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Julian Aherne

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Associate ProfessorSchool of the EnvironmentTrent University

Julian Aherne

Associate Professor

School of the Environment

Trent University

Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

Supervision signals

Professors usually supervise graduate students in their department's programs.
23 publications in the last five years, latest in 2026.
Senior (last) author on 12 recent papers, a sign of leading a research group.
Principal investigator on 8 research grants (5 NSERC, 2 ONTARIO, 1 CFI), most recently in 2011.

These signals come from public records, including federal and provincial funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

Publications

967

Citations

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the publications linked to this profile. Citations and the h-index appear when the source records them.

Profiles and links

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Signals and details

Research

Read how they describe their research on their Trent University profile.

Latest papers

Beyond the surface: Stratification and turnover control microplastic dynamics in a seasonally ice-covered sentinel lake.
Journal of hazardous materials · 2026 · senior author
Shielded collectors improve the capture of atmospheric microplastic deposition
Journal of Hazardous Materials · 2026 · senior author
Atmospheric microplastic deposition at a rural and peri-urban site in Ontario, Canada: The importance of local sources
Environmental Research · 2026 · senior author

All 44 publications

Latest funding

X-ray Diffractometer for Analyzing Earth Materials
NSERC · 2020 · Co-investigator
$134,433
Source-specific identification, characterization and control of microplastics across a remote, rural and urban gradient
NSERC · 2020 · Co-investigator
$999,992
NSERC CREATE: A world-class Advanced Environmental Technologies (ADVENT) program
NSERC · 2015 · Co-investigator
$1,195,956

All 15 grants and awards

44 publications.

Beyond the surface: Stratification and turnover control microplastic dynamics in a seasonally ice-covered sentinel lake.

Welsh B, Bennett E, Paterson AM, Yao H, Drouillard K, Aherne J

Journal of hazardous materials20266 citationsSenior authorOpen Access

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140917 PMID: 41506208

Shielded collectors improve the capture of atmospheric microplastic deposition

Brittany Welsh, Andrew M. Paterson, Huaxia Yao, Julian Aherne

Journal of Hazardous Materials20261 citationsSenior authorOpen Access

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.142187 PMID: 42056811

Atmospheric microplastic deposition at a rural and peri-urban site in Ontario, Canada: The importance of local sources

Brittany Welsh, Andrew M. Paterson, Huaxia Yao, Julian Aherne

Environmental Research20261 citationsSenior authorOpen Access

DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2026.125127 PMID: 42385868

In search of an optimal moss transplant biomonitor for airborne microplastics: Moss cubes.

Jafarova M, Aherne J

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127391 PMID: 41260289

Distance decay of tire wear particles and potentially toxic elements near Canada's busiest highway: Assessing lichen transplants as biomonitors.

Grifoni L, Winkler A, Jafarova M, Spagnuolo L, Aherne J, Loppi S

Environmental research2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2026.124221 PMID: 41796831

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Canada, and its association to lake acid sensitivity.

Blanchard D, Gordon M, Dang H, Makar PA, Cooke C, Yi Y, Lee K, Aherne J

The Science of the total environment20251 citationsSenior authorOpen Access

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179944 PMID: 40543192

Atmospheric deposition of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Canada, is strongly influenced by industrial sources during the winter months.

Blanchard D, Gordon M, Dang DH, Makar PA, Kirk JL, Aherne J

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)2025Senior authorOpen Access

DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2025.125936 PMID: 40020904

Greenspaces can reduce the level of airborne microplastic contamination in urban environments: Evidence from a lichen biomonitoring study.

Basile CS, Jafarova M, Aherne J, Wyonch J, Castiglione MR, Spanò C, Fačkovcová Z, Loppi S, Paoli L

Environmental research2025

DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.122334 PMID: 40651757

Organic carbon dry deposition outpaces atmospheric processing with unaccounted implications for air quality and freshwater ecosystems.

Liggio J, Makar P, Li SM, Hayden K, Darlington A, Moussa S, Wren S, Staebler R, Wentzell J, Wheeler M, Leithead A, Mittermeier R, Narayan J, Wolde M, Blanchard D, Aherne J, Kirk J, Lee C, Stroud C, Zhang J, Akingunola A, Katal A, Cheung P, Ghahreman R, Majdzadeh M, He M, Ditto J, Gentner DR

Science advances2025

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adr0259 PMID: 39752507

Is Moss Still a Reliable Biomonitor of Nitrogen and Sulfur Deposition After Decades of Emissions Reductions?

