Uwe Brand

Professor, P.  Geo, Earth Sciences and Chancellor’s Chair for Research

Office: Mackenzie Chown D424
905 688 5550 x3529
uwe.brand@brocku.ca

Isotope Carbonate–hydrogeochemist interested in stable and radiogenic isotopes and their application to climate/environmental change in epeiric seas and oceans of the geologic past, and the evaluation of the ecologic health of modern watersheds

  • 1988–present: Professor of Earth Sciences, Brock University; and Adjunct Professor, Department of Geology & Planetary Science, University of Pittsburgh; and during 2008–2010 Chancellor’s Chair for Research Excellence (Brock University).
  • 1993–1999: Adjunct Professor, Department of Geology, University of Toronto.
  • 1989–2001: Professor (part-time), Department of Geology, McMaster University
  • 1983–1988: Associate Professor of Earth Sciences, Brock University
  • 1980–1983: Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences, Brock University
  • 1979–1980: NSERC Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo
  • Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.) Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (APGO)
  • Ph.D. University of Ottawa
  • M.A. University of Missouri-Columbia
  • B.Sc. University of Waterloo

Voting Member, Bashkirian–Moscovian Boundary Working Group (ICS Subcommission on Carboniferous Stratigraphy) with international scientists: Alekseev, Altiner, Dzhenchuarva, Fissuenko, Fohrer, Groves (chair), Kulagina, Lambert, Nemyrovskaya, Nikolaeva, Pazuhkin, Poletaev, Samankassou, Turner, Ueno, Villa & Wang.

Professor Uwe Brand of the Department of Earth Sciences is part of a group of 25 internationally renowned geoscientists from 11 countries (including Canada) involved in EU project Horizon 2020 BASE-LINE EARTH.

Brachiopods As SEnsitive tracers of gLobal mariNe Environment: Insights from alkaline, alkaline Earth metal, and metalloid trace element ratios and isotope systems.

BASE-LiNE Earth is an Innovative Training Network funded by the European Commission within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions in Horizon 2020 ‘European Union Funding Programme for Research and Innovation’ (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2014; REA Grant Agreement No. 643084) with EURO 3,75 million. The project started on January 1st, 2015 and will run until December 31st, 2018.

We plan to train 15 PhD students in state-of-the-art geochemistry with application to the instrumental (Thermo-Fisher) and energy (DEA) industry. These positions are open to candidates of all nationalities.

For more information: https://www.baseline-earth.eu/

 

External activities

  • Hydrogeochemist, CERTI Environmental Consultants
  • Editorial Board: Carbonates & Evaporites; Chemical Geology
  • Voting Member, Bashkirian–Moscovian/Morrowan–Atokan Boundary Working Group, Subcommission on Carboniferous Stratigraphy (International Commission on Stratigraphy, IUGS).
  • Grant Reviewer (NSERC, NSF, NERC)
  • Journal Publication Reviewer

Teaching

  • ERSC 3P11 Carbonate Sedimentology
  • ERSC 3P31 Geochemistry
  • ERSC 4P31 Watershed Analysis
  • ERSC 4P45 Environmental Audits & Assessments

 

Awards & Distinctions

  • 2017 FMS Distinguished Research Award
  • 2016 FMS Experiential Education Leadership Award
  • 2010 – 2013, Editor-in-Chief, Chemical Geology
  • 2008. Brock University Chancellor’s Research Chair.
  • 2004. Volunteer Work Award, House of Commons, A. Tirabassi, MP–Niagara Ctr
  • 2003. Volunteer Recognition Award, City of Welland, Welland B & C Dev. Corp.
  • 1999. Conservation Achievement Award, Niagara Pen. Conservation Authority
  • 1998. Conservation Achievement Award, Niagara Pen. Conservation Authority
  • 1995. Distinguished Fellow of the Geological Association of Canada
  • 1990. Past President’s Medal of the Geological Association of Canada
  • 1980. Outstanding Paper Award, Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists
  • 1979–1980. NSERC Post-doctoral Fellowship, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo

 

  • Modern brachiopods:  monitors of oceanography
  • Sturtation & Marinoan Degalciation events
  • Isotope thermometry; paleoclimatology, paleoceanography
  • LPIA, end Permian, Triassic/Jurassic events

Publications

Most of the research articles listed below (and others) can be downloaded from ResearchGate.

