AMAP programme and activities

Dr. Robie MacDonald receives 2014 Northern Science Award from the Canadian Polar Commission

December 2, 2014

Research Scientist Emeritus Dr. Robie Macdonald, who has been at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada since 1975, has been awarded the 2014 Northern Science Award by the Canadian Polar Commission. Governor General David Johnston presented the award in Ottawa on Nov. 19, 2014.

The citation read, in part, "Dr. Robie Macdonald, a marine geochemist, has won international respect for his innovative, rigorous, and groundbreaking research using geochemistry to understand earth and ocean processes. His key insights into the cycling of contaminants in the Arctic Ocean have been crucial for northerners who rely on fish and marine mammals for food. Dr. Robie Macdonald is one the world's leading marine geochemists. Honourable, unassuming, and humble, he is held in great esteem by his peers."

Dr. Macdonald conducts interdisciplinary research on biogeochemical pathways in aquatic systems, including the cycling of organic carbon in the ocean, the cycling of freshwater in the Arctic Ocean, and contaminant pathways in temperate and polar aquatic systems. Much of his research is founded on the application of biomarkers, stable isotopes and Δ14C to determine sources, mechanisms of transport, mechanisms of change, and historical records of organic and contaminant deposition. Dr. Macdonald has been involved in several assessments and reviews under the Northern Contaminants Program and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program. His work has been published in over 180 peer-reviewed journal articles. He has written numerous book chapters and reports, and co-edited one book on the organic carbon cycle in the Arctic Ocean.

Dr. Macdonald is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, an International Fellow of the Explorers Club, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada. He has obtained numerous awards and distinctions including: the Royal Canadian Geographical Society 2010 Gold Medal (co-recipient); the Miroslaw Romanowski Medal of the Royal Society of Canada; Head of the Public Service Prize (co-recipient) and the President's Prize of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. Dr. Macdonald received his B.Sc. (1968) and PhD (1972) from Dalhousie University.

Robie MacDonald has made important contributions to several AMAP assessments over the years - Congratulations to Robie on this very well deserved award from everyone at AMAP.