Brett Albert Poulin - SMSP Fall Seminar Series 2024

Abstract: Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant that impacts aquatic environments and human health globally. Coastal wetlands are important environments for the formation of methylmercury, the neurotoxic form of Hg that bioaccumulates and biomagnifies up aquatic food webs. This presentation will highlight the state-of-the-science on the biogeochemical cycling of Hg in the Florida Everglades, an iconic subtropical wetland impacted by agricultural nutrient inputs in the north and sea-level rise in the south. A combination of field and laboratory-based studies establish linkages between sulfur inputs, from agriculture and marine sources, on dissolved organic matter chemistry and Hg transformations in this wetland system. 

About Brett: Brett Poulin is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Toxicology department at University of California Davis. His research group conducts applied and fundamental science on the processes influencing the releases, transformations, and biological uptake of metals in aquatic environments and linkage to perturbations (e.g., land/water management, climate change).