Karima Hadria Gondry
MSc Student
Centre Eau Terre Environnement
Institut national de la recherche scientifique
karima.hadria@inrs.ca
Research project description
Study of nickel toxicity on phytoplankton of the Arctic Ocean.
Introduction
The Arctic and its exceptional ecosystem face numerous environmental challenges. These include the growing exploitation of its mineral resources, particularly nickel (Ni), a key metal for the energy transition which appears on the list of strategic minerals drawn up by the Quebec government. Many ecotoxicological studies have been carried out on Ni, but mainly on species from temperate and tropical regions, and very few on species from polar regions. As a result, environmental risk management for Ni in polar environments relies on data from “southern environments”. However, polar organisms have certain physiological and metabolic adaptations (e.g., slower growth and development times) that could make them more or less susceptible to Ni. There is therefore a great deal of uncertainty about the environmental risk of Ni in northern environments, which could be detrimental to environmental protection.
Objectives
The aim of my project is to overcome these uncertainties by assessing Ni toxicity in phytoplankton species from the Arctic Ocean and contributing to the creation of a Ni toxicological database specific to this environment. More specifically, the project aims to 1) compare Ni sensitivities between Arctic and temperate species, and 2) assess the effect of temperature on Ni toxicity.
Study Sites
The tests will be carried out in a lab at the ETE centre of INRS. At least two microalgae from the Arctic Ocean will be grown in artificial seawater. A temperate microalga will also be studied to serve as a reference for the tests.
Material and methods
Firstly, the growth rate of the organisms depending on temperature will be studied, to determine the optimum temperature and duration for the exposure tests. Then, toxicity tests will be carried out, exposing algae to different concentrations of Ni and measuring their growth rate. Dose-response curves, necessary for the development of environmental criteria, will be derived from these data. Ni bioaccumulation will also be measured at the end of the tests. Analyses will be carried out using a particle counter for cell density, and ICPMS or ICPAES for Ni assays.
Expected results
The studies carried out under this project will provide new protocols for testing the toxicity of Ni on Arctic organisms. The results of the project will lay the foundations for future environmental risk assessments projects or environmental discharge objectives related to the mining of nickel in the Arctic, and potentially other metals in polar regions.
