Workshops

Workshop 1:

Practical Advances in Mercury Analysis: From Metrological Traceability to High-Precision Isotope and Speciation Techniques

Lead Presenter:

David Amouroux, CNRS Research Director, Institute of Analytical Sciences and Physical Chemistry for the Environment and Materials (IPREM)

Co-Lead Presenter (s):

• Rosa C. Rodríguez Martín-Doimeadios, Full Professor, University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM)
• Akane Yamakawa, Senior Researcher, National Institute for Environmental Studies

Workshop Objective(s)

Bridging Theory and Practice: To provide researchers and students with practical insights into modern mercury analysis, focusing on optimizing analytical performance and troubleshooting for diverse environmental matrices (solid, liquid, biota…).
Ensuring Data Reliability: To discuss the critical role of Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) frameworks and the application of reference materials in achieving global data comparability. Exploring Emerging Methods: To share the latest methodologies for mercury isotope signatures, and speciation analysis (including nanoparticles) to reduce uncertainties in mercury biogeochemical modelling and risk assessment.

Description:

This workshop addresses the growing need for high-quality, traceable mercury measurement data, which is fundamental for evaluating the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention. While advanced analytical methods like mercury isotope and classical speciation analysis are becoming more common, researchers often face practical challenges in achieving international comparability and ensuring data reliability across diverse environmental matrices.

To address these challenges, this session focuses on the practical application of metrological principles in the mercury laboratory. The workshop will feature technical discussions on optimizing analytical performance, rigorous contamination control, and troubleshooting for complex samples and new Hg species such as nanoparticles. By bridging the gap between high-level research and laboratory practice, we aim to provide participants with deep insights into both established and emerging technologies.

A key focus of the workshop will be the application of reference materials (RMs) and the implementation of robust quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) frameworks. We will discuss the latest developments in RM characterization and the importance of inter-laboratory consistency. Furthermore, experts will provide insights into high-precision measurements, including mercury isotope signatures and the nuances of speciation in biological and environmental samples.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have a clearer understanding of:

• How to establish metrological traceability and maintain data quality.
• Technical strategies to overcome common analytical hurdles in Hg measurement.
• Current trends and future directions in mercury isotope and speciation research.

This interactive format is designed to foster dialogue between researchers and technical specialists, ensuring that mercury science is supported by reliable, high-precision analytical foundations.

Workshop 2:

Mercury transformation and mobilization from wetlands: New tools for an old question with new urgency

Lead Presenter:

Kevin Bishop, Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Co-Lead Presenter (s):

• Colin McCarter, Assistant Professor, Nipissing University, Canada
• Dr Chuxian Li, University of Bern, Switzerland

Workshop Objective(s)

This session will be a forum for presenting recent advances in the understanding of wetland Hg cycling with the help of new approaches, including isotopes, genomics, experimentation, and field studies.

Description:

The methylation of mercury in wetlands is an established threat to downstream aquatic ecosystems. However, anthropogenic and natural disturbances are altering the ecosystem processes that underpins methylmercury production and mobilization. The growing use of wetland restoration as a nature-based solution to achieve biodiversity and climate mitigation goals brings a risk for increased methylation and mobilization of mercury. In high latitude environments, permafrost thaw is another process that is mobilizing large amounts of mercury. The key to assessing and possibly mitigating the risks from both wetland restoration, permafrost thaw, or other disturbances lies in improving the fundamental understanding of mercury fate and transformation in wetlands. Such advances may also unlock more of the potential for wetlands to serve as long-term, widely distributed records of mercury in the environment going back thousands of years, likely reflecting changes in land use and/or climate. This session will be a forum for presenting recent advances in the understanding of wetland Hg cycling with the help of new approaches, including isotopes, genomics, experimentation, and field studies.

Workshop 3:

Lichen-based biomonitoring of mercury pollution

Lead Presenter:

Sanjeeva Nayaka, Chief Scientist & Professor (AcSIR), CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India

Co-Lead Presenter (s):

• Farishta Yasmin, Associate Professor, Nagaon University, India
• Debajyoti Paul, Professor, Department of Earth Science, Indian Institute of Technology – Kanpur, India

Workshop Objective(s)

• To highlight recent advancement in lichen research on mercury pollution
• To enhance the understanding of how mercury as pollutant affects the structure and growth of lichens.
• To understand analytical methods of mercury detection in lichens
• To promote interdisciplinary collaborations

Description:

Lichens are symbiotic organisms that have long been recognised as indicators of environmental pollution. Their distinctive morphology and physiology make them effective tools for investigating various aspects of pollution including uptake, accumulation and tolerance of pollutants. Both naturally occurring pollution-tolerant species and transplanted lichens are capable of accumulating pollutants including mercury. Hence, lichens can be served as environmental marker for monitoring and mapping mercury pollution in urban and industrial areas. But, challenges persist in determination of trace amounts of mercury in lichens. Although element-specific spectroscopic methods have been employed to identify mercury molecular speciation in plant leaves, such analyses are yet been carried out in lichens.

