Birgit M. Braune
Adjunct Research Professor
| Degrees: | B.Sc. (Toronto), M.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (Guelph) |
| Phone: | 613-998-6694 Fax: 613-998-0458 |
| Email: | birgit.braune@ec.gc.ca |
Biography
After completing her B.Sc. at the University of Toronto in 1976, Birgit Braune went on to study the feeding ecology of seabirds in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, receiving her M.Sc. with Distinction from the University of Guelph in 1979. Her work also earned her the Guelph Sigma Xi D.G. Ingram Graduate Award for Excellence in Research. She continued to work in the Bay of Fundy but changed her research focus to mercury accumulation in seabirds, receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Guelph in 1985. After working as a Research Associate at the University of Guelph (1986), she started work with the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington, Ontario, in 1987, where she was involved in studies of contaminants in waterbirds on the Great Lakes. Dr. Braune moved to Ottawa in 1987 and has been working with Environment Canada up to the present. She is a Research Scientist with the Science and Technology Branch of Environment Canada at the National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, where she conducts studies related to toxic chemicals in marine birds and other wildlife. Over the last decade, her research has focussed on the arctic marine environment and she has been actively involved in both national and international assessments of contaminants in arctic biota.
Research Interests
- Effects of climate change on exposure of arctic marine birds to contaminants
- Relationship of biochemical effects and organochlorine contaminants in arctic seabirds
- Role of toxic chemicals in the population declines of arctic avian species
- Monitoring temporal changes in contaminant concentrations in arctic marine ecosystems
Recent Publications
Braune, B.M., Trudeau, S., Jeffrey, D.A. and Mallory, M.L. 2011. Biomarker responses associated with halogenated organic contaminants in northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) breeding in the Canadian Arctic. Environ. Pollut. in press.
Bidleman, T.F., Helm, P.A., Braune, B.M. and Gabrielsen, G.W. 2010. Polychlorinated naphthalenes in polar environments: a review. Sci. Total Environ. 408: 2919-2935.
Braune, B.M., Mallory, M.L., Butt, C.M., Mabury, S.A. and Muir, D.C.G. 2010. Persistent halogenated organic contaminants and mercury in northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) from the Canadian Arctic. Environ. Pollut. 158: 3513-3519.
Helgason, L., Verreault, J., Braune, B.M., Borgå, K., Primicerio, R., Jenssen, B.M. and Gabrielsen, G.W. 2010. Relationship between persistent halogenated organic contaminants and TCDD-toxic equivalents on EROD activity and retinoid and thyroid hormone status in northern fulmars. Sci. Total Environ. 408: 6117-6123.
Lavoie, R.A., Hebert, C.E., Rail, J-F., Braune, B.M., Yumvihoze, E., Hill, L., and Lean, D.R.S. 2010. Trophic structure and mercury distribution in a Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada) food web using stable isotope analysis. Sci. Total Environ. 408: 5529-5539.
Rigét, F., Bignert, A., Braune, B., Stow, J. and Wilson, S. 2010. Temporal trends of legacy POP’s in Arctic biota, an update. Sci. Total Environ. 408: 2874-2884.
Braune, B.M. and Noble, D.G. 2009. Environmental contaminants in Canadian shorebirds. Environ. Monit. Assess. 148: 185-204.
Braune, B.M. and Scheuhammer, A.M. 2008. Trace element and metallothionein concentrations in seabirds from the Canadian Arctic. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 27: 645-651.
Braune, B.M. 2007. Temporal trends of organochlorines and mercury in seabird eggs from the Canadian Arctic, 1975 to 2003. Environ. Pollut. 148: 599-613.
Braune, B.M., Mallory, M.L., Gilchrist, H.G., Letcher, R.J. and Drouillard, K.G. 2007. Levels and trends of organochlorines and brominated flame retardants in ivory gull eggs from the Canadian Arctic, 1976 to 2004. Sci. Total Environ. 378: 403-417.
Braune, B.M. and Malone, B.J. 2006. Mercury and selenium in livers of waterfowl harvested in northern Canada. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 50: 284-289.
Braune, B.M., Mallory, M.L. and Gilchrist, H.G. 2006. Elevated mercury levels in a declining population of ivory gulls in the Canadian Arctic. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 52: 969-987.
Braune, B.M., Outridge, P.M., Fisk, A.T., Muir, D.C.G., Helm, P.A., Hobbs, K., Hoekstra, P.F., Kuzyk, Z.A., Kwan, M., Letcher, R.J., Lockhart, W.L., Norstrom, R.J. and Stern, G.A. 2005. Persistent organic pollutants and mercury in marine biota of the Canadian Arctic: An overview of spatial and temporal trends. Sci Total Environ 351-352: 4-56.