Hydro-biogeochemistry of contaminant transformation and transport

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Environmental pollution is a widespread issue of international concern that can affect the health of both humans and ecosystems. The proposed research program focuses on: 1) understanding how contaminants move through soils, 2) how the chemical environment within wet soils affects reactions involving contaminants, and 3) how alterations to our environment, like climate and land-use changes, impact contaminant movement and reactions to either worsen or lessen pollution problems. The proposed research program will focus strongly on the contaminant mercury. Our research uses cutting-edge methods and integrates processes that are also important to carbon and sulphur cycling. One of our main purposes will be to test specific theories about how inputs of mercury from the air and through water are transformed into methylmercury. This naturally occurring transformation process in the environment is a key environmental reaction because methylmercury is the principal form of mercury that accumulates in living organisms, such as fish. Human consumption of fish is then the main route of being exposed to mercury pollution. In helping to address the proposed research program's objectives, at least 16 highly qualified personnel will be funded to undertake training through laboratory experiments and field research. Students will significantly enhance their technical capabilities and gain transferable job skills, such as through training on the operation of advanced analytical chemistry instrumentation. Mercury pollution is an important international issue and is continuing to affect a number of communities across Canada. In the long-term, this program will help my research group and other scientists to better simulate and predict how changes to our environment will impact pollutant behaviour. This will help protect human and ecosystem health, and to meet our obligations under international agreements such as the Minimata Convention, a recently ratified international pact to reduce global mercury pollution.