Core Ideas - The Paleolimnology Podcast
Science Podcasts
Paleolimnology is the science (and art) of reconstructing the past environments of fresh water systems. Join Adam Jeziorski and Josh Thienpont as they wade through the wide variety of topics covered by this interdisciplinary field. Whether you are already an expert at collecting sediment cores and microscope identifications, or you simply have an interest in environmental issues such as acid rain, eutrophication, and climate change, this podcast will help make the natural records that surround us as clear as mud.
Location:
Canada
Genres:
Science Podcasts
Description:
Paleolimnology is the science (and art) of reconstructing the past environments of fresh water systems. Join Adam Jeziorski and Josh Thienpont as they wade through the wide variety of topics covered by this interdisciplinary field. Whether you are already an expert at collecting sediment cores and microscope identifications, or you simply have an interest in environmental issues such as acid rain, eutrophication, and climate change, this podcast will help make the natural records that surround us as clear as mud.
Language:
English
Website:
http://coreideas.ajeziorski.ca/
Episodes
Ep. 62: What's in a (Lake) Name?
10/3/2025
Today we’re exploring something quite simple - lake names. Anyone who has spent much time on the water will have recognized there are a lot of ‘Clear Lakes’ out there, so we decided to do take a look at some common and unhelpful naming tropes that have been used to catalog many waterways (along with some less common).
Duration:00:36:15
Ep. 61: Wisdom of the Ancients
5/30/2025
In between arcs, we got a little self-reflective and decided to make a list of things that would have been useful to be aware of at the start of respective academic journeys.
Duration:00:49:31
Ep. 60: The Anthropocene Remains Undefined
3/4/2025
‘Odd Couplets’ concludes by revisiting a previously discussed topic with some new information. The International Union on Geological Sciences' Submission on Quaternary Stratigraphy has decided to NOT establish a new epoch, and the ‘Anthropocene’ remains undefined. This decision intersects paleolimnology, philosophy, policy and a lot of other things.
Duration:00:44:32
Ep. 59: Paleonucularology
11/5/2024
The next ‘Odd Couplet’ focuses on the intersection of lake sediments and radioactivity. Radioisotopes in lake sediments are used extensively to establish chronologies, but are there other applications that examine these isotopes directly?
Duration:00:40:54
Ep. 58: PalA.I.eolimnology
8/9/2024
We continue our examination of the linkage of some less explored "Odd Couplets" associated with paleolimnology with one that is constantly in the news...AI!
Duration:00:52:01
Ep. 57: Paleotempestology
5/28/2024
Our second ‘Odd Couplet’ looks arc continues with an examination of the records storms can leave behind in lake sediments.
Duration:00:50:25
Ep. 56: Paleopaleoarchaeology
3/11/2024
We begin a new arc on unconventional applications/connections/linkages in paleolimnology, called "Odd Couplets." In the first episode we explore the connections between paleolimnology and archaeology.
Duration:00:41:14
Ep. 55: Contenuous Funding
1/28/2024
The ‘Money, Money, Money’ arc wraps up with a look at the research funding invaluable to paleolimnology, but not funded by the university-industrial complex. Or is it?
Duration:00:48:48
Ep. 54: Elite Institutions
12/12/2023
Our ‘Money, Money, Money’ arc continues with another examination of research finances, this time from the university’s point of view.
Duration:00:46:08
Ep. 53: Fat Cat Professors
9/26/2023
Our ‘Money, Money, Money’ arc continues with an examination of research finances from the professor’s perspective. Where do the funds necessary to buy all the cool stuff used to conduct research actually come from?
Duration:00:55:56
Ep. 52: Starving Students
8/17/2023
Our ‘Money, Money, Money’ arc begins in earnest with a look at research finances (and the lack thereof) from the graduate student perspective.
Duration:00:50:39
Ep. 51: Money Money Money - An Introduction
6/7/2023
We begin a new arc that is a little bit different, exploring the somewhat hidden world of the money behind science (paleolimnology included). In episode 51 we preview the arc's major topics related to graduate student funding, research funding for faculty / lab groups, and several bigger picture topics.
Duration:00:28:51
Ep. 50: Northern PEARLeo
4/25/2023
We wrap up the core reading lists arc with a few papers that set John Smol (and colleagues and students) on his way to being awarded a lifetime achievement award by the International Paleolimnology Symposium at their meeting last year.
Duration:00:40:32
Ep. 49: Oxygen Reconstructions are Hard!
2/21/2023
In our penultimate Core Reading List, we explore the methods for reconstructing oxygen from lake sediments. We include papers that consider the "who cares" of oxygen reconstructions, and focus in on the use of chironomids as indicators.
Duration:00:48:13
Ep. 48: Commentaries on Calcium Concentrations in Cottage Country Lakes
1/17/2023
We are back, continuing our Core Reading Lists arc, with a discussion tracing the topic of calcium decline, and where you might start learning about this in the literature.
Duration:00:59:17
Ep. 47: Playing Chicken with Permafrost Papers
11/16/2022
We're back with our second Core Reading List. We discuss Josh's two favourite topics; permafrost and paleolimnology!
Duration:00:47:46
Ep. 46: Reading Up on Dating
9/30/2022
We're back, and starting a new arc. We're building reading lists of (our selection) of important papers on topics of interest to paleolimnologists. We start with a list to help you read up on dating.
Duration:00:39:25
Ep. 45: Year Two(ish)
9/7/2022
We're back for a short recap of year two (or so). We also preview the next arc, on key reading lists.
Duration:00:34:44
Ep. 44: Too Much of a Good Thing (Data)?
8/10/2022
How much data is too much data? When are you finished counting, and how many cores are enough? In the last episode of the conceptual rabbit holes arc, we consider data in paleolimnology.
Duration:00:46:57
Ep. 43: Why Do We Know So Little About Oceanography?
6/13/2022
As we continue our conceptual rabbit holes arc we are going to explore a question we have had for quite a long time on the show: Why do we know so little about oceanography? The discussion inevitably turns to one around the different silos in science, and whether they are real, and if they really matter.
Duration:00:45:53