In the Aquatic Geochemistry Group, we study the chemistry of trace elements and nutrients in lakes and rivers from the boreal zone to the high Arctic. Our approach combines winter and summer field campaigns, laboratory geochemistry, and numerical modelling to identify the processes that mobilize and sequester elements in freshwater systems, and how those processes shift under environmental change.
Prof. Raoul Couture
I lead the Aquatic Geochemistry Group in the Department of Chemistry at Université Laval. My expertise centres on the environmental chemistry of trace elements, sediment–water interactions, and the response of lake water quality to environmental change. I combine trace-clean field work, analytical chemistry, and numerical modelling to study how northern freshwaters respond to increasing human activity in the Arctic.
Research Program
Our research program touches on aquatic biogeochemistry, environmental chemistry, and limnology, building on field campaigns, laboratory geochemical analyses and numerical modelling.
Approach
Our research integrates trace-clean field work, analytical chemistry, and numerical modelling across scales, from porewater profiles to whole-lake systems. We collaborate with biologists, hydrologists, and engineers to connect geochemical processes to broader ecosystem dynamics.
Field work
Our research begins in the field, where we sample lakes, rivers, soils and sediments in temperate and northern catchments. We rely on the network of stations of the Center for Northern Studies. We work with local communities to focus on issues of water quality related to natural environments under climate and land use change.