The workshop will serve as a platform for knowledge exchange. Students, early career researchers, industry professionals, environmental scientists and ecologists will have the opportunity to share their insights on lichen-metal interactions, innovative monitoring approaches, ecological implications of mercury accumulation in lichens.

The workshop also aims to foster collaboration among lichenologists, scientists, institutes with advanced instrumentation facilities, technical experts and interdisciplinary peers to advance research on lichens as a potential tool for biomonitoring mercury pollution.

Workshop 4:

Open Science in Mercury Research: Building and Contributing to Community-Driven Databases

Lead Presenter:

Helene ANGOT, CNRS, Institute of Environmental Geosciences, France

Workshop Objective(s)

1. Promote Open Science Principles: Introduce participants to the value of open, collaborative databases in mercury research.
2. Hands-On GitHub Training: Teach attendees how to use GitHub for data submission, version control, and collaborative workflows.
3. Database Engagement: Demonstrate how to interact with existing databases.

Description:

Community Building: Foster connections among researchers to encourage ongoing contributions and improvements to the databases.

Mercury research increasingly relies on large, harmonized datasets to address global challenges. However, the full potential of these datasets is only realized when they are openly accessible, well-documented, and continuously updated by the scientific community. This workshop will focus on two community-driven databases:

1. The Consolidated Database of Mercury Observations for Permafrost Regions https://zenodo.org/records/18483492
2. The Harmonized Global Database of Mercury and Methylmercury in Litterfall and Throughfall https://zenodo.org/records/17816917

Participants will learn how to contribute to these databases using GitHub—a powerful platform for version control and collaborative development. The session will cover:

1. The importance of open science in mercury research;
2. Step-by-step guidance on submitting data via GitHub (forking, pull requests, and issue tracking);
3. Best practices for documentation and metadata to ensure reproducibility;
4. Alternative submission methods for non-GitHub users (e.g., email templates)

By the end of the workshop, attendees will be equipped to contribute to these living databases, ensuring their research is part of a global, transparent, and evolving knowledge base. This workshop is ideal for researchers, students, and professionals interested in mercury science, data management, and open science practices.

Workshop 5:

Zeeman AAS (ZAAS) for direct mercury determination in samples with complex matrices

Lead Presenter:

Alvin Johnson, Lumex Instruments Canada

Workshop Objective(s)

The workshop will introduce to the theory of atomic absorption spectrometry with Zeeman correction for non-selective background absorption and its applications for determining mercury in natural environments and various materials. A range of portable, laboratory, and online mercury determination instruments based on ZAAS will be presented. The method capabilities for the real-time analysis of air and hydrocarbon gases; direct pyrolysis of liquid and solid samples of complex composition; determination of mercury thermal speciation by programmable pyrolysis.

Description:

During workshop, Lumex specialists will demonstrate real-time determination of mercury in air using portable analyzers and monitors. Using examples of complex samples, such as coal, oil, hair, fish, and others, the capabilities of the direct pyrolysis method will be demonstrated. In addition to rapid determination of total mercury, the determination of mercury thermoforms using programmable pyrolysis will be demonstrated

Workshop 6:

Professional Skills for Early Career Researchers in Mercury Science: Proposal Writing, Peer Review, and Science Diplomacy

Lead Presenter:

Jagannath Biswakarma, Honorary Senior Research Associate, University of Bristol, UK

Co-Lead Presenter (s):

• Ari Feinberg, Ramón y Cajal Fellow, Blas Cabrera Institute of Physical Chemistry, Spain

Workshop Objective(s)

• Provide tips on writing competitive research proposals, particularly for postdoctoral fellowships and early career funding opportunities.
• Introduce participants to the peer review process and how to prepare constructive and ethical reviews of scientific manuscripts.
• Discuss the concept of science diplomacy and how scientific research informs environmental policy and international agreements such as the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Description:

Early career researchers (ECRs) play a critical role in advancing mercury science and addressing global environmental challenges. However, many professional skills essential to scientific careers, such as proposal writing, peer review, and engagement with policy processes, are hardly addressed in formal academic training.

This workshop will provide an interactive platform for students and postdoctoral researchers to build key professional skills that support successful research careers. The session will focus on three core themes:

1. proposal writing for postdoctoral fellowships and early career funding opportunities
2. the principles and responsibilities of peer review in scientific publishing
3. the role of science diplomacy in linking research with environmental policy

Participants will gain practical insights into preparing competitive research proposals, understanding evaluation criteria used by funding agencies, and effectively communicating research ideas. The workshop will also introduce the peer review process, highlighting how constructive reviews contribute to maintaining scientific quality and integrity.

In addition, the session will explore the concept of science diplomacy and the growing role of scientists in informing environmental policy and international agreements, including the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.