Prince Leopold Island, Nunavut: Mark Mallory is at the end of the cliffs just above the plots where the team works on the birds and collects eggs for contaminant analyses.

In advance of March 30th's International Day of Zero Waste, Acadia is pleased to highlight one of our faculty members, Professor Mark Mallory, who is doing extraordinary research showing the presence and impact of environmental plastics on marine birds in the Arctic.

This fall, Dr. Mark Mallory, Canada Research Chair in Coastal Ecosystem Connectivity and Resilience and director of the Mallory Lab, was inducted as a Fellow into the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), along with his wife, Carolyn Mallory, a gifted writer and artist.

The induction is in recognition of the Mallorys’ work on research, art, education and ambassadorship for Arctic Canada. Past RCGS Fellows have included Group of Seven artist A.Y. Jackson, insulin co-discoverer Frederick Banting, Arctic explorers, and several prime ministers. More recent Fellows include astronaut Roberta Bondar, author Margaret Atwood, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Prince Leopold Island, Nunavut: A long-time collaborator in Mark's research is preparing to catch nesting birds to deploy tracking units. Some of the birds they study are visible in the background.

At the ceremony in Ottawa on November 15, 2023, the Mallorys received their pins and induction from Perry Bellegarde, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations; and Lois Mitchell, former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Mark is quick to share credit among his colleagues, including those outside Acadia. “Just about everything I do is collaborative,” he says. “My lab works with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Ducks Unlimited Canada. Those three organizations are involved in almost every project we do.

Country Island, Nova Scotia: Mark Mallory is dressed in a camouflage ghillie suit to catch a nesting Willet. A satellite transmitter was attached to the bird, which is currently in Brazil (Mark gets daily updates from it).

COASTAL RESEARCH

Although the research ranges widely, most of it relates to coastal environments. “I worked for 20 years for Environment Canada before I came to Acadia, with the last 12 of those in Nunavut,” he says. “I had already established a research program in the Arctic when I moved to Acadia, but I have also opened up research around Nova Scotia and in Newfoundland and Labrador. Our Arctic work has been notable because there’s been so little known about a lot of the seabird species in the Canadian High Arctic.”

The lab’s three main focuses are tracking wildlife, studying contaminants in wildlife, and measuring plastic pollution in the environment. The timing has been good for tracking, he says, because tracking units have become compact enough to fit on small birds, and global interest in marine protected areas has grown. The lab has contributed to national and international assessments to identify hotspots and candidate spots for marine protection.

Acadia and its administration have made the work easier, he says. “Acadia has been really good to me. They’ve been super about honouring the Canada Research Chair guidelines to protect my research time. And the departments I rely on to support my program – Finance, Human Resources, Technology, and Research – have been wonderful to work with.”

BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS

Country Island, Nova Scotia: Collaborators at Environment and Climate Change Canada and Acadia researchers learn to band gulls and attach GPS tracking units.

Mark tells every student that he expects they will do work that’s publishable in a peer-reviewed journal. In addition, because the work is collaborative, his students are mentored by many different scientists. “That’s been a real recipe for success with my lab,” he says. “A lot of my students are now working with partner organizations that we’ve been working with here for 12 years.”

In 2023, Mark received the Gulf of Maine Visionary Award in recognition of his innovation, creativity, and commitment to protecting the marine environment. His Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) award includes funds over five years for a Discovery Grant totalling $295,000 and a Northern Research Supplement of $95,000. In January 2024, he became Co-Editor-in-Chief of Arctic Science, a peer-reviewed journal published by Canadian Science Publishing. Mark recently discussed this new role and his ongoing work in this March 2024 Canadian Science Publishing blog post.