Establishing a high spatial density biomonitoring system for atmospheric depositions in Eastern Canada.

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The project aims at establishing a baseline for inorganic and organic atmospheric contaminants of anthropogenic origin in Eastern Canada. Data on atmospheric deposition are scarce in Quebec and come from a few sites hosted by the atmospheric program of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Evaluating the impact of human activities on atmospheric deposition at large scale thus relies on few stations and on predictive models. These models exist for contaminants sampled on a routine basis (such as sulfur, nitrogen and mercury for instance) while many inorganic and organic contaminants are not covered. Moreover, the modeled contaminants lack strong validation because large areas of the country are not covered by atmospheric stations. The main objectives of this project are to produce a field-data based evaluation of current atmospheric deposition of contaminants, both organic and inorganic, at the Quebec scale, and significantly improve the geographic cover and density of data feeding atmospheric deposition models. This project will yield valuable data with a never achieved spatial resolution on current atmospheric deposition of contaminants at the scale of the province providing essential information to guide environmental actions and priorities at the local, provincial and national levels. The project will contribute to the bryomonitoring initiative (https://bryomonitoring.ca), aiming at establishing a panCanadian and long-term biomonitoring program in Canada. This baseline will be the foundation for future monitoring of atmospheric depositions; it will be a reference in time that decision makers and stakeholders can use to estimate how environmental policies and human activities impact environmental quality in the decades to come. It will help improving models that are essential tools to predict atmospheric depositions at the National scale.