Research Portal

Geoscience » Source Rock & Depositional Environment

Identifying and Constraining favourable paleoenvironments for the deposition of an Upper Jr SR using geochemical proxies (part of the PAGEO research program)

January 2021 – June 2023

This work will determine the paleoenvironmental conditions under which potential Upper Jurassic source rock intervals were deposited in offshore Nova Scotia.

Geoscience » Tectonics and Crustal Structure

Prospectivity of the Shelburne Subbasin, Scotian Margin: An Integrated Multidisciplinary and Multiparameter Approach from Plate to Pore Scale (part of the PAGEO research program)

January 2021 – June 2023

This project will significantly increase our understanding of both the reservoir potential of Tertiary sequences within the Shelburne Subbasin, offshore Nova Scotia, and the crustal architecture underlying this critical region located at a proposed transition from a magma-rich to a magma-poor con

Geoscience » Tectonics and Crustal Structure

Geologic Origin of Deep Crustal and Uppermost Mantle Structures at the Continent-Ocean Transition Offshore Nova Scotia from Modeling of Wide-Angle S-Wave Arrivals (part of the PAGEO research program)

January 2021 – June 2023

This work will produce S-wave velocity models for two of the existing refraction profiles from the Scotian margin. The objective is to better constrain the crustal origin of the continent-ocean transition (COT) using both the P and S-wave velocity models.

Geoscience » Source Rock & Depositional Environment

Application of a source-to-sink sediment model to a petroleum systems analysis from field studies and numerical modeling (part of the PAGEO research program)

January 2021 – March 2023

This project will test the application of a source to sink analysis to the prediction of petroleum system elements in the Scotia Basin.

Geoscience » Source Rock & Depositional Environment

Predictive Modelling of Sandstone Reservoir Quality in the Scotian Basin

May 2016 – December 2018

This project uses existing knowledge of inferred drainage basin areas and paleoclimate to model multiple river inputs to the Scotian Basin. The modelled sedimentary succession is compared with actual sediment thicknesses in the basin.

Geoscience » Spill Preparedness

Advanced Coastal Mapping to Support Hydrodynamic Modelling

April 2016 – June 2018

Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast exhibits a variety of shorelines that may be vulnerable to contamination in the event of an offshore oil spill. In turn, variable currents, changing water levels, shoals, and exposed seaside conditions make effective spill response difficult for tidal inlets.

Geoscience » Seismic & Marine Sound

Establishment of Baseline Biological Data on Snow Crab (Chionoecetes opilio) Offshore Cape Breton for Future Assessment of Potential Impacts of Seismic Noise on Snow Crab

April 2012 – February 2015

The study investigates the impact of sound energy generated by acoustic/seismic arrays on snow crabs.

Turbulence and Bottom Stress in Minas Passage and Grand Passage

September 2011 – February 2015

This project aimed to investigate turbulence and bottom stress at two sites being targeted for in-stream tidal power development in Nova Scotia: Minas Passage in the Upper Bay of Fundy and Grand Passage, located between Brier and Long Island in the lower Bay of Fundy.

Seasonal Erodibility of Sediment in the Upper Bay of Fundy

February 2012 – January 2015

This project developed methods for studying sedimentation to the macro-tidal flats of the upper Bay of Fundy. The researchers looked at seasonal variation in the erodibility of sediments in tidal creeks and flats using a Gust Erosion Chamber and repeated grain size surveys.

Testing of Temporal Monitoring Techniques for Benthic Habitat Impacts of Tidal Energy Developments

September 2011 – November 2014

This project tested and developed monitoring procedures for assessing the impact of the placement of in-stream tidal devices (e.g. turbines, cables and other seafloor hardware) on the seafloor environment.