Ekuanitshit
In collaboration with the Innu community of Ekuanitshit, our research examines how environmental change and hydroelectric development can influence trace element and mercury (Hg) dynamics in coastal and freshwater ecosystems of the Romaine River region, located on the Innu land of Nitassinan (ᓂᑕᔅᓯᓇᓐ, "Our land") in eastern Québec, Canada. Through field-based monitoring across salinity gradients and along a series of hydroelectric reservoirs, we investigate the drivers of bioaccumulation in key local food resources and aquatic biomonitors, including soft-shell clams and zooplankton. Our work aims to better understand patterns of total mercury and methylmercury (MeHg) exposure, assess potential nutritional benefits and health risks associated with consumption, and provide scientific insight into how environmental conditions and shifts in aquatic communities may shape contaminant transfer through food webs over time.
Inukjuak
In partnership with the Inuit community of Inukjuak (Nunavik, Québec, Canada), our research examines how environmental change and hydroelectric development in permafrost regions can influence mercury (Hg) mobilization and methylmercury (MeHg) production in soils, waters, and aquatic food webs. We also explore the nutritional value and potential contaminant transfer in traditional country food preparations to support food security and informed decision-making.
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KANGIQSUALUJJUAQ
Kangiqsualujjuaq
In partnership with the Inuit community of Kangiqsualujjuaq (Nunavik, Québec, Canada), our research investigates how climate-driven Arctic warming and northern greening can influence mercury (Hg) dynamics in snowpacks and surrounding ecosystems. We also collaborate on community-based environmental monitoring to better understand potential exposure pathways through country foods, including traditional food preparation, and to document the distribution and bioaccumulation of rare earth elements (REE) across local terrestrial, freshwater, and marine species in the context of emerging mining activities.
- Rare earth element bioaccumulation and anomalies in organisms of northeastern Nunavik (Quebec, Canada)
- IMALIRIJIIT: a community-based environmental monitoring program in the George River watershed, Nunavik, Canada
- Influence of vegetative cover on snowpack mercury speciation and stocks in the greening Canadian subarctic region
- Improving nutritional intakes and reducing metal(loid) exposures from wild fish broth among Inuit pregnant women
Wemotaci
In partnership with the Atikamekw community of Wemotaci, our research aims to better understand how human activities and environmental disturbances can affect mercury (Hg) cycling and methylmercury (MeHg) production in the St. Maurice River (Québec, Canada). This stretch of river has experienced multiple stressors, including the construction of two run-of-river dams (2008), a major wildfire (2010), and ongoing logging activity — factors that can mobilize organic matter and mercury into aquatic systems and potentially increase MeHg formation and transfer through food webs. These processes are particularly relevant for fish consumption, as temporary increases in mercury concentrations have been reported in fish from dam-affected areas, leading to consumption advisories. Through field-based sampling and interdisciplinary approaches, our collaborative work investigates mercury-methylating microbial communities, sediment processes, and bioaccumulation pathways to support a stronger understanding of contaminant dynamics, ecosystem health, and local priorities in this culturally and environmentally important region.
- Methylmercury in northern pike (Esox lucius) liver and hepatic mitochondria is linked to lipid peroxidation
- A genome catalogue of mercury-methylating bacteria and archaea from sediments of a boreal river facing human disturbances
- Enhanced Bioaccumulation and Transfer of Monomethylmercury through Periphytic Biofilms in Benthic Food Webs of a River Affected by Run-of-River Dams
- Effect of cooking temperature on metal concentrations and speciation in fish muscle and seal liver
- Cumulative Effects of Watershed Disturbances and Run-of-river Dams on Mercury Cycling: Case Study and Recommendations for Environmental Managers
Our ApproachNotre approche
We believe that meaningful environmental research must involve the communities most affected by environmental change. Our partnerships are built on mutual respect, equitable sharing of knowledge, and a commitment to research that benefits both science and the communities we work with. Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge enriches our scientific understanding in ways that conventional methods alone cannot achieve.Nous croyons que la recherche environnementale significative doit impliquer les communautés les plus touchées par les changements environnementaux. Nos partenariats sont fondés sur le respect mutuel, le partage équitable des connaissances et un engagement envers une recherche qui bénéficie à la fois à la science et aux communautés avec lesquelles nous travaillons.