Research Articles (since 2015)

  • JURIKOVA, H., GUTJAHR, M., WALLMANN, K., FLOGEL, S., LIEBETRAU, V., POSENATO, R., ANGIOLINI, L., GARBELLI, C., BRAND, U., WIEDENBECK, M., EISENHAUER, A. 2020. Major marine carbon cycle perturbations drove the Permian-Triassic mass extinction pulses. Nature Geoscience, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-00646-4
  • WOSTBROCK, J., BRAND, U., COPLEN, T., SWART, P., CARLSON, S.J., BREARLY, A., SHARP. Z.D. 2020. Calibration of carbonate-water triple oxygen isotope fractionation: seeing through diagenesis in ancient carbonates. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, 288, 369-388.
  • FOUREL, F., LECUYER, C., JAME, P., GUIRONNET, A., BOUTIER, A., BARBIER, M., BLAMEY, N., BRAND, U., FRALICK, P. 2020. Simultaneous d2H and d18O analyses of water inclusions in halite with Off-axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA-ICOS). Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 55,
  • STEADMAN, J., LARGE, R., BLAMEY, N., MUKHERJEE, I., CORKREY, R., DANYUSHEVSKY, L., MASLENNIKOV, V., HOLLINGS, P., GARVEN, G., BRAND, U., LECUYER, C. 2020. Evidence for elevated and variable atmospheric oxygen in the Precambrian. Precambrian Research, 343, 105722.
  • LECUYER, C., FOUREL, F., BLAMEY. N., BRAND, U., FRALICK, P. 2020. d2H of water from fluid inclusions in Proterozoic halite: evidence for a deuterium-depleted hydrosphere? Chemical Geology, 541, 119583.
  • BRAND, U., BITNER, A.M., LOGAN, A., AZMY, K., CRIPPA, G., ANGIOLINI, L., COLIN, P., GRIESSHABER, E., HARPER, E.M., E.T. RUGGIERO, HAUSSERMANN, V. 2019. Brachiopod-based oxygen-isotope thermometer: update and review. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, 125, 775-787.
  • GARBELLI, C. SHEN, S.Z., IMMENHAUSER, A., BRAND, U., BUHL, D., WANG, W.Q., ZHANG, H., SHI, G.R. 2019. Early and Middle Permian deglaciation of the southern hemisphere: brachiopod-based 87Sr/86Sr calibration. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 516, 122-135.
  • FOUREL, F., LECUYER, C., SERIS, M., BLAMEY, N., BRAND, U., FRALICK, P., VOLDERS, F. 2019. Improved online hydrogen isotope analysis of halite aqueous inclusions. Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 54, 342-350
  • BLAMEY, N.J.F., BRAND, U. Atmospheric gases in modern and ancient halite fluid inclusions: a screening protocol. Gondwana Research, 69, 163-176. doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2018.12.004
  • RODA, M.S., GRIESSHABER, E., ZIEGLER, A., HENKEL, D., HAUSSERMANN, V., EISENHAUER, A., LAUDIN, J., BRAND, U., SCHMAHL, W.W. 2019. Calcite fiber formation in modern brachiopod shells. Scientific Reports, 9, 598-613.
  • YE, F., JURIKOVA, H., ANGIOLINI, L., BRAND, U., CRIPPA, G., HENKEL, D., LAUDIEN, J., HIEBENTHAL, SMAJGL, D. 2019. Variation in brachiopod microstructure and isotope geochemistry under low pH – ocean acidification – conditions. Biogeosciences, 16, 617-642.
  • CASELLA, L.A., HE, X., GRIESSHABER, E., FERNANDEZ-DIAZ, L., HARPER, E.M., JACKSON, D., ZIEGLER, A., MAVROMATIS, V., DIETZEL, M., EISENHAUER, A., BRAND., U., SCHMAHL, W.W. 2019. Microstructures and alteration of biogenic carbonate archives: degree of diagenetic overprinting deduced from statistical grain area analysis (SAGA). Biogeosciences,
  • ZAKY, A., BRAND, U., BUHL, D., BLAMEY, N., BITNER, A.M., LOGAN, A., GASPARD, D., POPOV, A. 2019. Strontium isotope geochemistry of modern and ancient archives: tracer of secular change in ocean chemistry. Canadian J. Earth Sciences, 56, 245-264. DOI: 10.1139/CJES-2018-0085.
  • CASELLA, L.A., HE, S., GRIESSHABER, E., FERNANDEZ-DIAS, L., GREINER, M., HARPER, E.M., JACKSON, D.J., ZIEGLER, A., MAVROMATIS, V., DIETZEL, M., EISENHAUER, A., VEINTMILLAS-VERDAGUER, S., BRAND, U., SCHMAHL, W.W. 2018. Hydrothermal alteration of aragonitic bicarbonates: assessment of micro- and nanostructural dissolution-reprecipitation and constraints of diagenetic overprint from quantitative statistical grain-area analysis. Biogeosciences, 15, 7451-7484.
  • BELLEFROID, E.J., PLANAVSKY, N.J., MILLER, N.R., BRAND, U., WANG, C. 2018. Case studies on the utility of sequential carbonate leaching for radiogenic strontium isotope analysis. Chemical Geology, 497, 88-99.
