This course will cover quantitative genetic theory for inheritance and evolution of continuous traits over contemporary timescales. Students will learn how to estimate statistical quantities such as genetic variances and heritability using classical pedigree analysis and more recent genomic methods. In the lab, students will learn how to analyze quantitative genetic data sets using modern statistical software and methods.

This course focusses on theoretical population genetics, using mathematical models to understand how different evolutionary forces drive allele frequency change. Students will learn how to mathematically derive classic results in population genetics. Topics include: drift, coalescence, the relationship between population and quantitative genetics, selection in finite populations, and mutation load.

This course focuses on processes of evolution at the molecular level and the analysis of molecular data. Topics covered include gene structure, neutrality, nucleotide sequence evolution, sequence evolution, sequence alignment, phylogeny construction, gene families, and transposition.

Phylogenetic trees are now fundamental in many areas of biology. This course provides as in-depth introduction to phylogenetic biology including theoretical foundations, approaches to phylogenetic tree inference, and applications of phylogenetic trees in ecology and evolution. Students will gain skills in bioinformatics, with application to DNA sequence analysis and phylogenetic tree inference. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and computer labs, students will master the theory and practice of phylogenetic tree inference and phylogenetic methods in ecology and evolution.

This course is designed to introduce students to the key topics of relevance to research in their chosen fields of study in environmental science. In the first term, seminar speakers are drawn from faculty, visiting researchers and environmental science practitioners. In the winter term, students are required to participate in a group seminar that focuses on solutions to a current environmental problem. The class meets biweekly for academic content throughout the fall and winter; alternate weeks may be used for in-program professional skills development exercises. The course is restricted to those students enrolled in the MEnvSc Program.

The Research Paper (EES1101Y) is designed to provide students with the experience of carrying out fundamental research within a specific area of interest to them within Environmental Science. The experience allows students to delve into a particular topic of current significance and carry out studies that can contribute to a research paper in a scientific journal, and defend it in an oral presentation. Although all students in this course will benefit from familiarity with the realities of basic research in this course, it will be particularly useful for those students intending to pursue a higher degree in Environmental Science (i.e. PhD).

This course will familiarize students with a working knowledge of analytical chemistry and modern instrumentation and the common laboratory methods used in the analysis of contaminants and ions in environmental media. Students will be introduced to a number of instruments and techniques and the methods used to analyze soils, air and water.

The assessment and restoration of environmental quality requires good data, and environmental practitioners need to be familiar with the science behind appropriate sampling strategies and the methods for making reliable measurements in the field.

This course will cover the important considerations for assessing the quality of air, water and soil. Lectures will focus on the theory behind the methods and statistical requirements of sampling design, while field exercises will allow students to become familiar with the instruments and techniques. Common practices in the consulting industry will be emphasized and critically examined.

This applied microbiology course introduces students to microbial activities with environmental implications in diverse areas such as public health, bioremediation, agriculture and green technologies. A key focus of the course is to introduce classical and advanced molecular methods used to detect and quantify microbes, and microbial activities, in environmental samples. Students are given the opportunity to perform microbial enumeration and characterization techniques in the lab to supplement the lectures.

This course will present fundamental chemical concepts and reactions that occur in soils with emphasis on contaminant behavior. The basics of soil chemistry will be introduced and the processes that relate to: quantities, attenuation, sequestration, and movement of ions, heavy metals, and organic molecules in terrestrial environments will be addressed in detail. Students will become familiar with geochemical computer models and these models will be used to predict the behavior of ions in soil. Soil chemical characteristics, which can be used to predict the fate of contaminants in terrestrial environments, will also be presented.

This course reviews the geological and environmental evolution of the North American continent over the past 4 billion years by exploring the range of plate tectonics involved in continental growth and how those processes continue today. The course will explore major changes in terrestrial and marine environments through geologic time and associated organisms and natural resources of economic importance. The course will conclude with an examination of recent human anthropogenic influences on our environment especially in regard to urban areas and associated problems of waste management, resource extraction, geological hazards, and the impacts of urbanization on watersheds and water resources. The course will include a weekend field trip to examine the geology and urban environmental problems of The Greater Toronto Area. This course will provide students in environmental science with a fundamental knowledge of the importance of environmental change on various timescales and the various field methods used to assess such changes.

