Grant Ferguson

 

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CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS (CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF PUBLICATIONS)

Geothermal Energy

Current research is examining the potential of geothermal energy to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.  Work in my lab is currently looking at the environmental impacts and sustainability of geothermal developments with a focus on ground source heat pumps.

Heat transport by groundwater flow away from a closed loop heat pump.

Hydrogeology and Climate Change

Climate change will have an impact on groundwater systems and some of these impacts are being explored at StFX.  Current projects include an examination of the possible responses of coastal aquifers to climate change in Nova Scotia and PEI and a study of the effect of melting permafrost on arctic hydrogeology.

Installation of monitoring wells on the Northumberland Strait near Summerside, PEI.

 

REFEREED JOURNAL PAPERS

(click underlined papers for pdf)

Zhu, K.*, Blum, P., Ferguson, G., Balke,K.-D. and  Bayer, P. 2010.  Geothermal potential of urban heat islands.  Environmental Research Letters 5: 04402 (6 pp).

Ferguson, G. and Bense, V.F. 2010.  Uncertainty in 1D heat flow analysis to estimate groundwater discharge to a stream.  Ground Water. In press.

Bense, V.F., Ferguson, G. and Kooi. 2009. The evolution of shallow groundwater flow systems in areas of degrading permafrost.  Geophysical Research Letters 36, L22401, doi:10.1029/2009GL039225, 2009.

Underwood, E.C.*, Ferguson, G., Betcher, R. and Phipps, G.  2009.  Elevated Ba Concentrations in a Sandstone Aquifer.  Journal of Hydrology 376: 126-131..

Ferguson, G.  2009. Unfinished Business in Geothermal Energy.  Ground Water 47:167, DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6584.2008.00528.x

Ferguson, G., Grasby, S.E. and Hindle, S.R.*  2009.  What do aqueous geothermometers really tell us? Geofluids 9: 39-48 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-8123.2008.00237.x

Ferguson, G. and Woodbury, A.D. 2007.  The Urban Heat Island in the Subsurface.  Geophysical Research Letters.  34, L23713, doi:10.1029/2007GL032324.

Ferguson, G.  2007.  Heterogeneity and Thermal Modeling of Ground Water  Ground Water doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2007.00323.x.

Ferguson, G., Betcher, R.N. and Grasby, S.E. 2007.  The Hydrogeology of the Winnipeg Formation in Manitoba, Canada.  Hydrogeology Journal 15: 573-587, doi: 10.1007/s10040-006-0130-4

Ferguson, G., H. Beltrami and A. Woodbury. 2006. Geophysical Research Letters, 33, L13708, doi:10.1029/2006GL026634.

Ferguson, G. and Woodbury, A.D.  2006.  Observed thermal pollution and post-development simulations of low-temperature geothermal systems in Winnipeg, Canada.  Hydrogeology Journal 14: 1206-1215, doi: 10.1007/s10040-006-0047-y

Ferguson, G. and Beltrami, H.  2006.   Transient Lateral Heat Flow due to Land-Use Changes.  Earth and Planetary Science Letters 242: 217-222.

Ferguson, G.  2006.  The Use of Particle Tracking in the Assessment of Low Temperature Geothermal Energy Developments.  Geothermics  35: 44-58.

Majorowicz, J., Grasby, S., Ferguson, G., Safanda, J. and Skinner, W. 2006.  Paleoclimatic reconstructions in Western Canada from subsurface temperatures: consideration of groundwater flow.  Climate of the Past 2:1-10.

Woodbury, A.D.  and Ferguson, G.   2006.  Ground surface paleotemperature reconstruction using information measures and empirical Bayes.  Geophysical Research Letters  33: L06702, doi:10.1029/2005GL025243.

Ferguson, G. and Woodbury, A.D.  2005.  Sustainability of groundwater as a coolant in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Canadian Geotechnical Journal 42: 1290-1301.

Ferguson, G.  2005.  Comment on " Borehole temperatures, climate change and pre-observational surface air temperature mean: allowance for hydraulic conditions".  Global and Planetary Change 48: 313-314.

Beltrami, H., Ferguson, G. and Harris, R.  2005.  Long-term tracking of climate by underground temperatures.  Geophysical Research Letters 32, L19707, doi:10.1029/2005GL023714.

Ferguson, G., and Woodbury, A.D. 2005.  The Effect of Climatic Variability on Estimates of Recharge derived from Temperature Data.  Ground Water 43(6): 837-842.

Ferguson, G. and Woodbury, A.D. 2004.  Subsurface Heat Flow in an Urban Environment.  Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth 109, B02402, doi:10.1029/2003JB002715.

Ferguson, G., Woodbury, A.D. and Matile, G.L.D.   2003.  Estimating Deep Recharge Rates Beneath an Interlobate Moraine Using Temperature Logs.  Ground Water 41(5): 640-646.

Ferguson, G. and St. George, S. 2003.  Estimating Groundwater Levels in Southern Manitoba Using Hydroclimatic Data. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 39(5): 1249-1260.

GOVERNMENT REPORTS

Ferguson, G., Betcher, R., and Grasby, S.E. 2005.   Water Chemistry of the Winnipeg Formation in Manitoba.  Geological Survey of Canada Open File 4933, 37 pp.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Hindle, S.R.*,  Ferguson, G and Grasby, S.E.  2007.  The Influence of Crustal-Scale Faults on Fluid Flow and Heat Transport. 8th Annual Joint CGS-IAH Conference, Ottawa, ON, Oct. 2007.  

