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UNB Scholar is an institutional repository initiative of UNB Libraries intended to collect, preserve, showcase, and promote the open access scholarly output of the UNB community. Use UNB Scholar to explore specific collections, or search all content in the repository. Material submitted to the repository will also be freely discoverable online through Google and other major search engines.
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Recent Submissions
Regional assessment of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt resource use and body size in Eastern Canada
(University of New Brunswick, 2024-12) McCavour, Erin; Sacobie, Charles; Gillis, Carole-Anne
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are ecologically, economically, and culturally significant, particularly for many Indigenous Peoples, providing sustenance and holding spiritual, ceremonial, and relational importance. They play a vital role in linking freshwater and marine ecosystems through nutrient transport and trophic interactions. Populations across Eastern Canada are at risk, with many designated as endangered, threatened, or of special concern. This thesis examines resource use and body size relationships of smolts from multiple Eastern Canadian rivers, using archival samples (2000-2016) and new accidental mortalities (2022-2023) collected collaboratively. Carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) stable isotopes were analyzed to assess resource use prior to migration, across sites, and as a predictor of smolt body size. Tissue analyses revealed individual dietary specialization, with a decrease in δ¹⁵N from long to short-term diets. Resource use was generally consistent across rivers within the same assigned population and was found to have a weak influence on body size.
Remote sensing to measure the physiology and foraging ecology of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada
(University of New Brunswick, 2024-12) Lonati, Gina Lynn; Davies, Kimberley
Despite modern-day conservation efforts, many populations of baleen whales have not fully recovered since exploitation by commercial whaling. A better understanding of the physiology and foraging ecology of baleen whales would improve population monitoring, and the development of remote sensing technology offers non-invasive tools for collecting pertinent datasets on wide-ranging whales and their prey. My thesis used remote sensing to measure the physiology and foraging ecology of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis, NARWs) in the southwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence (swGSL), Canada, where occupancy by NARWs increased around 2011 following an ocean regime shift. First, I developed, calibrated, and applied a method using drone-based infrared thermography to assess the internal body temperatures of NARWs. With this method, I established the first baselines of intranasal temperature for free-swimming baleen whales: 26.9 ± 1.7ºC in NARWs (n = 21). Second, I evaluated several methods for conducting drone-based photogrammetry with suboptimal photographs of NARWs. This helped me produce the first analysis of NARW body condition in the swGSL (summertime), which was significantly greater than in Cape Cod Bay (springtime) (p < 0.001). Across habitats, standardized widths of adult males (0.166 ± 0.012) and calves (0.170 ± 0.010) were significantly greater than those of lactating females (0.139 ± 0.001) (p < 0.024). Meanwhile, adult females in the Bay of Fundy two decades ago had considerably higher standardized widths (0.18 ± 0.02). Third, I provided context for this variation in body condition by describing prey field conditions associated with groups of foraging NARWs in the swGSL. Conditions were diverse, explained by the diel behaviors, life histories, and relative concentrations of three copepod prey species, including Calanus hyperboreus, which is less abundant in more southerly foraging habitats. Maximum prey concentrations occurred anywhere from 18 m deep to just above the seafloor, implying that NARWs likely alter their dive behavior to target different prey layers in the swGSL depending on the time of day and year. Overall, my thesis provides information for assessing change to the NARW population over time, which is essential for forecast modelling and effective management of this critically endangered species.
Dynamic volt-watt control strategy to improve fairness while mitigating overvoltage in distribution system due to high penetration of PV
(University of New Brunswick, 2024-12) Ahmed, Shafait; Diduch, Chris; Cardenas Barrera, Julian
The risk of overvoltage problems due to high penetration of distributed generation is a growing issue in low-voltage distribution networks. The use of Smart Inverters (SI) in the distribution system can help regulate voltage by controlling active and reactive power generation through volt-watt and volt-var droop control strategies. Conventional volt-watt and volt-var control methods use static parameters, which can lead to unnecessary curtailment of photovoltaics (PV) power, lower power factor, and/or reduction in PV hosting capacity. We propose two different algorithms that dynamically shape the volt-watt curve based on the voltage sensitivity of the PV nodes. Unlike centralized approaches, we adopt a distributed control strategy that minimizes reliance on extensive communication infrastructure, thereby improving system resilience. The proposed methods are simple to implement and require minimal communication among system components, enabling effective local control without the complexity of centralized coordination. To assess the performance of the proposed algorithms, we used the IEEE 37-bus system as a test network. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of these strategies in enhancing fairness in PV curtailment and reducing overall curtailment levels. The proposed methods were implemented and evaluated through a co-simulation platform integrating the OpenDSS power simulator and Python, demonstrating their practical applicability and robustness in a simulated distribution system environment.
Modeling and aggregated control of residential electric thermal storage units
(University of New Brunswick, 2024-12) Yan, Hao; Diduch, Chris; Kaye, Mary Elizabeth
Electric thermal storage (ETS) plays an important role in the growth of thermal energy storage market. A large number of ETS devices can accomplish tasks of demand-side management (DSM) such as peak shaving to decrease the demand of electricity during peak hours. This thesis proposes four contributions to enable power system operators to issue an appropriate dispatch instruction to an ETS aggregator to accomplish DSM tasks over the control time horizon in the future.
Firstly, a method to determine the forecasted lower bound of brick
temperature of an ETS physical system (ETSPS) is derived when the zone temperature is regulated over a control time horizon. Secondly, a slope-based simplified model is derived to determine the forecasted brick
temperature and help determine the forecasted reserve capacity of an ETSPS during the aggregated control over a control time horizon in the
future. Thirdly, forecasted bounds of aggregated power shifted upward and downward from a forecasted baseline are formulated to allow system operators to select achievable dispatch instructions for tracking over a control time horizon in the future. Fourthly, the maximum time duration of tracking any achievable dispatch instruction in the future is forecasted with the application of the sloped-based simplified model. The system operators can issue an appropriate dispatch instruction at the current time for execution over a future control time horizon.
Assessing Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) recovery across five Atlantic Canadian National Parks through juvenile abundance modelling
(University of New Brunswick, 2024-12) Robinson, John; Samways, Kurt
For decades, Atlantic salmon in Eastern North America have precipitously declined. In response, Fundy National Park (FNP) and Cape Breton Highlands National Park (CBHNP) implemented smolt-to-adult supplementation strategies within marine and freshwater rearing environments, respectively, Kouchibouguac National Park (KNP) planted fertilized eggs, and Gros Morne (GMNP) and Terra Nova National Park (TNNP) used community-based restoration approaches. To assess juvenile salmon population abundance through decline and restoration implementation of these parks, a Bayesian hierarchical model was developed to standardize single-pass and multi-pass electrofishing methodology, and estimate an index of juvenile density, at site and annual scale, using an electrofishing dataset covering 536 sites, over 49 years, across 24 rivers. Single-pass sites lack the accuracy of multi-pass methods but are an efficient sampling approach from a full catchment perspective. Increasing population trends were shown in some rivers (FNP, KNP), while others exhibited continued declines (CBHNP, KNP, GMNP) or modelling challenges (CBHNP, TNNP).