Our
research is conducted in three principal areas:
Environmental Geochemistry, Anthropology and Sedimentary and Petroleum Geology
Carbon
Cycling and Biogeochemistry of Wetlands and Landfills
defining the pathways by which methane and carbon dioxide are produced and consumed in freshwater bogs and marshes
investigation of the cycling of carbon within wetlands to determine the influence of microbial activity in wetland soils, the quantity of methane and carbon dioxide stored and emitted from wetlands, and the variations that can result from short-term climatic fluctuations
determination of the thermal diffusivities of peat soils, which are required for accurate modeling of heat transfer and greenhouse gas production in peat lands during climate warming or cooling
understanding microbial-induced mineralization that can clog the leachate drainage systems of municipal solid-waste landfills using stable carbon, hydrogen and oxygen isotopes
Hydrogeology
and Water Movement among the Hydrosphere, Biosphere and Atmosphere
characterization of the cycling of water within freshwater bogs (Sifton Bog, London, Ontario)
investigation of the interactions between groundwater, lake water and precipitation in freshwater marshes and associated sediments (Point Pelee National Park)
long-term monitoring of variations in the stable isotope compositions of meteoric water collected at nine stations about the Great Lakes
time-series study of the stable isotope geochemistry of soil moisture in the unsaturated zone of a temperate dune system (Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario)
the interactions among groundwater, channel water and precipitation in a dune-riverine system and how they relate to the eutrophication of the Old Ausable River Channel
plant-mediated transport of water and gases, and the microhydrology of grasses
integrated stable isotope studies of water in plants, soils and the atmosphere to discriminate between soil-water losses resulting from evaporation versus transpiration
Paleoclimate
the conditions and controls of biogenic silica crystallization (phytoliths) in living native prairie grasses, and the isotope-biogeochemistry of phytoliths
the significance of the stable isotope compositions of silica phytoliths in ancient soils and their potential as a continental paleoclimatic indicator of temperature and aridity
comparison of the stable isotopic signals of climate change obtained from pedogenic clays, pedogenic carbonate, phytoliths, bone phosphate and organic matter
reconstruction of the diet of ancient Maya populations carbon, oxygen and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of bioapatite and bone-collagen
paleoclimate and carbon- cycle investigations using organic matter and pedogenic carbonates from Pinery Provincial Park
the oxygen and hydrogen isotope geochemistry of halloysite in soils of the Pacific rim
Christine
White, Department of Anthropology, has a diverse research program related to her
Canada Research Chair in Bioarchaeology and Isotopic Anthropology.
Themes of the program and some of the projects involved are listed below:
Infant Feeding Behaviour in Archaeology (oxygen, carbon and nitrogen isotopes)
finding
new ways to reconstruct the timing of the weaning process, reconstructing
cultural variability in infant feeding behaviour and its relationship to
population morbidity and mortality.
Political
and Economic Nature of New World States
reconstructing
the nature of rulership and imperialism at Teotihuacan
investigating
patterns of interaction involving geographic relocations between Teotihuacan
and other areas of Mesoamerica (Michoacan, Tula, the Gulf coast, the Pacific
coast)
reconstructing
the rise the Toltec state of Tula and its interaction withthe Maya at
Chichen Itza
reconstructing
the mechanisms used in expansion of the Tarascan empire
investigating
the role of warfare and sacrifice in the rise and fall of Maya states.
Other
Migration/Colonization Studies
migrations
into eastern Europe relating to the rise of agriculture
testing
the veracity of Icelandic sagas of colonization by inhabitants of Norway
identifying
the origins of the Black slaves from the New York African Burial Ground
Environment
and Culture
examining
the hypotheses that El Ninos played a role in the fall of Moche
civilization, and that climatic dessication caused the fall of the Tarascan
empire.
Post-mortem Chemical Alteration
Low Temperature,
Rock/Sediment-Water-Organic Matter Interactions
the hydrogen and oxygen isotope crystal chemistry of clay and related minerals (kaolinite, halloysite, smectite-group minerals, chlorite, gibbsite, saponite and palygorskite) to determine when and how the isotopic signals preserved in these minerals can be used in studies of weathering, diagenesis and paleoclimate
the extent to which clay minerals (kaolinite and smectite) undergo isotopic exchange and/or hydroxyl group loss under low temperature conditions in nature and during routine laboratory preparations
stable isotope studies of secondary minerals (clays, goethite, carbonate) in ancient soil horizons (paleosols) and weathering profiles (including bauxites and kaolin deposits), and the suitability of such isotopic parameters as proxies for ancient continental climate
possible microbial controls on carbonate and Mg-clay mineralization in fractures and caves of Hawaiian basalts
Mineral
early diagenesis associated with sequence boundaries and sea-level change in the Western Canada sedimentary basin.
diagenesis of the Junggar Basin, northwestern China
weathering, diagenesis and episodic, hydrothermal alteration along the Paleozoic-Precambrian unconformity in mid-continental North America
stable isotope geochemistry of shales and pedogenic clays from Cenomanian-Turonian age paleosols and shales from central Canada
The
Origin, Evolution and Exploitation of the Alberta Oil Sands
mineralogical and isotopic characterization of naturally occurring diagenetic phases, especially the unusual berthierine and Fe-saponite clays in Alberta oil sands deposits
investigation of the origin, evolution and significance of ubiquitous carbonate-cemented zones and concretions in the oil sands
natural sediment-hydrocarbon-water interactions in the oil-sands, and their consequences for diagenetic evolution of the oil sands and reservoir quality
evaluation of the efficacy of cyclic steam-injection to recover viscous hydrocarbons from oil sand reservoirs, as deduced from the hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions of clay minerals from post-steam cores
development of an index for tracking the extent and temperature of steam contact with oil sands reservoirs using the stable isotope compositions of clay minerals and carbonate in post-steam cores
Major collaboration with colleagues from industry, government and academe |
Earth Sciences
genesis of Appalachian granitoid rocks and the origin and evolution of mineral deposits
Welcome Research Facilities Publications People Price List Location Basal Reflectors Links