The Hayes Group
_edited.jpg)
Our Research
Discover the multidisciplinary nature of our group, which has been a major strength of our research since we began our work in 2013. Keep reading to find out what we are currently investigating.
Metals and Metalloids
Metal(loid) Bio-accessibility and the Case of Mineral Dust:
Arnold's project aims to better understand metal(loid) bio-accessibility in Particulate Matter from a variety of sources, with a focus on the influence of glacial sedimentation processes on the metal(loid) bio-accessibility of mineral dust aerosol.
​
Sampling and Analysis of Fine and Ultrafine Particles in Air by SP-ICP-TOF-MS:
The composition and size of particles play a crucial role in determining health and environmental risks. For instance, smaller particles can penetrate deeper into the lungs, while ultrafine particles can even cross the lung barrier and enter directly into the bloodstream. Katia and Judith are working towards gaining a more precise understanding of the behavior of chemical elements and their isotopes within these particles, with the goal of better distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic sources. To achieve this, they use single particle inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-TOF-MS) combined with the Coriolis Micro air sampler.
Source Apportionment of Pollution
Source Apportionment of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Quebec:
VOCs are a large group of compounds that are emitted as gases from plants and human activities. They are either emitted directly into the ambient atmosphere by a primary source or formed secondarily in the air by reacting with other gases and pollutants and can easily be found both indoors and outdoors. They are well known for deteriorating both environment and human health, hence the need to understand and quantify them. Megha is trying to identify and characterize the concentrations of different VOCs and organic aerosols present in Quebec, with a focus on studying their sources. Data obtained from the National Air Pollution Surveillance Program (NAPS) is being used to run EPA’s Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model for source apportionment of major VOCs in Quebec. This study will help in bridging the gap between identifying and quantifying the contributions for various VOC sources and help in addressing air pollution, mitigating climate change, safeguarding public health and promoting sustainable practices in various industries and everyday life.
​
PM2.5:
Fine particles (PM2.5) are a major type of air pollution that impacts air quality in urban regions throughout the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4.2 million premature deaths can be attributed to ambient outdoor PM2.5 annually. While elevated PM2.5 concentrations are often observed in cities, the exact sources of these particles are not well quantified in many regions. To better understand the sources of PM2.5 the Hayes Group has conducted several field measurement campaigns to characterize the chemical composition of PM2.5 (e.g., metals, major ions, and organic molecular tracers). The composition data is then combined with source apportionment models such as Positive Matrix Factorization to evaluate the sources of PM2.5. We have recently published source apportionment studies for the cities of Montréal, Canada (Fakhri et al. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 2024) and Beirut, Lebanon (Fakhri et al. Environmental Research 2023).
Air Quality Modelling
Biomass Burning in Canada (BBCan): Addressing Climate and Air Quality Impacts:
This project aims to measure wildfire emissions and uses atmospheric models to better understand these emissions under Canadian environmental conditions. BBCan, funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund, intends to unite university scientists with many Canadian government partners to enable more comprehensive and accurate assessments of biomass burning atmospheric impacts and policy actions under consideration to mitigate climate change with nature-based solutions. Samaneh's running GEOS-Chem, a global 3-D chemical transport model (CTM), to simulate smoke concentrations in Canada based on different biomass burning emission inventories and conducting statistical analyses to compare model outputs with observational data.​
​
Transboundary transport:
Robin is studying the effects of climate change on air pollution and transport in Eastern Canada. He is using the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model to investigate linkages between meteorology and PM2.5, O3, and NOX, three air pollutants known to be harmful to human health. He is then creating emulators that capture these effects of meteorology on air pollutant concentrations: for example, O3 is known to form more quickly under higher temperatures and higher humidities. Then, by applying the emulators to output from the Canadian Regional Climate Model, he is making projections of how the concentrations of these air pollutants would change due solely to climate change.