Geochemical evidence of human disturbance and natural processes recorded in wetland sediments of the Central Coast and Fraser Lowland of British Columbia

Colloquium
Jonathan Hughes
Thursday, February 26, 2015 · 4:00 pm to · 8:00 am
ESB 5104-06
Hosted by
Dominique Weis

Dr. Hughes will present applications of sediment age-depth modeling using cesium-137 and lead-210 analysis of sediments collected from a flood-plain wetland of the Lower Fraser River and from intertidal wetlands at the head of Rivers Inlet, British Columbia. The Fraser Lowland study reveals changes in recent sediment supply that reflect human-caused landscape alteration. Intertidal sediments of Rivers Inlet provide evidence for inundation from the 1964 Alaskan-sourced tsunami. Geochemical analysis of these sediments may reveal a tsunami deposit where a sediment signature is absent.

Bio
Dr. Hughes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at the University of the Fraser Valley where he teaches biogeography, soil science, wetlands ecology, and paleoecology. The focus of his research program is to better understand natural hazards and past environmental change. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, he migrated west to attend Simon Fraser University, where he received his PhD in 2002. Prior to his appointment at the University of the Fraser Valley in 2006, he was a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow with the U.S. Geological Survey.