Prof. Raoul Couture
I lead the Aquatic Geochemistry Group at Université Laval's Department of Chemistry, investigating biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and trace elements in boreal and Arctic lake systems.
My research focuses on redox-sensitive processes, sediment-water interactions, and dissolved oxygen dynamics in aquatic systems undergoing environmental change.
Prior to joining Laval, I spent 5 years at NIVA (Norwegian Institute for Water Research) in Oslo, first as senior researcher then as leader of the Section for Catchment Processes, developing models for lake and catchment response to environmental perturbations through EU-funded projects. I also held a research faculty position at the University of Waterloo for 2 years.
Research Program
Our current work addresses urgent water quality challenges in northern aquatic systems: trace element contamination, anoxia, dissolved organic matter dynamics, and eutrophication under shifting hydrological and thermal regimes. Our research approaches integrate field campaigns, laboratory geochemical analyses and coupled biogeochemical-physical modeling frameworks.
Approach
We use a multi-disciplinary and multi-scale approach. We collaborate with engineers, biologists, hydrologists and computer scientists to acquire real-time data and environmental samples in the field, conduct laboratory experiments and develop numerical models that capture processes from the molecular to the system scale.
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.