This course will examine the principal methods currently in use for remediating contaminated soils and waters. Emphasis will be placed on reviewing the advantages and limitations and site-specific applicability of remediation techniques and technologies.

This course allows students to explore areas of the world that have unique geological and biological features, and showcase examples of environmentally relevant technologies and issues. Students are typically asked to prepare background material prior to the 1-2 week field trip. On the trip students participate in field exercises and present material to the class on the key features. Evaluation is based on field notes, completion of exercises, quizzes, and post trip reports. Field trip destinations differ from year to year, and have included Costa Rica, Arizona, the Rocky Mountains and the island of Dominica.

This course covers an advanced set of techniques and applications of GIS, including a substantial practical component. Technical issues (including data format and conversion, geo-referencing, spatial indexing and terrain analysis), application/spatial modeling (including watershed analysis, land use classification, soil erosion modeling, etc.) as well as visualization and incorporation of spatial data and analysis into decision support systems will be examined. Underlying programming techniques will be reviewed and extended on a student-project basis.

This course examines contaminant transport in water bodies such as rivers and the Great Lakes using numerical modeling and other techniques. Physical methods for determining mass circulation in response to wind and water temperatures at different times of the year will be examined; case studies will be reviewed.

Freshwater environments support diverse communities of plants and animals that are controlled by both biotic and abiotic factors. Organisms respond to changes in the habitat through detectable shifts in population abundances and the loss/gain of species. Monitoring such biological changes in freshwater communities is an established protocol for assessing the condition of rivers, lakes and ponds subject to human influence. This course will have a large practical component in which students will have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to evaluate the condition of aquatic environments variously affected by urbanization.

This course examines the dynamics and radiation physics of the atmospheric planetary boundary layers. Topics include the formation of a planetary boundary layer, vertical stability, temperature inversions, diurnal and seasonal variations and impacts of local and regional scale circulation. With this foundation the dispersion of airborne pollutants will be studied. The course will conclude with modeling of airborne pollutants and case studies.

This course focuses on groundwater contamination and the various methods used to investigate and assess the movement and behavior of contaminants in the subsurface. Topics include groundwater quality, contaminant sources, and the processes governing mass transport. Topics will be explored through case studies, hands-on activities about assessing groundwater quality, and introductory contaminant transport modeling.

EES1114H provides an opportunity for a Master of Environmental Science (MEnvSc) student to work closely with a member of the faculty in order to conduct a literature review, a research proposal, and/or some preliminary investigations on a particular topic. The course can be used as a stand-alone experience that counts towards credits required for the MEnvSc degree. It is also frequently a requirement for MEnvSc students enrolled in the research option. In the BITAS and CCIA fields students must complete EES1114H or EES1115H in order to proceed to the research project (EES1101Y) required for graduation. The faculty supervisor will determine in which way the EES1114H course will be used and what the expected product will be, based on the three models above - or mixtures of them.

EES1115H is identical to EES1114H but must be carried out under the supervision of a different faculty member.

This course is mandatory for students in the internship enrolment option and involves completion of a 4-month long internship at a location approved by the Graduate Chair and/or Program Directors. Students will be responsible for securing their own internships although the MEnvSc Internship Coordinators are aggressive in seeking out opportunities in industry and government. The Internship is worth 2.0 full credits to the student. Of these, 0.5 full credits will be awarded for the successful completion of the Internship as judged by the Intern's Supervisor at the employer organization, and expressed in an evaluation, which is submitted at the end of the Internship period. A further 1.5 Full Credits will be awarded for the satisfactory completion of a substantial written Professional Project Report, which presents the results of a project(s) executed during the internship under the supervision of a professional within the organization.

