Sampling seawater just below the surface of a seagrass bed in Quatsino Sound, British Columbia
Sampling seawater just below the surface of a seagrass bed in Quatsino Sound, British Columbia. Credit: Mike McDermid

What can a bottle of seawater tell you about the fish living below?

Classified as: seawater, water, Sustainability, clean energy, Hydrogen, Artificial intelligence, contaminants, pollution, viruses, oil spills
Category:
Published on: 21 Oct 2022

“Our research shows that climate change is having substantial impacts on Arctic ecosystems, with consequences for exposure to toxic pollutants like mercury,” says co-author Jean-Pierre Desforges, a Postdoctoral Fellow [NRS] at McGill University under the supervision of Nil Basu [NRS/SHN] and Melissa McKinney [NRS].

McGill Newsroom

Classified as: Arctic, climate change, diet, mercury exposure, pollution, Sustainability, narwals, tusks
Published on: 31 Mar 2021

In the Arctic, climate change and pollution are the biggest threats to top predators like narwhals. Studying the animals’ tusks reveals that diet and exposure to pollution have shifted over the past half century in response to sea-ice decline. Human emissions have also led to a sharp rise in the presence of mercury in recent years, according to an international team of researchers.

Classified as: narwhals, Arctic, tusks, mercury exposure, climate change, diet, pollution, Sustainability, Jean-Pierre Desforges
Published on: 29 Mar 2021

The snow may be melting, but it is leaving pollution behind in the form of micro- and nano-plastics according to a McGill study that was recently published in Environmental Pollution. The pollution is largely due to the relatively soluble plastics found in antifreeze products (polyethylene glycols) that can become airborne and picked up by the snow.

Classified as: pollution, plastics, Department of Chemistry, department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, Parisa Ariya
Published on: 17 Mar 2021

Indigenous Peoples around the world are suffering disproportionately from the impacts of pollution. After surveying close to 700 articles covering different disciplines and regions of the world, a research team led by Helsinki University and involving McGill has highlighted key factors that contribute to this situation.

Classified as: Indigenous Peoples, pollution
Published on: 1 Jun 2020

A smog warning is still in effect for the Greater Montreal area Monday as high concentrations of pollutants are expected to infiltrate the air. According to Environment Canada, this could "result in poor air quality, especially in urban areas where pollutant emissions are higher." (CTV)

McGill expert who can comment on the issue:

Classified as: Expert, smog, pollution, weather, Faculty of Science, Sustainability
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Published on: 3 Feb 2020

Scientists have been looking at pollution affecting the air, land and water around the Athabasca Oil Sands for some time. After looking at contaminants in snow taken from up-to 25 km away from the oil sands, a McGill-led scientific team now suggests that oil sand pollution is also affecting the weather patterns in the surrounding regions.

Classified as: pollution, Athabaska oil sands, weather, nanoparticles, environment, Sustainability, chemistry
Published on: 18 Nov 2019

D’après Sébastien Faucher, professeur au département des sciences des ressources naturelles à l’Université McGill, les rince-bouche ne sont qu’une goutte d’eau dans la pollution de nos cours d’eau. 

Lire dans Le Journal de Montréal

Classified as: pollution
Published on: 27 May 2019

Un décès sur six lui est attribuable chaque année […] « C’est la première fois que l’on conclut que la pollution environnementale est une cause si importante de décès », souligne le professeur Niladri Basu, chercheur à l’Université McGill, qui a participé à l’étude publiée hier par la revue Lancet en partenariat avec l’Organisation des Nations Unies (ONU).

Journal de Québec

Classified as: environment, pollution, Niladri Basu, death
Published on: 23 Oct 2017

With spring finally here and warmer temperatures just around the corner, snow will slowly melt away, releasing us from the clutches of winter. However, that’s not the only thing that the melting snow will release. Researchers from McGill University and École de technologie supérieure in Montreal have found that urban snow accumulates a toxic cocktail from car emissions - pollutants that are in turn unleashed into the environment as the weather warms up.

Classified as: pollution, snow, department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, Department of Chemistry, Exhaust, Carcinogen, Yevgen Nazarenko, Parisa Ariya, École de technologie supérieure
Published on: 4 Apr 2017

The risk of acute myocardial infarction for the elderly living in and around small cities is increased by air pollution caused by biomass burning from woodstoves.  

It is well documented that air pollution in big cities causes heart and lung problems. But what are its consequences on people in smaller urban centres?

Classified as: environment, pollution, health and lifestyle, Heart attacks, Scott Weichenthal, Wood burning stoves, biomass, British Columbia
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Published on: 27 Feb 2017

By Melody Enguix

McGill Newsroom

When scientists from McGill University learned that some fish were proliferating in rivers and ponds polluted by oil extraction in Southern Trinidad, it caught their attention. They thought they had found a rare example of a species able to adapt to crude oil pollution.

Classified as: oil, water, evolution, fish, pollution, ecosystems, Andrew Hendry, evolutionary ecology, food and sustainability, adaptation, oil-pollution, Southern Trinidad, tar sands
Published on: 26 Jan 2016

Yevgen Nazarenko (photo), Uday Kurien, Oleg Nepotchatykh and Rodrigo Rangel-Alvarado, with Prof Ariya have published a paper that demonstrates a substantial influence of snow on car exhaust pollution. In particular, the results showed that snow acts as a sink for toxic organic pollutants and nanosized particles from car exhausts. The article is published in Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts and has attracted much attention, now classified "hot" on the Journal website.

Classified as: green, pollution, snow
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Published on: 19 Jan 2016

A Cooper’s hawk, found in Greater Vancouver, is the most polluted wild bird that has been found anywhere in the world.

Classified as: news, Research, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, pollution, Kyle Elliott
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Published on: 22 Apr 2015

Cyclists in Montreal and Toronto can now choose the least polluted routes to get around their cities thanks to an online tool developed at McGill University. Sometimes a detour of less than 1 km can make for a much less polluted ride. 

Classified as: environment, pollution, bicycles, cycling paths, Marianne Hatzopoulou
Category:
Published on: 15 Apr 2015

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