  • ROMANIN, M., CRIPPA, G., YE, F., BRAND, U., ANGIOLINI, L., BITNER, A.M., GASPARD, D., HAUSSERMANN, V., LAUDIEN, J. 2018. A sampling strategy for modern and fossil brachiopods: selecting the optimal shell segment for geochemical analyses. Revista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia (Research in Paleontology and Stratigraphy), 124, 343-359.
  • CASELLA, L.A., SIMONET RODA, M., ANGIOLINI, L., ZIEGLER, A., SCHMAHL, W.W., BRAND, U., GRIESSHABER, E. 2018b. Archival biogenic micro- and nanostructure data analysis: signatures of diagenetic systems. Data-in-Brief. Palaeogeog., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol., 19, 299-311.
  • CASELLA, L.A., GRIESSHABER, E., SIMONET RODA, M., ZIEGLER, A., MAVROMATIS, V., HENKEL, D., LAUDIEN, J., HAUSSERMANN, V., NEUSER, R.D., ANGIOLINI, L., DIETZEL, M., EISENHAUER, A., IMMENHAUSER, A., BRAND, U., SCHMAHL, W.W. 2018a. Micro- and nanostructures reflect the degree of diagenetic alteration in brachiopod shell calcite: a multi-analytical screening approach (CL, FE-SEM, AFM, EBSD). Palaeogeog., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol., 502, 13-30.
  • BAJNAI, D., FIEBIG, J., TOMASOVYCH, T., MILNER, S.G., ROLLION-BARD, C., RADDATZ, J., LOFFLER, N., PRIMO-RAMOS, C., BRAND, U. 2018. Assessing kinetic fractionation in brachiopod calcite using clumped isotopes. Scientific Reports, v. 8, 533-542.
  • YE, F., CRIPPA, G., ANGIOLINI, L., BRAND, U., CAPITANI, GC., CUSACK, M., GARBELLI, C., GRIESSHABER, E., SCHMAHL, W.W. 2018. Mapping of recent brachiopod microstructure: a tool for environmental and climate studies. Journal of Structural Biology, v. 201, 221-236.
  • JURIKOVA, H., GUTJAHR, M., LIEBETRAU, V., FLOGEL, S., WALLMANN, K., EISENHAUER, A., POSENATO, R., ANGIOLINI, L., GARBELLI, C., BRAND, U. 2017. Assessing ocean acidification and carbon cycle perturbations during the end-Permian extinction using boron isotopes. Permophiles, v. 65, 15-16.
  • ULLMANN, C.V., KORTE, C., BITNER, A.M., AZMY, K., BRAND, U. 2017. Geochemistry of the brachiopod Hemithiris psittacea from the Canadian Arctic: implications for high latitude paleoclimate studies. Chemical Geology, v. 466, 187-198.
  • ZAKY, A., BRAND, U., AZMY, K., LOGAN, A., SVAVARSSON, J. Rare Earth Elements of shallow-water articulated brachiopods: a bathymetric indicator. 2016. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 461, 178-194.
  • BLAMEY, N.J.F., BRAND, U., PARNELL, J., SPEAR, N., LéCUYER, C., BENISON, K. MENG, F., NI, P. 2016. Paradigm shift in determining Neoproterozoic atmospheric oxygen. Geology, v. 44, 651-654. (Top ten-read paper for 2016 – Geochemical Society; 2016 number #1 paper for Geology – Geological Society of America)
  • BRAND, U., BLAMEY, N., GARBELLI, C., POSENATO, R., ANGIOLINI, L., AZMY, K., FARABEGOLI, E., CAME, R. 2016. Methane Hydrate: Killer Cause of Earth’s greatest mass extinction. Palaeoworld, v. 25, 496-507. (Article on the topic by Adrian Reid, UTS, Sydney, Australia: http://adrianreid.businesscatalyst.com/). Top ten most-read article for Palaeoworld (2017, 2018, 2019).
  • ZAKY, A., AZMY, K., BRAND, U., SVAVARSSON, J. 2016. Rare Earth Elements in deep-water articulated brachiopods: evaluation of seawater mass. Chemical Geology, 435, 22-34.
  • HOU, Y., AZMY, K., BERRA, F., JADOUL, F., BLAMEY, N.J.F., GLEESON, S.A., BRAND, U. 2016. Origin of the Breno and Ensino dolomites in the western Southern Alps (Italy): implications for a volcanic influence. Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 69, 38-52.
  • GARBELLI, C., ANGIOLINI, L., BRAND, U., SHEN, S., JADOUL, F., POSENATO, R., AZMY, K., CAO, C.Q. 2016. Neotethys seawater chemistry and temperature at the dawn of the end Permian mass extinction. Gondwana Research, v. 35, 272-285.
  • AZMY, K., KENDALL, B., BRAND, U., STOUGE, S., GORDON, G.W. 2015. Redox conditions across the Cambrian-Ordovician boundary: elemental and isotopic signatures retained in the GSSP carbonates. Palaeogeog., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol., v. 440, 440-454.
  • ZAKY, A., BRAND, U., AZMY, K. 2015. A new sample processing protocol for procuring seawater REE signatures in biogenic and abiogenic carbonates. Chemical Geology, v. 416, 36-50.
  • BRAND, U., AZMY, K., BITNER, A.M., LOGAN, A., ZUSCHIN, M., RUGGIERO, E., COLIN, P.L. 2015. Carbon isotope compositions in modern brachiopod calcite: a case of equilibrium with seawater? Chemical Geology, v. 411, 81-96.