Underwood, E.C.*, Ferguson, G and R.N. Betcher.  2007.  Elevated Barium Concentrations in the Winnipeg Formation, Manitoba.  8th Annual Joint CGS-IAH Conference, Ottawa, ON, Oct. 2007.

Ferguson, G.A. and Woodbury, A.D.  2007.Thermal Use of Groundwater and Source Water Protection. 35th IAH Congress, Lisbon, Portugal, Sept  2007.

Hindle, S.R.* and Ferguson, G.  2007.  Fluid Circulation Depth and Crustal-Scale Faults.  Atlantic Geoscience Society Colloquium, Moncton, NB, Feb. 2007.  

Underwood, E.C.* and Ferguson, G.  2007.  Contamination of Groundwater by Geogenic Barium.  Atlantic Geoscience Society Colloquium, Moncton, NB, Feb. 2007.  

Grasby, S.E., Ferguson, G. and Chen, Z.  2006.  Subglacial recharge into the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin – Impact of Pleistocene glaciation on basin dynamics.  Geological Society of America, 2006 Philadelphia Annual Meeting, Oct. 2006.

Ferguson, G., Nitoiu*, D, Beltrami, H. 2006. The Effect of Land-Use Changes on Subsurface Temperatures, European Geosciences Union General Assembly Vienna, Austria, April 2006. EGU06-A-06542.

Beltrami, H., González-Rouco, J.F., Harris, R.N., Bourlon, E., Ferguson, G. 2006. Climate evolution in the last millennium: borehole reconstructions and model simulations, European Geosciences Union General Assembly Vienna, Austria, April 2006. EGU06-A-09520.

Ferguson, G., A.D. Woodbury and H. Beltrami. 2005. When is groundwater flow an important consideration in ground surface temperature reconstructions? Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Dec. 2005.

Woodbury, A.D., Hendry J., and G.A.G. Ferguson, Ground surface paleotemperature reconstruction by empirical Bayes: Application to thick clayey aquitards, Geological Society America Annual Meeting, 2005 Salt Lake City Annual Meeting Oct. 2005.

Ferguson, G., Betcher, R.N. and Grasby, S.E.  2005.  Evolution of the Hydrogeochemistry of the Winnipeg Formation in Southeastern Manitoba. 6th Annual Joint CGS-IAH Conference. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Sept. 19-21, 2005.

*Novy, L., VanGulck, J. and Ferguson, G.  2005.  Role of Refuse Hydraulic Properties on Liquid Injection System Design. 6th Annual Joint CGS-IAH Conference. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Sept. 19-21, 2005.

Ferguson, G.  2005. Ground Surface Temperature Reconstructions from Borehole Temperatures:  Hydrogeological Considerations.    GAC/MAC Meeting.  Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 16-18, 2005 (Invited).

Ferguson, G.  2005.  Hydrogeology of Northern Nova Scotia. 2005 Atlantic Geoscience Society Colloquium.  St. John, New Brunswick, Feb.4-6, 2005.

Ferguson, G.A. and Woodbury, A.D.  2004. Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Groundwater-Source Cooling. Eos Trans. AGU, 85(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H21F-1082.

Schiff, S.L., Venkiteswaran, J.J., Ferguson, G.A., Oelbermann, M., Elgood, R.J., Hurley, J.P., Rolfhus, K.R., Beaty, K.G. and Bodaly, R.A.. 2004. Sources and Quantity of Dissolved Organic Matter Released From Flooding Upland Boreal Forests for Reservoir Creation. CGU/AGU Montreal May 2004.

Ferguson, G.A. and Woodbury, A.D.  2003.  Advective Heat Flow Beneath Winnipeg, Manitoba.  4th Annual Joint CGS-IAH Conference.  Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2003.

Betcher, R.N. and Ferguson, G.A.  2003.  Impacts from Boreholes Interconnecting Multiple Aquifers – A Case Study of Paleozoic Aquifers in South-eastern Manitoba. 4th Annual Joint CGS-IAH Conference. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2003.

Ferguson, G.A. and Woodbury, A.D.  2002.  Heat Flow, Climate Change and Advective Heat Transfer Beneath Winnipeg, Canada. Eos Trans. AGU, 83(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract G51A-0953.

Ferguson, G.A. and Woodbury, A.D.,  Geothermal Investigations in Southeastern Manitoba and Their Application to Hydrogeology, Presented at The Southeastern Manitoba Hydrogeology Workshop, Nov. 28, 2002.

St. George, S., Nielsen, E. and Ferguson, G.  2002. Paleoenvironmental evidence for environmental change and extreme flooding in the Red River basin over the last 700 years. Canadian Water Resources Association Annual Meeting. Winnipeg, Manitoba, June 11-14, 2002.

Schiff, S.L., Humphries, S.A., Spoelstra, J., Wu, F.C., Ferguson, G.A., Elgood, R.J. Mitchell, M.J., Jeffries, D.S., Dillon, P.J. and Evans, R.D. 2002. Sources and diagenesis of DOM in forested watersheds: what can isotopes of total DOM tells us? American Society of Limnologists Annual Meeting.  Victoria, B.C., June 10-14, 2002.

Ferguson, G.A. and Woodbury, A.D., Groundwater and Heat Flow in an Interlobate Moraine in Southeastern Manitoba,  Institute on Lake Superior Geology 2002 Annual Meeting, May 12-16,  Kenora, Ontario, p. 15., 2002.

Ferguson, G.A., Matile, G.L. and Woodbury, A.D. 2001. Estimating Recharge Rates in the Sandilands Area, Southeastern Manitoba, Canada using Temperature Log. Eos Trans. AGU,  82(47),Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H32D-0348.

*student author