News

By incorporating a synthetic DNA sequence in a polyacrylamide hydrogel, a new nanomaterial able to measure very low concentrations of mercury in water samples was developed. Next, the new material was incorporated in a Diffusive Gradient in Thin Film (DGT) holder to produce a cost-effective, easy-to-operate, field-deployable DGT-DNA sensor for aqueous mercury(II), which requires no sample preparation.

A new paper published in Freshwater Science by a joint Sino-Canadian team, including Waterloo researchers Philippe Van Cappellen and William Taylor, explores the mechanisms responsible for algal blooms in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR).

Bingjie Shi, Stephane Ngueleu, Fereidoun Rezanezhad, Stephanie Slowinski, Geertje Johanna Pronk, Christina Smeaton, and Philippe Van Cappellen of the Ecohydrology Research Group co-authored a paper titled “Sorption and Desorption of the Model Aromatic Hydrocarbons Naphthalene and Benzene: Effects of Temperature and Soil Composition”, which was recently published in Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry.

The Canadian Association of Research Libraries’ Portage Network has released 9 Exemplar data management plan (DMPs). Among exemplar DMPs is the Data Management Plan for the Ecohydrology Research Group, the first for the University of Waterloo that is publicly available.

On October 22, the University of Waterloo’s Office of Research and the Office of Advancement organized a showcase event to celebrate the progress of the University of Waterloo and Technion partnership, which has been supported through the Schwartz-Reisman Foundation beginning in 2014.

A new paper was published in the journal Ecological Indicators by ERG researchers Chris Wellen (now at Ryerson University) and Philippe Van Cappellen, together with colleagues from the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and Environment and Climate Change Canada. In this study, the authors estimate the sample sizes required to detect statistically significant changes in annual nutrient loads and flow weighted concentrations brought about by conservation measures in agricultural watersheds.

A new paper by ERG researchers and colleagues from China University of Geosciences, published in Environmental Science and Technology, sheds light on the role of flavins in iron redox cycling. Flavins are an important class of electron transfer mediators secreted by a variety of microorganisms and plants.

A new paper in the journal Water Resources Research, co-authored by Ecohydrology Research Group member Fereidoun Rezanezhad, assesses the centennial-scale shifts in hydro-physical properties of peat induced by drainage.

Research projects by Ecohydrology group students and researchers were recently featured in the online Arts and Science Community Showcase hosted by the rare Charitable Research Reserve.

The paper Global Dam‐Driven Changes to Riverine N:P:Si Ratios Delivered to the Coastal Ocean published in Geophysical Research Letters was selected as a Research Spotlight by AGU’s weekly magazine Eos.