Selected Older Publications

  • CAME, R.E., EILER, J., VEIZER, J., AZMY, K., BRAND, U., WEIDMAN, R., 2007. Coupling of surface temperatures and atmospheric CO2 concentrations during the Paleozoic era. NATURE, 449, 198-201.
  • BRAND, U., LOGAN, A., HILLER, N., and RICHARDSON, J. 2003. Geochemistry of modern brachiopods: applications and implications for oceanography and paleoceanography. Chem. Geol. 198, 305–334. (cross-listed in Virtual Journal of Geobiology: 1B – Biota-Hydrosphere/Cryosphere Interactions, v. 2, issue 6, June 2003).
  • SMITH, P.E., BRAND, U., and FARQUHAR, R.M., 1994. U/Pb systematics and alteration trends of Pennsylvanian-aged aragonite and calcite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 58, 313–322.
  • BRAND, U., 1991. Strontium isotope diagenesis of biogenic aragonite and low-Mg calcite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 55, 505–513.
  • Morrison, J.O., and Brand , U. 1986. Paleoscene #5. Geochemistry of Recent marine invertebrates. Geoscience Canada, 13, 237–254.
  • Brand, U., and Veizer, J. 1980. Chemical diagenesis of a multicomponent carbonate system-1: trace elements. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 50, 1219–1236.

Funding

  • NSERC
  • BUCCR

Student Projects

  •  MSc1 – Biogeochemistry of Canadian Arctic brachiopods – impacts of climate change; involves the geochemical (trace and REE chemistry and stable isotopes) investigation of brachiopods from the Canadian Arctic and Hudson Bay
    MSc2 – Biogeochemistry of Russian Arctic brachiopods – impacts of climate change; involves the geochemical (trace and REE chemistry and stable isotopes) investigation of brachiopods from the Russian Arctic (White Sea)
  • PhD – culturing of modern brachiopods in the lab at OSC (Ocean Science Centre, Memorial University) as well as at Little Cayman Island Research Station LCIRS), using the latest flow-through aquatic systems – co-supervision with A. Mercier (OSC). Study involves culturing of cold (OSC) and warm LCIRS) water brachiopods under different temperature, pH, nutrient and oxygen regimes.

Bear & Me – (2013) on the way to collect water samples and water quality information of Hudson Bay north of Churchill, Manitoba (The Polar Bear Capital of the World) we encountered this creature looking for food (fortunately not us)