Tag Archives: Science

Extreme tides and Winter ice

Figure 1. Winter ice on the salt marshes of Minas Basin photographed from Wolfville, Nova Scotia, March 1, 2007. View to the North.  What is an estuary? An estuary is a bay with an open connection to the sea. Rivers … Continue reading

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Canadian Earth Science for @PMHarper 10 – a question of Iron

The preamble to this review series is here —– Halverson, G.P., F. Poitrasson, P.E. Hoffman, A. Nédélec, J.-M. Montel and J. Kirby, 2011, Fe-isotope and trace element geochemistry of the Neoproterozoic syn-glacial Rapitan iron formation. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. … Continue reading

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A #tsunami is really a tidal wave, except it isn’t

Katsushika Hokusai, Great Wave off Kanagawa. Image from Wikimedia. Original in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the Great Sumatra earthquake which triggered the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami that killed a quarter million people. … Continue reading

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Canadian Earth Science for @PMHarper 9 – measuring the thickness of polar sea ice through time

The preamble to this reviews series, categorized as “Canadian Earth Science for @PMHarper”, is here. — de Vernal, A., R. Gersonde, H. Goosse, M.-S. Seidenkrantz, and E.W. Wolff, 2013, Sea ice in the paleoclimate system: the challenge of reconstructing sea … Continue reading

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#Katrina10. #Louisiana is still disappearing

I wrote this blog post in November of 2014. I am reblogging it today, on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Land loss map of South Louisiana. Image source here. Click on image to enlarge.  Is it the weather? No … Continue reading

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Canadian Earth Science for @PMHarper 8 – Earth in the firing range

The preamble to this review series is here. All reviews in this series are categorized as “Canadian Earth Science for @PMHarper” (see right hand column). — Spray, J.G. and L.M. Thompson, 2008, Constraints on central uplift structure from the Manicouagan … Continue reading

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#Women in (Earth)Science: Dr. Lui-Heung Chan (@FindingAda)

It’s 30 years ago this Fall that I registered for ‘Chemical Oceanography’, a graduate level class at Louisiana State University as part of my PhD program in Marine Sciences. The class was taught by Dr. Lui-Heung Chan, a quiet woman whom … Continue reading

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Canadian Earth Science for @PMHarper – 5: refining seismic risk assessment in Canada

The preamble to this series of reviews is here. All reviews can be found under the category “Canadian Earth Science for @PMHarper” Atkinson, G.M. and K. Goda, 2011, Effects of Seismicity Models and New Ground-Motion Prediction Equations on Seismic Hazard … Continue reading

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A Tidal power lagoon in Nova Scotia’s Scott’s Bay?

Nova Scotia is where I live – a 700-odd km long NE-SW peninsula that more or less parallels the edge of the continent. What (almost) separates us from that continent is the Bay of Fundy, the Canadian extent of the Gulf … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, General geoscience, Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Canadian Earth Science for @PMHarper 4 – Ice ages and Klondike gold

The pre-amble to this series of reviews is here Froese, E.G., Zazula, G.D., Westgate, J.A., Preece, S.J., Sanborn, P.T., Reyes, A.V., Pearce, N.J.G., 2009, The Klondike goldfields and Pleistocene environments of Beringia. GSA Today, v. 19, no. 8, p. 4-10. … Continue reading

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Canadian Earth Science for @PMHarper – Preamble

In 2007, Canadian writer Yann Martel became puzzled about what made then relatively new Canadian PM Stephen Harper tick.  This as a result of a visit to Ottawa on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Council for … Continue reading

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What Research does Society need / want? A reflection on cutting public science institutions

From 1997 to 2002 I was president of the Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands (KNGMG, http://www.kngmg.nl). One of my tasks was to present the Society’s highest scientific award, the “Van Waterschoot van der Gracht Medal”[1] to a … Continue reading

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Dreikanter: The biography of my favourite ventifact

(photo E. Kosters) This is my favourite ventifact, a real Dreikanter, a German word meaning ‘three sider’. This vernacular term became the formal label for a ventifact with three sides. My Dreikanter is a well-sorted pure quartz sandstone of a … Continue reading

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Women in (science) careers; it remains difficult

The Council of Canadian Academies released its report ‘Strengthening Canada’s Research Capacity; the gender dimension’ in November 2012 and organized a panel discussion on the topic on April 23, 2013. Read all about it here. This report came about after the … Continue reading

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Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent

When the Canadian Minister of Natural Resources, Joe Oliver, proclaimed this week in an official press conference that our concern for climate change was ‘exaggerated’, the press rightly fell over him. There is a good summary of that controversial event … Continue reading

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Dear Dr. Johnston, Your Excellency

Your appointment as Governor General of Canada was an excellent choice. You are a person of stellar reputation. As a scientist, I was thrilled that a scientist of your stature was appointed to this office. During your relatively short term … Continue reading

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