Although climate change is a global phenomenon, the varying impacts of climate change are experienced at regional scales. Because many long-term planning decisions - decisions that often rely on climate information - are made locally, we are entering an era when the availability of future projections of regional climate information at appropriate spatial scales, and in accessible forms, is critical. Thus, this course describes how climate information can and is being used to assess the impacts of climate change, and ultimately, inform decision-making and adaptation strategies. The course begins by reviewing global climate change over the last 150 years and the projections of future climate change using Global Climate Models (GCMs)/Earth System Models (ESMs). The climate change impact assessment (CCIA) framework is then introduced and applied to several case studies. Downscaling of GCM/ESM data is a key component of CCIA; both statistical and dynamical downscaling techniques will be discussed in class and explored in the computer labs. Finally, students will gain practical experience in CCIA by applying the techniques discussed in class to a final project.

This course provides an introduction to the rapidly growing field of ecological and environmental modelling. Students will become familiar with most of the basic equations used to represent ecological processes. The course will also provide a comprehensive overview of the population and dynamic biogeochemical models; prey-predator, resource competition and eutrophication models will be used as illustrations. Emphasis will be placed on the rational model development, objective model evaluation and validation, extraction of the optimal complexity from complicated/intertwined ecological processes, explicit acknowledgment of the uncertainty in ecological forecasting and its implications for environmental management.

Jointly offered with EESD28H3

This course provides an introduction to the field of ecological statistics. Students will become familiar with several methods of statistical analysis of categorical and multivariate environmental data. The course will provide a comprehensive presentation of the methods: analysis of variance, regression analysis, structural equation modeling, ordination (principal component & factor analysis) and classification (cluster & discriminant analysis) methods, and basic concepts of Bayesian analysis. Emphasis will be placed on how these methods can be used to identify significant cause-effect relationships, detect spatiotemporal trends, and assist environment management by elucidating ecological patterns (e.g., classification of aquatic ecosystems based on their trophic status, assessment of climate variability signature on ecological time series, landscape analysis). The course will consist of 2 hr-lectures/tutorials where the students will be introduced to the basic concepts of the statistical methods and 2-hr lab exercises where the students will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience in statistical analysis of environmental data.

This course will introduce the mechanisms of contaminant transport in lakes and the coastal ocean. The emphasis will be on a practical understanding of different dispersion regimes from point and distributed pollution sources. Students will learn to use the basic equations that model these processes and understand how these equations are used in water quality models. Students will also be introduced to field measurement techniques and learn to compare field data with model data. Among the subjects to be discussed are the dispersion of pollutants in lakes, rivers and the coastal zone, mixing in stratified estuaries and the dynamics of the seasonal thermocline.

This course will give an introduction to quantitative approaches to describing the behaviour of organic chemicals in the environment. Building upon a quantitative treatment of equilibrium partitioning and kinetically controlled transfer processes of organic compounds between gaseous, liquid and solid phases of environmental significance, it will be shown how to build, use, and evaluate simulation models of organic chemical fate in the environment. The course will provide hands on experience with a variety of such models.

The major objectives of EES1122H are to: 1) discuss major environmental challenges the planet earth is now facing and 2) examine how human interventions are deteriorating global environment and that affecting sustainable development; 3) analyse major environmental initiatives which include: the Stockholm Conference on Human Development, The Brundtland Commission Report, the Rio Earth Summit, the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable development, Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depletion, Kyoto Protocol and other global conventions, protocols and processes and their usefulness: 4) discuss extensive north-south cooperation in facilitating global environmental security and sustainable development.

This course will cover selected federal and provincial environmental regulations. Students will discuss key regulations with experienced practitioners and be taught the values, assumptions and guiding principles which underlie regulations as they relate to the environment. Federal and provincial regulations that will be discussed include: environmental assessment, air quality and air emissions, contaminated lands and brownfields, water resources, fisheries, waste management, and other areas.

Environmental projects must be completed in a timely manner, for a preset cost and must satisfy many levels of regulation. This course will cover the best practices in project planning, cost estimation, contracting and coordination of the numerous individuals and companies engaged to accomplish the project.

This course elaborates on the practical implementation of the common remediation processes including Soil Vapour Extraction, Groundwater Pump and Treat (including treatment train design), Monitored Natural Attenuation, Bioremediation and novel innovative methods. Each method considered will be evaluated in the context of the applicability & treatment analyses, and pilot studies that must be completed before project implementation; full scale design & construction; startup & optimization; reporting requirements; off-gas/residue treatment methods; decommissioning & closure.