Our Research

Our research is primarily directed towards understanding the processes controlling the composition of groundwater and surface water. This research involves both lab and field based work investigating the chemical and isotopic composition of water, minerals and gases. By recognizing and using variations in the chemistry we are able to address problems in our environment, in characterizing and predicting the effects of climate change and in resource exploration and evaluation. We apply a broad range of techniques including: developing field based sampling and monitoring strategies; applying different analytical methods; designing lab based experimental procedures; and, developing and applying computer simulations. Some of our current topics of research include water quality, acid sulfate systems, the geosequestration of CO₂ and mineral exploration using hydrogeochemistry.

We use a variety of geochemical and numerical techniques (geochemical modelling, reaction path modelling, reactive transport modelling) to study groundwater systems in the Canada and Australia.

Main active research areas

Groundwater Quality, Lower Fraser Valley and delta, Lower Mainland, B.C.: Arsenic in concentrations exceeding the Canadian drinking water guidelines is reported to occur in over 40% of tested groundwater wells in the Townships of Langley and Surrey, British Columbia (Wilson et al. 2008) . The sources of the arsenic and the mechanisms resulting in its mobility are not known. The objective of the project is to evaluate causes of elevated arsenic concentrations found in groundwaters occurring in a complex system of aquifers in unconsolidated glaciofluvial to glaciomarine sediments in this temperate coastal region. It is hypothesized that in these settings, distinct groundwater chemical environments can be characterized based on their hydrogeochemistry. By doing so, environments with chemical conditions favouring arsenic mobility can be determined and associated with chemical and isotopic indicators of the geochemical environment. The regional distribution of arsenic mobility indicators can then be incorporated into risk assessment and mitigation strategies.We have been working on studying the occurrence and mobility of arsenic in aquifers in glacial fluvial and glacial marine sediments of the region. Recent effort has been focused on arsenic speciation and understanding the source of arsenic and the mechanisms resulting in its mobility.

Isotopes in Precipitation, Okanagan Basin, B.C., Canada: The acquisition of chemical, stable- and radio-isotope data of water is an important component in the development of a comprehensive understanding of the hydrology of a region. The information provided is used to qualify and quantify recharge and recharge mechanisms, to characterize the physical and chemical processes that take place during recharge and flow in the groundwater system, and to better understand and measure the effects of climate change (Gibson et al., 2005). In the Okanagan Basin there are currently a number of studies investigating different aspects of the water cycle and evaluating water resources and their susceptibility. Several of these studies are utilizing groundwater and surface water chemical and stable isotope data and there is an increasing demand for applying radio-isotope age dating techniques. At the moment there are no baseline stable- or radio-isotope data for the region.

Baseline chemical and isotope data of atmospheric precipitation is fundamental to the application of isotopes to hydrology as the baseline data provide information on the chemical and isotopic composition of input to the system. The data consist of monthly amount weighted chemical and oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of atmospheric precipitation. These data establish the local meteoric line and provide details on the seasonal variability of rainwater and snow composition. This in turn allows interpretation as to the timing and mechanisms of recharge to the groundwater system and can provide considerable insight into the groundwater residence time.

We have been collecting total precipitation (rain and snow) samples monthly from 3 different sites in the Okanagan. Precipitation samples are being analyzed for the chemical and isotopic composition to aid in understanding groundwater recharge to the Okanagan Basin.

Carbon Storage: The geological storage of carbon dioxide is one of the methods being studied that would effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An important part of the storage process is the chemical interaction between the injected CO₂ and the water that occupies the pore space and the minerals that make up the reservoir rock and seal. That interaction has significant implications regarding the injectivity of the formation, the form and extent of storage, the potential for leakage and the ability to chemically and physically monitor the storage and containment. This wide reaching role makes the study of CO₂-water-rock interactions important in any research program involving the geological storage of CO₂.

A consistent observation made in the scientific literature is that the types of geochemical reactions that take place are very specific to the chemical and physical conditions of the site and thus depend on the distinct mineralogy, fluid composition, porosity-permeability distribution, pressure, temperature and time. The ability to generate predictive numerical models of the physical and chemical processes that take place in future storage sites thus depends heavily on the information used to populate and constrain the model. That information is best gained through observations from natural analogues, field site monitoring and laboratory experiments. The different approaches enable observations to be made on different spatial, temporal and compositional scales providing constraints on numerical model predictions for assessing the short and long-term geochemical processes impacting the storage system.

Research is underway to evaluate the role in CO₂-water-rock interactions to enhance storage capacity and form. Current projects include collaboration with Geoscience Australia and the University of Queensland in partnership with the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) in developing experimental data through batch and flow though reactors and numerical modelling of CO₂-water-rock interactions and the investigating the impact of co-contaminants SOx, NOx and O₂ on water-rock interactions and developing numerical modelling capabilities.