Professor John Smol OC, PhD, FRSC, FRS, is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Biology (cross-appointed with the School of Environmental Studies) at Queen’s University where he is also holder of the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change. He was the founding editor of the Journal of Paleolimnology and is currently in his 4th 5-year term as editor-in-chief of the journal Environmental Reviews. He is also the series editor of the book series Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research and is on the editorial boards of ten other journals. John founded and now co-directs the Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory (PEARL) at Queen’s University and has over 620 journal publications and book chapters to his credit. He has edited and authored 21 books, including one textbook on paleolimnology, now in its second edition, and co-authored a textbook on ecology, also in its second edition. John has lectured on all seven continents and is a frequent commentator on environmental issues for radio, television, and the print media.

Appearing in 12. Beneath the Surface: The Ring of Fire