Dal Events

EES Departmental Seminar: Critical Minerals in Canada: Mitigating Mining Impacts in the Quest for a Low-Carbon and Digital Economy

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 15:30:00 GMT

Dr. Mike Parsons
Geological Survey of Canada-Atlantic-NRCAN

Title: Science Atlantic – Atlantic Geoscience Society 2024 Speaker Award Lecture: Critical Minerals in Canada: Mitigating Mining Impacts in the Quest for a Low-Carbon and Digital Economy

Abstract: In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in global demand for many elements used in green energy and high-tech applications, including antimony, cobalt, germanium, indium, lithium, and the rare earth elements (REE). Canada contains abundant resources of these “critical minerals” and many companies are working hard to bring new mines into production. However, our understanding of the potential environmental impacts associated with critical metal mining is lacking compared to commodities such as copper and gold. Processing of REEs and other critical minerals has led to environmental degradation in some parts of the world, but there are few published studies of these risks and impacts. This talk will provide an overview of Canadian critical mineral deposits and ongoing efforts to develop these resources in a manner that minimizes impacts on the environment and local communities. Case studies will focus on characterizing pre-mining baseline conditions, predicting cumulative impacts of new mining in old mining camps, and reprocessing historical mine wastes to recover valuable critical minerals. Earth scientists have a key role to play in identifying new sources of critical minerals and ensuring that Canada is an environmentally responsible supplier of these resources.

Biography: Dr. Michael Parsons is a Research Scientist with Natural Resources Canada in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He received a Combined Honours B.Sc. in Earth Sciences and Chemistry from �鶹��ý in 1994, and a Ph.D. in Geological and Environmental Sciences from Stanford University in 2001. Most of his research focuses on the sources, cycling, and fate of metals in the environment. He is particularly interested in the geochemistry and mineralogy of mineral deposits and mine wastes, and developing new methods to characterize and mitigate the environmental impacts of metal mining activities. Dr. Parsons is currently studying the effects of weathering on the distribution and recoverability of critical minerals in historical mine tailings, as well as the processes controlling mercury cycling in lakes throughout northern Canada. He is an Adjunct Professor at �鶹��ý, Queen’s, and the University of New Brunswick and regularly co-supervises students as part of his research activities. The results of his research are important for understanding the ecosystem and human health risks associated with metals in the environment and provide a scientific basis for developing environmental guidelines and for managing contaminated sites.

EES Departmental Seminar: Changing Land Covers, Climate, and Biological Invasions: Ecosystem Function in Human-Modified Landscapes

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 15:30:00 GMT

Dr. Andrew Reinmann
CUNY

Title: Changing Land Covers, Climate, and Biological Invasions: Ecosystem Function in Human-Modified Landscapes

DIRT Talk: The Life of An Ornithologist

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 20:30:00 GMT

EES Departmental Seminar: Sustainability and Innovation in Seismic Data Acquisition

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 15:30:00 GMT

Dr. Andrea Crook
CEO of OptiSeis

Title: Sustainability and Innovation in Seismic Data Acquisition

Abstract: Accurately imaging the subsurface with seismic, whether for traditional energyprojects or in emerging cleantech areas such as geothermal, critical mineralexploration, carbon capture and storage, or nuclear waste management, requires theacquisition of a seismic survey. Generally, this involves deploying seismic sources andsensors in various patterns optimized to avoid surface exclusions and ensureoperational efficiency. However, for more sustainable seismic solutions, these surveyscan also be optimized for reduced environmental impact and lower greenhouse gasemissions. This can be accomplished by incorporating ecological data into the seismicplanning and utilizing new innovations such as alternative sampling methods andequipment miniaturization. When combined with advances in seismic processingalgorithms, the same subsurface data quality can be achieved, but with a significantlyreduced environmental footprint.Through extensive collaboration between multiple disciplines (ecology, biology,geoscience, and engineering), the EcoSeis project has developed sustainable seismicsolutions which can reduce both the surface land footprint and emissions associatedwith seismic acquisition by up to 50%. This case study will highlight lessons learnedthroughout the development, including best practices for acquiring and analyzingunbiased seismic experiments and applications of the technology in CCS monitoring.

2024-2025 CSEG Distinguished Lecture Tour: This national tour is sponsored by the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (CSEG) Foundation andpresented by a distinguished member of the society. The goal of the tour is to promote the science andapplication of geophysics and to highlight a topic of current interest.

Andrea Crook is the CEO of OptiSeis, a company she co-foundedin 2011 to provide innovative solutions for accurate subsurfaceimaging. Andrea graduated from the University of Manitoba witha B.Sc. Honours in Geophysics and began her career at ShellCanada in seismic processing and geophysical operations. Basedon her extensive contributions to the field of geophysics, shereceived the 2019 CSEG Technical Achievement Award and wasthe Society’s 2023 Symposium Honouree. She is also on theBoard of Directors for the Clean Resource Innovation Network(CRIN). Through active collaboration with industry and academia,she and her team continue to develop innovative solutions forenvironmentally sustainable subsurface imaging.