Transport, bioavailability and bioaccessibility of contaminants in the changing North

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Climate change, new northern mining projects and increased atmospheric deposition from emerging Asian economies will modify the transport, transformation an fate of metal(oid)s in northern Canada, with unknown consequences on ecosystem health. I propose a polar program that will investigate key transformations that may affect the mobility, reactivity and availability to higher organisms of three key northern contaminants, mercury, arsenic and selenium, three elements with known biological interactions. Selected biogeochemical transformations in the cycling of metal(oid)s will be studied in an increasingly important and poorly known feature of the changing North, thaw ponds receiving old carbon from permafrost. Further, biochemical studies on the bioaccessibility of these elements in traditional food undergoing different preparation techniques will be studies by in vitro digestion, in consultation with northerners. This research will train 15 HQPs including 3 northerners. I propose an extensive program of interaction, communication, training and sharing of traditional knowledge with communities, hunters and trappers organizations and high schools. The program will be conducted at 5 northern locations. This grant is my only source of funding for transportation from Montreal to the North and for accomodations at Kuujjuarapik, Bylot, Pond Inlet, and Yellowknife, and it is therefore of vital importance for this research initiative. I have been very productive, with 37 scientific articles and 5 book chapters published in the last 6 years, and 41 persons trained. My comprehensive training program includes collaborations and internships in national and international labs, and close student supervision by me (including intensive writing workshops leading to high productivity by graduates). I have 16 years of experience in northern research, and I am confident to meet the objectives in an efficient and timely manner, with tangible original contributions to science and policy in Canada. With increasing interactions between climate change, mining activities and atmospheric deposition, this program will answer an urgent need for a better understanding of the anticipated changes in the fate of and exposure to key arctic contaminants in the North.