Leah Bendell, Simon Fraser University

Research

benthic community bivalves Ecosystems food web Function Intertidal microplastics nutrient cycling

Latest papers

Assessing fiberglass particles in intertidal biofilm and sediments at an anthropogenically impacted estuary in Canada's west coast.
Marine pollution bulletin · 2026 · senior author
Microplastic distribution and composition in mudflat sediments and varnish clams (Nuttallia obscurata) at two estuaries of British Columbia, Canada: An assessment of potential anthropogenic sources.
Marine pollution bulletin · 2025 · senior author
A Call to Include Plastics in the Global Environment in the Class of Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Pollutants.
Environmental science & technology · 2023

All 5 publications

Latest funding

Anthropogenic impacts on the geochemical cycling of nutrients and trace metals within intertidal ecosystems
NSERC · 2022 · Principal investigator
$84,000
Anthropogenic impacts on community structure and function within intertidal ecosystems
NSERC · 2016 · Principal investigator
$168,000
Linking community composition and ecosystem processes within the intertidal
NSERC · 2011 · Principal investigator
$130,000

All 4 grants and awards

5 publications.

01

Assessing fiberglass particles in intertidal biofilm and sediments at an anthropogenically impacted estuary in Canada's west coast.

Alava JJ, Zoveidadianpour Z, Kazmiruk TN, Douglas T, Schuerholz G, Calle N, Juurlink BHJ, Heath WA, Drever MC, Bendell L

Marine pollution bulletin2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.119187 PMID: 41483605

02

Microplastic distribution and composition in mudflat sediments and varnish clams (Nuttallia obscurata) at two estuaries of British Columbia, Canada: An assessment of potential anthropogenic sources.

Zoveidadianpour Z, Alava JJ, Drever MC, Schuerholz G, Pierzchalski C, Douglas T, Heath WA, Juurlink B, Bendell L

Marine pollution bulletin2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117367 PMID: 39626500

03

A Call to Include Plastics in the Global Environment in the Class of Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Pollutants.

Alava JJ, Jahnke A, Bergmann M, Aguirre-Martínez GV, Bendell L, Calle P, Domínguez GA, Faustman EM, Falman J, Kazmiruk TN, Klasios N, Maldonado MT, McMullen K, Moreno-Báez M, Öberg G, Ota Y, Price D, Shim WJ, Tirapé A, Vandenberg JM, Zoveidadianpour Z, Weis J

Environmental science & technology2023

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c02476 PMID: 37216429

04

Occurrence and size distribution of microplastics in mudflat sediments of the Cowichan-Koksilah Estuary, Canada: A baseline for plastic particles contamination in an anthropogenic-influenced estuary.

Alava JJ, Kazmiruk TN, Douglas T, Schuerholz G, Heath B, Flemming SA, Bendell L, Drever MC

Marine pollution bulletin2021

DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113033 PMID: 34653884

05

Exploring spatial and temporal variations of cadmium concentrations in pacific oysters from british columbia.

Feng CX, Cao J, Bendell L

Biometrics2011Senior author

DOI: 10.1111/j.1541-0420.2010.01534.x PMID: 21175556

Anthropogenic impacts on the geochemical cycling of nutrients and trace metals within intertidal ecosystems

Principal investigatorNSERC2022Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Bendell, Leah

Keywords: ecosystems; function; intertidal; benthic community; bivalves; nutrients; trace metals; microplastics; nutrient cycling; food web

$84,000

Anthropogenic impacts on community structure and function within intertidal ecosystems

Principal investigatorNSERC2016Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Bendell, Leah

$168,000

Linking community composition and ecosystem processes within the intertidal

Principal investigatorNSERC2011Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Bendell, Leah

$130,000

NSERC Canadian Healthy Oceans Network ( CHONe )

Co-investigatorNSERC2006Research Networks

Principal investigators: Snelgrove, Paul

$5,351,500

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Jiguo Cao

Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science,

1 shared papers, latest 2011

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their NSERC grant from 2022

Subject: Prospective PhD student: benthic community Dear Professor Bendell, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Assessing fiberglass particles in intertidal biofilm and sediments at an anthropogenically impacted estuary in Canada's west coast." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "Anthropogenic impacts on the geochemical cycling of nutrients and trace metals within intertidal ecosystems" (2022), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]