Research Portal

Geoscience » Source Rock & Depositional Environment

Central Atlantic Paleo-Oceans and Climates (CAPOC) (part of the PAGEO research program)

December 2020 – December 2022

CAPOC aims to develop the first integrated and high resolution biostratigraphic and isotopic proxy correlation for key intervals of the Jurassic/Cretaceous across the Central Atlantic conjugate margin.

Geoscience » Source Rock & Depositional Environment

Palaeobathymetry and Tectonic Evolution of Lower Jurassic Source Rocks of the Conjugate Nova Scotia-Moroccan Margins (part of the PAGEO research program)

December 2020 – July 2022

This project will address key questions related to the formation processes, structure and subsidence history of the Nova Scotia rifted margin, which are relevant to constrain the Upper Triassic to Jurassic palaeogeography and petroleum systems offshore Nova Scotia.

Geoscience » Source Rock & Depositional Environment

A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Paleobiogeographic Data to Constrain the Timing of Oceanic Connections between the Atlantic, Tethyan, and Pacific domains (part of the PAGEO research program)

November 2020 – May 2022

This project is based on a large-scale collection of previously generated Jurassic and Early Cretaceous nannofossil biostratigraphic data and aims to apply both traditional micropaleontological methods and modern data science methodologies to the in-depth analysis of that large dataset.

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.

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.

Geoscience » Play Fairway Analyses Atlases 2010–Present

SW Nova Scotia Expansion Atlas (2015)

January 2015

This project is an expansion of the 2011 Play Fairway Analysis to the western border of the Nova Scotia marine shelf. This expansion corresponds to the Georges Bank zone and surrounding area extending from the Yarmouth Arch to the Shelburne Sub-basin.

Impacts of Tidal Energy Extraction on Sediment Dynamics in Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy

February 2010 – December 2012

Researchers developed a numerical hydrodynamic and sediment transport model for Minas Basin in the Bay of Fundy, focusing on the sediment dynamics of the tidal inlets and flats.

Effects of Energy Extraction on Sediment Dynamics in Intertidal Ecosystems of the Minas Basin

January 2010 – May 2012

This project assessed how the dynamics of sedimentation change when energy is extracted from a macro-tidal system. The differences in tidal prism and energy between neap and spring tidal cycles were used as a proxy for energy extraction by in-stream tidal power devices.

Geoscience » Seismic & Marine Sound

Physics of the Interaction between a Crab and a Seismic Test Pulse – Development of a Mathematical Model and Testing of Model via Simulation

June 2009 – September 2011

Experimental attempts to establish whether seismic testing has any impact on crabs and the crab fishery have been hampered by a lack of theoretical work on the subject.

Geoscience » Seismic & Marine Sound

Feasibility of a Marine Vibroseis System to Minimize Potential Impacts of Seismic Surveying on Commercial Marine Invertebrates

May 2010 – May 2011

Marine vibroseis (a sound generating system that uses a large oscillating mass to emit a range of frequencies) offers an alternative to air-gun seismic sources and may have fewer environmental effects on marine biota.