Aquatic Paleoecology Laboratory

Marine diatom fossils are used to trace oceanic paleo-currents along Canada's west coast and sea-level fluctuations in the Beaufort Sea and coastal areas of the Atlantic provinces. Diatoms are used as bioindicators of agricultural pollution in rivers and as indicators of water quality in lakes and drinking water reservoirs. On site: sediment coring equipment; optical microscopes with magnification up to 1000 x; digital camera systems for microscopy; stereoscopic magnifiers; oven; freeze-dryer; analytical balance, reference collection; reference library.