Research on climate and environmental change, using geological proxy evidence.
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.
Environmental monitoring, sedimentology, microscopy, micropaleontology, dendroecology, statistical analysis, 3D printing
- Agriculture, animal science and food
- Energy
- Environmental technologies and related services
- Forestry and forest-based industries
- Ocean industries
Specialized labs and equipment
| 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 |
Private and public sector research partners
- McGill University
- University of Ottawa
- Université de Sherbrooke
- McMaster University
- Université du Québec à Montréal
Additional information
| Title | URL |
|---|---|
| Multi-scale Climate and Environmental Change Research Laboratory | http://www.envirolab.ubishops.ca/home.html |