Dr Luc Rock - Lecturer in Isotope Geochemistry
Degrees:
1996 BSc Fundamental and Applied Geology (University of Paris-South XI)
1997 MSc Geophysics (University of Paris-South XI)
1999 MSc Stratigraphy, Sedimentology, Geochemistry (McGill University)
2005 University Teaching Certificate (University of Calgary)
2005 PhD Applied Isotope Bio-Geochemistry (University of Calgary)
Brief Description:
Originally from Luxembourg, Dr Rock started his university education at the University of Paris-XI where he studied in the department of Earth Sciences. He pursued further studies at McGill University, where he investigated the history of subsurface carbonate reservoirs. After working for a period in the oil industry and a short stay in Mexico to learn Spanish, he returned to Canada to do his PhD in the field of Applied Isotope Bio-Geochemistry at the University of Calgary. The focus of his PhD research project was to assess the usefulness of the isotopic composition of surface water nitrate for identifying its sources in a watershed with differing land use. Then he took up a position as a Canadian Government Laboratory Visiting Fellow in the field of Isotope Biogeochemistry at the Lethbridge Research Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. His work there focused on assessing the origin and fate of nitrous oxide within agricultural soil. In turn, over the last several years he has gained experience in using the isotopic composition of a range of elements (H, O, C, N, S, Sr) to address questions within various fields (e.g. sedimentology, hydro(geo)logy, pedology, biogeochemistry). In August 2007, he joined Queen’s University Belfast as a RCUK Academic Fellow, and since April 2009 he is a lecturer in Isotope Geochemistry.
Teaching Interests:
His teaching interests include Isotope Geochemistry; Catchment Hydro(geo)logy; Environmental Geology; Climate Change and Sustainability.
Research Interests:
His research interests lie in applying the principles of isotope (bio)geochemistry to understand, to mitigate, and to solve environmental problems related to water quality/quantity or climate change issues, in order to achieve a sustainable future. Another area of interest is the application of isotope techniques to food traceability/authenticity issues. He is also interested in the application of spatial analysis tools such as ArcGIS to integrate and interpret complex data sets.
Administrative Responsibilities:
Laboratory coordinator of the Stable Isotope Facility
Ethics committee member
Selected Publications:
Rock, L., and Ellert, B., 2009, Natural abundance N and O stable isotopes in nitrate: an undervalued tool for agro-ecological research, in N. Yoshida (ed.), Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Isotopomers, Tokyo, Japan, October 4-8, 2008, ISI2008-16, p. 40-47.
Rock, L., and Mayer, B., 2009, Identifying the influence of geology, land use, and anthropogenic activities on riverine sulfate on a watershed scale by combining hydrometric, chemical and isotopic approaches, Chemical Geology, DOI: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2009.01.002.
Ellert, B. H., and Rock, L., 2008, Stable Isotopes in Soil and Environmental Research, in M.R. Carter and E.G. Gregorich (eds.) Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis 2nd ed., Canadian Society of Soil Science, CRC Press.
Rock, L. , Ellert, B., Mayer, B., and Norman, A.L., 2007, Isotopic composition of tropospheric and soil N2O from successive depths of agricultural plots with contrasting crops and nitrogen amendments, Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, D18303, DOI: 10.1029/2006JD008330.
Rock, L. , and Ellert, B., 2007, Nitrogen-15 and Oxygen-18 Natural Abundance of Potassium Chloride Extractable Soil Nitrate Using the Denitrifier Method, Soil Science Society of America Journal, vol. 71 (2), 355-361.
Rock, L. , and Mayer, B., 2007, Isotope Hydrology of the Oldman River Basin, southern Alberta, Canada, Hydrological Processes, vol. 21 (24), p. 3301-3315, DOI: 10.1002/hyp.6545.
