Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MSc)

Department

Geography & Environmental Studies

Program Name/Specialization

Environmental Science

Faculty/School

Faculty of Arts

First Advisor

Dr. Michael English

Advisor Role

Dr. Merrin Macrae

Abstract

In the wake of the severe algal blooms of 2011 and 2013 in the Great Lakes, international governing bodies such as the United Nations, are advocating for increased studies on nutrient dynamics within agricultural systems. Understanding farm contributions to nutrient loads entering the Great Lakes involves quantifying nutrient export from different tillage practices common in the Great Lakes basin, which include no-till (NT), conventional till (CT) and modified tillage (MT). Understanding differences in nutrient export from different tillage practices may well be related to structural differences in the upper portion of the vadose zone which impact infiltration, soil moisture and overall effectiveness of artificially draining cultivated fields by tiles and exporting nutrients to surface water bodies. Added to the importance of understanding how different tillage practices impact hydrology and the efficiency of exporting of nutrients to surface water bodies is how present increased year-to-year climatic variability and future climate/hydrological change will impact these systems. This study examines the hydrological balances within three ~.6 ha tiled plots each with different (NT, CT, MT) tillage practices but common soil type, nutrient application, cultivated crop, and precipitation patterns.

Convocation Year

2015

Convocation Season

Spring

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