Jafarova M, Aherne J, Renzi M, Anselmi S, Zinicovscaia I, Yushin N, Bonini I, Loppi S

Plants (Basel, Switzerland)2025

DOI: 10.3390/plants14071114 PMID: 40219182

X-ray Diffractometer for Analyzing Earth Materials

Co-investigatorNSERC2020Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Power, Ian

$134,433

Source-specific identification, characterization and control of microplastics across a remote, rural and urban gradient

Co-investigatorNSERC2020Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Mundle, Scott SOC

Keywords: atmospheric standardization; earth systems monitoring; fluorescence detection; harmonization; isotopic characterization; management; mechanistic modelling; policy; source-tracking; surveillance network

$999,992

NSERC CREATE: A world-class Advanced Environmental Technologies (ADVENT) program

Co-investigatorNSERC2015Collaborative Research and Training Experience

Principal investigators: Murray, Dennis

$1,195,956

The impacts of sulphur and nitrogen deposition on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Principal investigatorNSERC2011Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Aherne, Julian

$140,000

Environmental Modelling

Principal investigatorNSERC2010Canada Research Chairs

Principal investigators: Aherne, Julian

Keywords: CRC

$400,000

Environmental Modelling

Principal investigatorNSERC2010Canada Research Chairs

Principal investigators: Aherne, Julian

Keywords: CRC

$100,000

Understanding Environmental Pollutants: Sources and Consequences

Principal investigatorONTARIO2008Ontario Research Fund - Research Infrastructure: Small Infrastructure Fund - Round 013 - 2008 - June

Principal investigators: Aherne, Julian

Keywords: climate change, water, wastewater

$86,000

Hydrogeochemical Laboratory for Model Input Parameters (MIPS Laboratory)

Principal investigatorCFI2008John R. Evans Leaders Fund: John R. Evans Leaders Fund – Funding for research infrastructure

Principal investigators: Aherne, Julian

Keywords: hydrogeochemical modelling, hydrological modelling, parameter estimation, uncertainty analysis, pollution impacts, climate impacts, simulation, model scale

$86,000

The emerging threat of Ca decline: quantifying current and predicting future Ca levels and their effects on aquatic biota in a 1600 lake watershed

Co-investigatorNSERC2007Strategic Projects Supplemental Competition

Principal investigators: Yan, Norman

$196,760

Forescasting chemical recovery from acidification

Principal investigatorNSERC2006Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Aherne, Julian

$92,500

From public funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998 with their latest competition results, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Genome Canada, the Canadian Space Agency, Canada Research Chairs, the Fonds de recherche du Québec, Ontario research funding, Michael Smith Health Research BC, the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart & Stroke and Brain Canada.

Profile data last refreshed on September 29, 2026 from the university directory, publication records and public research funding records.

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Julian Aherne

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Beyond the surface: Stratification and turnover control microplastic dynamics in a seasonally ice-covered sentinel lake.

Shielded collectors improve the capture of atmospheric microplastic deposition

Atmospheric microplastic deposition at a rural and peri-urban site in Ontario, Canada: The importance of local sources

In search of an optimal moss transplant biomonitor for airborne microplastics: Moss cubes.

Distance decay of tire wear particles and potentially toxic elements near Canada's busiest highway: Assessing lichen transplants as biomonitors.

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Canada, and its association to lake acid sensitivity.

Atmospheric deposition of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Canada, is strongly influenced by industrial sources during the winter months.

Greenspaces can reduce the level of airborne microplastic contamination in urban environments: Evidence from a lichen biomonitoring study.

Organic carbon dry deposition outpaces atmospheric processing with unaccounted implications for air quality and freshwater ecosystems.

Is Moss Still a Reliable Biomonitor of Nitrogen and Sulfur Deposition After Decades of Emissions Reductions?

X-ray Diffractometer for Analyzing Earth Materials

Source-specific identification, characterization and control of microplastics across a remote, rural and urban gradient

NSERC CREATE: A world-class Advanced Environmental Technologies (ADVENT) program

The impacts of sulphur and nitrogen deposition on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Environmental Modelling

Environmental Modelling

Understanding Environmental Pollutants: Sources and Consequences

Hydrogeochemical Laboratory for Model Input Parameters (MIPS Laboratory)

The emerging threat of Ca decline: quantifying current and predicting future Ca levels and their effects on aquatic biota in a 1600 lake watershed

Forescasting chemical recovery from acidification

Frequent collaborators

Andrew Paterson

Shaun Watmough

Peter Dillon

Mark Gordon

Chris Metcalfe

Colin Whitfield

Cheryl Neuman

Ken Drouillard

Eric Emilson

Catherine Eimers

Helen Baulch

Viviane Yargeau

Paul Arp

Cheryl McKenna Neuman

Michael Preston

Lauren Zink

Nathan Basiliko