Tools for risk identification and validation of the effects of elements in Northern Canadian ecosystems (TRIVALENCE)

加拿大人是采矿创新的全球领导者，这也延伸到发展环境可持续性所需的科学和致力于采矿部门负责任的管理。这种对可持续性的承诺的核心是需要强有力的以科学为基础的监管方法，并得到前沿研究的支持。加拿大北部拥有丰富的矿产资源。在接下来的十年里，勘探和开发预计将大幅增加，有望为社区带来经济利益。这些北部环境也是原始的，通常被认为是脆弱的。因此，开发这些矿产资源的一个关键方面是了解其对环境的潜在影响。在评估北方环境中的风险所需的科学知识方面存在很大差距，对于缺乏地球化学和毒理学信息的金属尤其如此。“加拿大北部环境中元素影响的风险识别和验证工具”项目将汇集一组在水环境中金属的地球化学和毒理学方面具有丰富经验和知识的研究人员。该团队将与行业和政府监管机构合作，对数据贫乏的金属提供新颖的、基于科学的理解。这项工作以北方生态系统为重点，解决了在量化与即将进行的北方矿产资源开发相关的风险方面的重大差距。将通过该项目接受培训的学生(其中29人)将发展专门知识，使他们能够长期为保护加拿大环境作出贡献。

Canadians are global leaders in mining innovation and this also extends to developing the science needed for environmental sustainability and a commitment to responsible management in the mining sector. Central to this commitment to sustainability is the need for strong science-based regulatory approaches supported by leading-edge research. Canada's North holds abundant mineral resources. In the next decade, exploration & development are expected to significantly increase, with a promise of economic benefits for communities. These northern environments are also pristine and are generally considered fragile. Therefore a key aspect of developing these mineral resources is to understand the potential for environmental impacts. There are significant gaps in the scientific knowledge needed for assessing risk in northern environments and this is particularly the case for metals for which geochemistry and toxicology information is lacking. The "Tools for Risk Identification and Validation of the Effects of Elements in Northern Canadian Environments" project will bring together a team of researchers with extensive experience and knowledge on the geochemistry and toxicology of metals in aquatic environments. In partnership with industry and government regulators the team will provide novel, science-based understandings on data poor metals. With a focus on northern ecosystems, this work addresses critical gaps in quantifying the risk associated with the upcoming development of northern mineral resources. The students (29 of them) that will be trained through this project will develop expertise and knowledge that will allow them to contribute to the protection of Canadian environments over the long term.