Research Portal

Geoscience » Source Rock & Depositional Environment

Scotian Shelf Oils Geochemistry

December 2019 – December 2020

Twenty-five significant hydrocarbon discoveries have been made on the Scotian Shelf in shallow water. Additionally, staining is observed in many wells and over a large geographical area.

Geoscience » Source Rock & Depositional Environment

Aspy Well Geochemistry

December 2019 – September 2020

This project determines if indications of migrated hydrocarbons or potential source rocks were encountered during the 2018 drilling of BP’s deep-water well Aspy D-11 well.

Geoscience » Source Rock & Depositional Environment

Predictive Modeling of Sandstone Reservoir Distribution in the SW Scotian Basin

March 2018 – April 2020

The SW Scotian Basin is considered an under-explored passive margin sedimentary basin, however, it is also the most probable location to find oil on the Scotian Margin.

Geoscience » Source Rock & Depositional Environment

Piston Coring Geochemistry Program

January 2015 – January 2020

Confirming the presence of hydrocarbons from an oil-prone Jurassic age source rock would encourage exploration in the deep water portion of Nova Scotia’s offshore.

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.

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.