River. Taken together, these results suggest that contaminants alter sex ratios in long-nose dace, but that there is variation in anthropogenic stressors among rivers.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2020YFA0714103)China Scholarship Council(No.CSC201906175002)the Young Teachers and Students’Cutting-edge Funding of Jilin University,China(No.2020-JCXK-04).
文摘There are rich oil and gas resources in Alberta oil sand mining area in Canada.Since the 1960s,the Canadian government decided to increase the mining intensity.However,the exploitation will bring many adverse effects.In recent years,more people pay attention to the environmental protection and ecological restoration of mining area,such as issues related with changes of vegetated lands.Thus,the authors used the Landsat-5 TM and Landsat-8 OLI remote sensing images as the basic data sources,and obtained the land cover classification maps from 1995 to 2020 by ENVI.Based on the NDVI,NDMI and RVI,three images in each period are processed and output to explore the long-term impact of exploitation.The results show that from 1995 to 2020,the proportion of vegetation around mining areas decreased sharply,the scale of construction land in the mining area increased,and the vegetated land was changed to land types such as tailings pond,oil sand mine and other land types.In addition,three vegetation indexes decreased from 1995 to 2020.Although the exploitation of oil sand mining area brings great economic benefits,the environmental protection(especially vegetation)in oil sand mining areas should be paid more attention.
