Janice Brahney
I am currently a PhD student in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Under the supervision of Dr. Jason Neff I am investigating the historical deposition of human-generated dust to south-western US alpine environments. Using geochemical and biological properties of lake sediments from mountain ranges in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, I will determine the geographical extent of the recent increases in dust deposition and investigate associated shifts in lake chemistry and lake ecology.
My undergraduate studies and research have taken place in 3 universities, 3 cities, 2 countries and 2.5 disciplines. I eventually graduated with a B.Sc. from SFU in Environmental Science. As an undergrad I began working under the supervision of Dr’s. Rick Routledge and Darren Bos. We undertook a paleoecological investigation of salmon nursery lakes in Smith Inlet, Central Coast, B.C. Historical escapement and the relation between marine derived nutrients and lake ecology were examined using nitrogen isotopes and morphological variations in the water flea Bosmina longirostris. This research sparked my interest in paleoenvironmental studies; it seems the perfect combination of my deep interest in Earth systems and my childhood aspiration of becoming a detective and/or archaeologist (thank you, Dr. Jones).
My Masters thesis took place under the supervision of Dr. John Clague and focused on the history of Yukon Territory’s largest lake, Kluane Lake. I used geochemical and physical properties of multiple sediment cores to reconstruct sediment provenance, lake level fluctuations, and hydrologic shifts. I further investigated the merits of moose milk.
- Scholarship Contributions
- Brahney, J., Bos, D.G., Pellatt, M.G., Edwards, T.W.D., Routledge, R. (2006) The influence of nitrogen limitation on δ15N and C:N in sediments from sockeye salmon nursery lakes in British Columbia, Canada. Limnology and Oceanography 51(5): 2333-2340.
- Brahney, J., Clague, J.J., Edwards, T.W.D., (2007) Menounos, B Geochemical reconstruction of late Holocene drainage and mixing in Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory. Journal of Paleolimnology 10.1007/s10933-007-9177-z (December 2007)
- Brahney, J., Clague, J.J., Menounos, B., Edwards, T.W.D. (2008) Timing and cause of water level fluctuations in Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory, over the past 5000 years. Quaternary Research 10.1016/j.yqres.2008.05.001 (June, 2008)
- Brahney, J., Routledge, R., Bos, D.G., Pellatt, M.G. 2005. Influence of Commercial Fishing and Nutrient Cycling on the Ecology of Long Lake, Smith Inlet [Abstract] Climate and Fisheries: Impacts, Uncertainties, and Responses of Ecosystems and Communities. Victoria Conference Center, Oct 26-28, Victoria, B.C., Canada
- Bos, D.G., Brahney, J., Pellatt, M.G., Finney, B.P. 2005. Sedimentary d15N and C/N ratios, interpreting past proxies of salmon abundance in temperate coastal lakes. [Abstract] Climate and Fisheries: Impacts, Uncertainties, and Responses of Ecosystems and Communities. Victoria Conference Center, Oct 26-28, Victoria, B.C., Canada.
- Education
- B.Sc., Environmental Science, Concentration in Physical Geography 2004 Simon Fraser University, Burnaby B.C.
- M.Sc. Simon Fraser University 2007
- Currently: PhD student at the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
For more information, please send e.mail to: Janice.brahney@colorado.edu
To read Janice's thesis abstract, please click here
