Professor Emeritus

William Nickling

William G. Nickling

PhD, University of Ottawa, 1976
Professor (on leave)

Office: Hutt 123A
Tel:519-824-4120 ext. 53529
nickling@uoguelph.ca

Specialization

Physical Geography, aeolian processes.

Research Interests and Areas of Expertise

My research focuses upon the geomorphology of arid lands and in particular the role of aeolian processes in landform/landscape development. Current research projects include: wind erosion of rangelands in the US southwest, wind flow and sediment transport in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, dust storm generation on Mars and the mechanics of sand dune development and migration. This research includes field research as well as wind tunnel modelling of aeolian processes.

Current Research Projects
I am presently very active in research and have successfully obtained continuous funding from various national and international agencies since 1976. Funding agencies include: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Agriculture Canada, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Canadian Geographical Society, and the Australian Research Council. This work involves direct field measurement, wind tunnel modelling and computer simulation. Through this work I have developed unique instrumentation for the direct measurement and modelling of particulate emissions and transport, that include: a 15m laboratory sediment transport wind tunnel; a versatile 12 m portable field wind tunnel; a wide range of meteorological instrumentation for the measurement of wind processes; and automated traps for the measurement and collection of wind blown sediment.
Professional Activities

In addition to my on-going research program I have been extensively involved in contract work for various government agencies and private industry in Canada and abroad. This work is primarily concerned with the direct measurement, wind tunnel testing and computer modelling of particulate emissions from natural and disturbed surfaces as well as stockpiles, mine tailings and roadways.

Recent contract research includes:
  • Field wind tunnel studies of relations between vegetation cover and dust emissions at Owens Lake, California.
  • Sahelian Aerosols: measurement of wind erodibility and fugitive particulate emissions from type surface, Mali, West Africa.
  • Assessing wind erosion control systems and strategies on agricultural lands, Shanxi Province China.
  • Probable impact of climatic change on aeolian processes in Canada.
  • Measurement of soil losses by wind in relation to cropping and tillage practices on agricultural soils, Dongsheng, Inner Mongolia, China.
  • Potential dust emissions from gravel and bedrock quarry operations in Ontario.
Selected Recent Publications

Crawley, D. and Nickling, W.G., 2003. Drag partition for regularly arrayed rough surfaces. Boundary-Layer Meteorology, 10: 445-468.

Walker, I.J. and Nickling, W.G., 2003. Simulation and measurement of surface shear stress over isolated and closely spaced transverse dunes in a wind tunnel. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 28: 1111-1124.

Nickling, W.G., McKenna Neuman, C., Lancaster, N. 2002. Grainfall processes in the lee of transverse dunes, Silver Peak, Nevada. Sedimentology, 49: 191-209.

Houser C.A. and Nickling, W.G., 2001. The emission and vertical flux of particulate matter <10 mm from a disturbed clay surface. Sedimentology, 48: 255-267.

Recent Technical Reports

Nickling, W.G., and Brown, L.S., 2001. PM10 dust emissions at Owens Lake CA, Final Resport. 75p.

Nickling, W.G., Luttmer, C., Gillies, J.A. and Lancaster, N., 2000. Comparison of On- and Off-lake PM10 at Owens Lake, California. Report to Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, Bishop, CA. 52 p.

Nickling, W.G. and Houser, C., 1999. A methodology for the estimation of vertical PM-10 fluxes from dust emission factors for different fugitive dust sources. Report to the U.S. EPA (Contract 68-D70067:WA2-01) 29 p.
Graduate Students Supervised (since 2005)
Program Year Student Title
Active
Masters   St. Hiliare, Ashley The Analysis of aeolian processes in the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico.
Completed
Masters   Weiss, Lee Development and morphology of gravel megaripples in the Wright Valley, Antarctica.
Masters 2010 Tilson, Michael Measuring dust emission potential in the Mojave Desert.
Masters 2010 Ord, Jeffrey Aeolian sediment transport over complex surfaces.
Masters   Saaliste, Monika Ingrid Temporal and spatial variability of shear stress for complex rough surfaces.
Doctoral 2007 Brown, Laura J. Wind erosion in sparsely vegetated rangelands.
Masters 2006 Brown, Shannon E. An examination of shear stress partitioning for complex surfaces.
Doctoral 2006
King, James
Aeolian shear stress partitioning within sparse vegetation.
Masters 2006
Macpherson, Torin
The emission of PM10m supply-limited environments in the Mojave Desert, California.