Welcome to EES!

Earth and Environmental Science at Acadia offers programs leading to B.Sc. degrees in Environmental Science, Geology and Environmental Geoscience, and M.Sc. degrees in Geology, Environmental Science and Applied Geomatics.

Departmental News

Harrison McCain Visiting Professor - Cees van Staal

Dr. Deanne van Rooyen received a Harrison McCain Visiting Professor Award to host Dr. Cees van Staal in EES.

Moving Day!

Sometimes research is glamorous and exciting... Sometimes research means organizing samples... And sometimes it means moving a large pile of rocks!

Rocking field research in Greece

Dr. Mo Snyder and student Bella MacQuarrie spent some time in Greece...

Upcoming Events

Sep

2025

EES Welcome Back BBQ! 4:30-6:30 @ Godfrey House

Come join us for food, fun, and to welcome new and returning students at Godfrey House, which we have booked from 4:30-6:30 on September 11th!

Sep

2025

Doug Angus - CSEG Distinguished Lecture Tour - 4pm Huggins 336

Doug Angus is VP of Mining at ESG Solutions, a company that provides world class acquisition and data services for real-time rock-mass characterization to improve mine safety and operational efficiency. He studied applied geophysics from Queen’s University, gaining his MSc(Eng) in applied seismology focused on moment tensor inversion of mine seismic data and his PhD in theoretical seismology focused on wave propagation in anisotropic heterogenous. For more than 10 years he worked as an academic in the UK focused on integrating seismology with geomechanics, rock physics and multi-phase fluid flow; as a research associate at Bristol University (2006-2008) and subsequently Associate Professor of Seismic Geomechanics at the University of Leeds (2008-2016).

Seismic and aseismic tools for mine safety
The energy transition will require more critical minerals and many of these mineral deposits are deep underground, which poses significant safety and technological challenges. Underground mining operations generally encounter adverse stress conditions, and this response can be seismic, either very soon, or after sustained perturbation of the insitu stress over several years. It has been recognized that closely monitoring and characterizing seismic response is non-negotiable for safety underground and therefore plays a key role in the operational success of mining operations. Data courtesy NZP&M While characterizing the rock mass can be as simple as monitoring seismicity rates and locating seismicity, evaluating the source parameters and mechanisms of seismicity, and mapping velocity and attenuation changes in the rock mass can assist in validating designs and adjust mine sequences and rates. Additional seismic-adjacent technologies, such as DAS fiber optic seismic, strain and temperature measurements are also contributing to cost-effective monitoring. Integration of seismicity with geomechanics allows validation and calibration of numerical models, improved understanding of the rock mass response as well as testing of hypotheses.

4pm Huggins 336

Oct

2025

Tim Webster - MSAG Talk - How Geomatics can aid in GeoScience Applications -4PM Huggins 324

How Geomatics can aid in GeoScience Applications

Tim Webster, PhD

Applied Geomatics Research Group, NSCC, Annapolis Valley Campus - Middleton

Earth surface processes shape our physical environment and are constantly in motion. Geomatics is the science that deals with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of geospatial data. The Applied Geomatics Research Group was spun off of COGS (Centre of Geographic Sciences – Geomatics training facility – AVC Lawrencetown) in 2000 and has conducted hundreds of research projects where new data have been collected. This talk will discuss the different technologies used to collect the data including an airborne topo-bathymetric lidar that can collect seamless land-seabed elevation data, drones equipped with topographic lidar and multispectral imagery along with applications that include hydrodynamic modelling and general GIS tools. Applications that will be presented include enhanced bedrock and surficial mapping, fate of near shore pollution, river mapping for fish habitat and passage among others.

Oct

2025

Atlantic Universities Geoscience Conference (AUGC) @ St. Fx - Oct 30th - Nov 2nd

The 2025 AUGC team and the Faribault Earth Sciences Society is excited to host you at St. Francis Xavier from October 30 - November 2.

The Atlantic Universities Geoscience Conference (AUGC) is the oldest geology conference in Canada, with the exception of the Geologic Association of Canada. Every year the AUGC hosts a conference where undergraduate students have the opportunity to present their current work, learn about local geology, meet members of the Atlantic geologic community and make connections that will last a lifetime.

https://event.fourwaves.com/9ff7fcee-d17e-4115-9d9a-98d93a0df787/pages

Nov

2025

Ann Smith: Predatory Journals - 4PM HSH 336

Ann Smith will be giving a talk about predatory journals in Huggins 336. Refreshments will be provided.

Feb

2026

AGS Colloquium, Feb 6-7, Truro NS

Truro, NS

6-7 February

Details at https://atlanticgeosciencesociety.ca/

Mar