In the oceans, physical forcing (solar input) drives the distribution and chemical composition of water masses which strongly influence biological productivity. Reciprocally, oceanic biota affect the physical and chemical properties of seawater. EOS research in biogeochemistry seeks to understand the interactions between ocean physics, chemistry and biology, by integrating our strengths in each of these sub-disciplines.
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Much of the research undertaken by EOS solid earth scientists is encompassed by the themes: (i) the assembly and deformation of continental lithosphere, and (ii) the origins and evolution of magmas and fluids within the crust and upper mantle. These themes are investigated through a range of petrological, geochemical and geophysical research programs that exploit theory, laboratory experiments and field studies conducted over a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. Most recently, we have expanded our expertise and our research focus to begin to ask fundamental questions concerning the physical and chemical evolution of condensed planetary bodies.
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Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (GFD) is a theme that permeates all the EOS research communities, applying to media as diverse as air, water, ice, mud, magma and rocks, and spanning a huge range of time scales.
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The geologic record and a knowledge of Earth's physical, chemical and biological processes provide a framework for EOS scientists to contemplate the dawning of the Anthropocene epoch. Change is a quintessential feature of Earth history and large changes are commonly associated with massive disruptions of the biosphere. During the Neoproterozoic period, a catastrophic breakdown of the thermostat that regulates the balance of atmospheric carbon dioxide subjected Earth to at least two cycles of near-total glaciation. In the Phanerozoic, the fossil record of mass extinction offers a unique perspective on the biological impact of environmental change at a global scale and points to a fundamental link between plate tectonics, large igneous provinces and atmospheric composition as a driving force in biosphere collapse. Records of Late Cenozoic climate change, archived in polar ice sheets and marine sediments, shed light on the mechanisms of glacial cycles and the packaging of abrupt climate change events within these cycles.
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EOS takes seriously its contributions to societal well-being and the economy. We are innovators in exploring for a broad spectrum of resources including minerals and hydrocarbons from the solid Earth, and drugs derived from the Oceans. British Columbia is a mountainous, seismically active terrain subject to volcanic activity, mass wasting and extreme weather conditions. We must also be aware of the environmental pressures that result from resource exploitation and a steadily increasing population. The Province looks to its premier University as a source of scientific information and engineering expertise relevant to all these phenomena but we will also continue to apply our research results on a global scale. We are proud of our close relationships with industry and the important Industry-University research consortia that we have fostered.
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