Atmospheric Deposition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Across Canada using Sphagnum Moss and Peat Cores from Ombrotrophic Bogs
Dr. Yifeng ZHANG
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta
About the Speaker
Dr. Zhang is postdoctoral fellow at Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta. He obtained his PhD in Environmental Science from Nankai University in 2013 with thesis research focusing on perfluorinated compounds in the environment. Currently, his work is on atmospheric deposition of organic contaminants and trace elements in the oil sands region of Canada. His research interests include identifying environmental contaminants and estimating exposure sources to environmental receptors and humans. He has published 21 papers, and he is a recipient of Alberta Innovates Postgraduate Fellowship for his postdoctoral research.
Talk Information
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known carcinogens and mutagens in humans and they are classified as toxic substancesin Canada under Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Increasing atmospheric deposition of PAHs in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) has been linked to the oil sands mining industry in Northern Alberta, Canada. The sources, magnitude and trends of PAH contamination in this small region continues to be a focus of research, but for context there is value in comparing PAH deposition to other regions of Alberta, as well as to other Provinces of Canada. Rain-fed (ombrotrophic) bogs are distributed widely in Northern Alberta, in which living moss (Sphagnum fuscum) acts as a natural biomonitor of atmospheric deposition. Sphagnum peat is slowly formed over time by the accumulation of dead moss, and peat cores have been validated as good environmental archives of PAH contamination. We employed Sphagnum moss and peat cores to quantify atmospheric deposition of PAHs in Western and Eastern Canada, and to distinguish major sources by chemical mass-balance modeling. This presentation will also introduce the Canadian oil sands industry and its environmental impacts.
时间：2018年5月16日下午2:30-3:30
地点：行政办公楼628会议室（原620-12会议室）
All are welcome！
