Climate and Environmental Change Research Laboratory

Bishop's University, Sherbrooke, Québec
What the facility does

Research on climate and environmental change, using geological proxy evidence.

Areas of expertise

The primarily focus of the research program involves using and integrating lake, marine, and terrestrial sediments to reconstruct past environment in order to better understand the patterns and causes of natural climate variability. The research in the lab also examines human influence on the natural environment. The research that is undertaken is essential for understanding the responses of ecosystems to climate changes over a variety of spatial and temporal scales. It provides the only reliable means for documenting the magnitude and rate of natural climate variability before the advent of instrumental records, enabling us to place ongoing global warming into a long-term context.

Research services

Environmental monitoring, sedimentology, microscopy, micropaleontology, dendroecology, statistical analysis, 3D printing

Sectors of application
  • Agriculture, animal science and food
  • Energy (renewable and fossil)
  • Environmental technologies and related services
  • Forestry and forest-based industries
  • Ocean industries

Equipment

Function

Zeiss Axio Imager M2 motorized upright microscope with camera

High-level research grade microscope with phase contrast, DIC, and fluorescence capabilities

Zeiss Axio upright microscope with camera

High-level research grade microscope

Zeiss Axio Lab.A1 upright microscopes (2)

High-level research grade microscope

Autostagepollen counter

Automated pollen counting machine (experimental)

Centrifuge

For sediment processing

Convection oven

For sediment analysis

Muffle furnace

For sediment analysis

Magnetic susceptibility meter

For determining the presence of iron-bearing minerals in sediment

Visible/UV spectrophotometer

For determining humification, biogenic silica, and other sediment parameters

Hot water bath and shaker

For sediment processing

Microtrac particle size analyzer

For determining the proportions of different particle sizes of sediment

Livingstone piston corer (2)

For collecting sediment cores from lakes

Water chemistry meter

For measuring variables such as pH, conductivity, etc.

Russian peat corer (2)

For collecting sediment cores from peat bogs

Percussion corer

For collecting sediment cores from floodplains

Coring accessories

For fieldwork

Raft

To be used as a platform for obtaining sediment cores from lakes

Honda outboard motor

To be used with raft

Velmex tree-ring measuring system

For tree-ring analysis

WinDENDRO tree-ring analysis software

For tree-ring analysis
  • McGill University
  • University of Ottawa
  • Université de Sherbrooke
  • McMaster University
  • Université du Québec à Montréal

Title

URL

Multi-scale Climate and Environmental Change Research Laboratory

http://www.envirolab.ubishops.ca/home.html