Current Research Strengths

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Faculty of Science

For Current Students

Current Research Strengths

In 2018 the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences amalgamated research strengths from faculty in AV俱乐部鈥檚 Environmental Program with research strengths of faculty in the Department of Earth Sciences, which also included environmental sciences.聽 We鈥檙e excited to announce that there are four new positions being advertised this academic year, and all have links to environmental and climate science, to help us build an Atlantic Canada Environmental Sciences research strength.聽 You will see the environmental and climate change theme in much of our research.

Here are our 2024-2025 Research Strengths:

Geochemistry and Petrology

Faculty Member/Research Facility	Research
James Brenan	Experimental Geochemistry
Richard Cox	Minerology, Geochemistry
Yana Fedortchouk	Petrology, Diamonds

Geophysics

Faculty Member/Research Facility	Research
Mladen Nedimovi膰	Seismic imaging, Near surface and deep Earth geophysics, OBS
Miao Zhang	Seismicity, seismic detection methods, Ocean bottom seismometers, Eastern Canada seismology

Carbon cycling

Faculty Member/Rsearch Facility

Research

Sian Kou-Giesbrecht

Impacts of global change on terrestrial ecosystems, nutrient cycling, terrestrial C sink

Shannon Sterling

Carbon sequestration

Grant Wach
Basin and Reservoir Lab

Energy@Dal, Carbon sequestration, energy alternatives

Hazardous Conditions

Faculty Member/Research Facility	Research
Sian Kou-Giesbrecht	Climate change, Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems
John Gosse Cosmic ray isotopes sciences at AV俱乐部 (CRISDal) Laboratory	Pliocene and Quaternary paleoclimatology,Radon, Sea-level change, Deglaciation, permafrost thaw, ice quakes, Arctic sea-ice thaw, surface processes in cold regions
Amy Mui	Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems and sustainability
Mladen Nedimovi膰	Sea level change, paleo-sea level, Brining of fresh water aquifers, Coastal erosion
Owen Sherwood GC-IRMS stable isotope lab	Climate change & paleoclimatology, Arctic sea ice change, Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems and sustainability
Shannon Sterling	Climate change, global hydrology, Climate change, Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems
Tarah Wright Education for Sustainability Research Group (ESRG)	Climate change, Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems, Communication of natural and anthropogenic hazardous conditions, and GIS applications to disturbed landscapes
Miao Zhang	Sea level change, paleo-sea level, Brining of fresh water aquifers, Coastal erosion

Geochronology Thermochronology

Faculty Member/Research Facility	Research
Isabelle Coutand AV俱乐部 low-temperature thermochronology labs are Fission Track and (U+Th)/He	Low temperature thermochronology
John Gosse Cosmic ray isotopes sciences at AV俱乐部 (CRISDal) Laboratory	Meteoric and Terrestrial Cosmogenic Nuclides exposure and burial dating, paleotopometry, erosion rates
Djordje Grujic AV俱乐部 low-temperature thermochronology labs are Fission Track and (U+Th)/He	Low temperature thermochronology
Owen Sherwood Newly funded facility under construction!	²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs dating of marine and terrestrial sediment

Geochemistry, Biogeochemistry

Faculty Member/Research Facility	Research
Sian Kou-Giesbrecht	Impacts of global change on terrestrial ecosystems, nutrient cycling, terrestrial C sink
Owen Sherwood GC-IRMS stable isotope lab	Carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition in amino acids,
Shannon Sterling	Biochemistry of Earth systems

Natural Hazards

Faculty Member/Research Facility	Research
Isabelle Coutand AV俱乐部 low-temperature thermochronology labs are Fission Track and (U+Th)/He	Paleoseismology
Caroline Franklin	Wildfires, forest and urban tree ecosystems
Sue Gass	Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems
John Gosse Cosmic ray isotopes sciences at AV俱乐部 (CRISDal) Laboratory	Landslide and tsunami hazards, paleoseismology and active tectonics, flooding, effects of wildfires
Christopher Greene	Wildfires, forest and urban tree ecosystems, Communication of natural and anthropogenic hazardous conditions, and GIS applications to disturbed landscapes
Djordje Grujic AV俱乐部 low-temperature thermochronology labs are Fission Track and (U+Th)/He	Paleoseismology and active tectonics
Mladen Nedimovi膰	Seismicity, Sea level change, paleo-sea level, Brining of fresh water aquifers, Coastal erosion; Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems
Miao Zhang	Seismicity, Sea level change, paleo-sea level, Brining of fresh water aquifers, Coastal erosion; Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems

Climate Change

Faculty Member/Research Facility	Research
Sian Kou-Giesbrecht	Climate change, Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems
John Gosse Cosmic ray isotopes sciences at AV俱乐部 (CRISDal) Laboratory	Pliocene and Quaternary paleoclimatology, Radon, Sea-level change, Deglaciation, permafrost thaw, ice quakes, Arctic sea-ice thaw, surface processes in cold regions
Lawrence Plug (Retiring in 2025)	Surface processes in cold regions, automata and numerical modeling, pattern formation and fracture networks, non-linear analysis of time-series
Owen Sherwood GC-IRMS stable isotope lab	Climate change & paleoclimatology, Arctic sea ice change, Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems and sustainability
Shannon Sterling	Climate change, global hydrology, Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems
Tarah Wright Education for Sustainability Research Group (ESRG)	Climate change, Anthropogenic and natural impacts on marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems, Communication of natural and anthropogenic hazardous conditions, and GIS applications to disturbed landscapes