What the Frack?

It is just too easy… As I prepare for my talk tomorrow on fracking and groundwater (a talk I have given two times already), I figured what better topic to start my new webpage blog on? Seminar Details: Fracking operation Alberta CanadaFracking, the colloquial term for hydraulic fracturing, is in…

Stinky Sulphur Compounds Do Not Last Long

I was recently working on a project examining odours and had to plan out the difficult logistics of having samples shipped out same day to the laboratory for analysis because of literature documented instability. As I work around these logistics, I can see why many people choose to ignore the…

Oil Sands Contributing to PAH Deposition in Lakes in Northern Alberta – But Only a Little.

Oil sands development in Alberta has been getting a lot of bad press lately. From Dr. Schindler’s work calling for more science to the federal government of Canada taking over monitoring programs and developing scientific advisory panels. Early this year, an article was published by Kurek et al (PNAS, 2013)…

POPs, Earwax and environmental forensics?

Environmental forensics is the application of scientific methods used to identify the origin and timing of a contaminant release. Continuous passive collection of POPs over decades of time provides a timeline that can be used to date contaminant episodes and releases. Whale ear wax just happens to provide just that……