Isotope Tracers in Catchment Hydrology

This course is designed for graduate students, researchers, and water professionals who want to understand how stable isotope tracers can be used to investigate catchment hydrology, ecohydrology, and related environmental processes.

Standard Fee:

$150

You may withdraw up to seven days before the start date and receive a refund (less a $50 administration fee) or a full fee transfer to another CPE offering with open registration. Please see Policy & Resources.

Delivery Mode:

Online (Live/Synchronous)

Structure:

This course runs over five days (Monday–Friday), with daily live sessions delivered via Zoom. Each day is organized around a central theme, moving from foundational concepts through to specialized applications:

• Day 1 – Overview, Isotope Geochemistry and Introduction to Isotope Tracers: Foundational concepts in catchment hydrology, isotope geochemistry, and isotope hydrology in the lab
• Day 2 – What Can Be Quantified with Isotopes: Hydrograph separation, transit time modelling, and large-scale interpretation
• Day 3 – New Techniques, New Tracers, New Scales: SAS functions, groundwater age dating, and global isotope patterns
• Day 4 – Lake Evaporation, Isotope Biogeochemistry and Ecology, Water Extraction: Isotopes in lakes, quantifying evaporation rates in ungauged basins, transpiration and evapotranspiration (T/ET) partitioning, and water extraction methods
• Day 5 – Plant Water and Soil Water: Transpiration, plant water source and age, and closing discussion

Each day is broken into four or five one-hour sessions, taught by a different instructor drawing on their own research specialty, giving learners a varied, expert-led perspective across the week rather than a single instructional voice.

Knowledge & Experience Requirements:

A basic understanding of hydrology or environmental science is recommended, though not required. The course is designed to be accessible to a broad audience, including graduate students, researchers, and environmental professionals, regardless of prior experience with isotope methods. No coding or laboratory experience is necessary to follow the lectures and discussions.

Technology Requirements:

To be successful, you will need:

• An email account.
• A computer, laptop or tablet that has the latest version of one of the following web browsers installed: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari. UBCO’s Canvas learning management system will not work with Internet Explorer. To verify your device’s browser is compatible with UBCO’s Canvas learning management system, please visit the Canvas supported browser page.
• A reliable internet connection and access to Zoom, where all live sessions will be delivered.
• The technology to watch videos, listen to audio and read or download PDF files.
• A webcam and a microphone (recommended to support participation in discussions).

If you have technology-related questions or support, please use the link in the course or email cpe.ubco@ubc.ca

Course Material Requirements:

This section will be updated with details on any required or recommended materials for the course.

Course Instructors

Magali Nehemy (Lead Instructor)

Magali Nehemy is an Assistant Professor of Ecohydrology at UBC Okanagan, appointed in 2025. She previously held an Assistant Professorship at Trent University (2022–2025) after earning her PhD at the University of Saskatchewan. She co-chairs the Canadian Geophysical Union’s Committee on Isotope Tracers and leads the Hillslope Ecohydrology Research (H.E.R.) Lab.

Jeffrey McDonnell

Jeffrey McDonnell is a University Distinguished Professor of Hydrology at the University of Saskatchewan and Associate Director of the Global Institute for Water Security. He is a former President of the AGU Hydrology Section. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, and the Royal Geographical Society.

Geoff Koehler

Geoff Koehler is a Stable Isotope Chemist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, where he has worked for over two decades applying stable isotope methods to hydrology, geochemistry, and environmental forensics. His expertise spans isotope hydrology, geochemistry, analytical geochemistry. He earned his PhD in Stable Isotope Geochemistry from the University of Saskatchewan.

Kim Janzen

Kim Janzen is Lab Manager for the Department of Soil Science and Hillslope Hydrology at the University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Water Security. She has worked in isotope laboratory management at the university since 2014. She holds a BSc and MSc in Geography from the University of Saskatchewan.

Genevieve Ali

Genevieve Ali is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at McGill University. She leads the Ecohydrological Systems Laboratory, focusing on process hydrology and environmental modelling. She holds a PhD in Environmental Geography from the University of Montreal.

Ali Ameli

Ali Ameli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. He directs the HydroGeoScience for Watershed Management Research Group, a role he has held since 2019. He earned his PhD from the University of Waterloo.

Ciaran Harman

Ciaran Harman is an Associate Professor and the Russell Croft Faculty Scholar in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He directs the Landscape Hydrology Lab and holds a joint appointment in Earth and Planetary Sciences. He earned his PhD in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Scott Jasechko

Scott Jasechko is a Professor of water resources at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UC Santa Barbara, since 2017. He previously taught at the University of Calgary after completing his PhD at the University of New Mexico. He is a recipient of the AGU Macelwane Medal (2022).

John Gibson

John Gibson is a Principal Researcher at InnoTech Alberta, specializing in isotope hydrology and geochemistry. He holds professional designations as a PhD, PGeo, and PGeol. His work focuses on water balance and source tracing of bitumen and salt.

Cody Millar

Cody Millar is Lab Manager and Technical Lead for MOST at the University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Water Security. He supports stable isotope research infrastructure. He is a specialist in plant and soil water extraction techniques for stable isotope analysis. He holds a BSc in Environmental Earth Sciences and an MES in Environment and Sustainability, both from the University of Saskatchewan.

Tegan Holmes

Tegan Holmes is a Postdoctoral Fellow affiliated with the University of Calgary Hydrologic Analysis Lab (UC-HAL), working in isotope-informed hydrologic modelling. She completed her PhD following an MSc in Civil Engineering at the University of Manitoba. Her research applies tracer-aided modeling approaches to streamflow generation and mixing processes.

Scott Allen

Scott Allen is an Associate Professor of Ecohydrology and Physiological Ecology at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he also serves as Associate Director of Student Recruitment and Success. His research uses stable water isotopes to trace plant water uptake, partition evapotranspiration into its evaporation and transpiration components, and understand forest water and energy cycling. He earned his PhD from Louisiana State University.

Upon successful completion of all program requirements, learners are awarded a UBC Okanagan Letter of Completion(a non-credit credential). Learners will also receive a verifiable digital badge (which has descriptive metadata about the learning achievement) for sharing through digital channels.