How do apex predators respond to a changing ocean?
Marine predators, from killer whales to polar bears, serve as sentinels of ocean health, integrating environmental signals across vast spatial and temporal scales. My research investigates how dietary specialization and predator-prey interactions shape contaminant accumulation in marine food webs, and how multiple anthropogenic stressors combine to affect population health and ecosystem resilience.
Using biochemical tracers, metabolomics, and advanced analytical techniques, I link individual feeding behavior to population-level contamination risks, with direct applications for conservation management in a changing ocean.
Quantitative Diet Estimations and Contaminant Bioaccumulation
I developed and validated Quantitative Fatty Acid Signature Analysis (QFASA) for killer whales, creating the first quantitative method for diet estimation in this species. This work revealed that individual dietary choices within populations create up to 9-fold differences in contaminant burdens, and diet composition explains most of the interpopulation variation in contamination levels.
Current work:
- Expanding QFASA to other species including endangered belugas
- Investigating temporal trends in contaminants concentrations in multiple marine mammal species
- Collaborating with NOAA and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to apply these methods for species recovery planning
Impact: This methodology is now used by government agencies for critical conservation decisions, including recovery planning for the world’s most endangered killer whale population.
Recent publications: Remili et al. 2021 (Environmental Science & Technology), Remili et al. 2022 (Scientific Reports), Remili et al. 2023 (Journal of Animal Ecology).
Tracking Toxic Pathways Across Ocean Basins
Banned pesticides from the 1970s. Flame retardants from furniture. “Forever chemicals” from non-stick cookware. These contaminants travel thousands of miles through air and ocean currents, eventually concentrating in marine predators at levels that threaten their health.
My research tracks these toxic pathways from the Arctic to Antarctica, investigating both legacy pollutants and emerging threats like PFAS and pharmaceuticals. Using cutting-edge analytical chemistry and metabolomics, I examine how these chemicals affect marine mammal physiology at the cellular level.
Key findings:
- Arctic polar bears and seals show metabolic disruption from PFAS exposure, despite being thousands of miles from pollution sources
- Some North Atlantic killer whale populations exceed all established safety thresholds for toxic effects
- Diet composition explains over 70% of contamination variation within marine mammal populations
Research approach: I use gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and metabolomics to understand both exposure pathways and biological effects.
Recent publications: Remili et al. 2024 (Environmental Science & Technology), Remili et al. 2025 (Environmental Research).
Multiple Stressor Effects and Population Health
Climate change isn’t just warming oceans—it’s reshaping entire food webs. When prey distributions shift, predators must adapt their diets, potentially changing their exposure to toxic chemicals. Add habitat loss, noise pollution, and declining prey populations, and these stressors can interact in unexpected ways.
I study these cumulative impacts using hormone analysis and metabolomic profiling to develop early warning systems for population-level effects. This work spans from Arctic systems experiencing rapid change to Antarctic ecosystems facing increasing human pressures.
Current work:
- Assessing how climate change and human impacts affect the ecology and nutritional value of fish in boreal ecosystems
- Developing non-invasive biomarkers for population health monitoring using fecal, and blow samples
- Investigating synergistic effects of pollution and nutritional stress on marine mammal physiology
Conservation impact: My research contributed to Canada’s formal recognition of contaminants as a threat to Eastern killer whales. by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
Global Collaboration for conservation solutions
Marine pollution doesn’t respect borders, so neither does my research. I coordinate studies across more than eight countries, from Icelandic killer whale research to Canadian Arctic monitoring programs. These international partnerships are essential for understanding contamination patterns that span entire ocean basins.
I maintain active collaborations with:
- Government agencies: NOAA, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Research institutions: Simon Fraser University (metabolomics, feeding tracers, mercury), University of Oslo (hormone analysis), Environment and Climate Change Canada (contaminant analysis), McGill University (feeding tracers).
- Field programs: Long-term partnerships for sample collection from Iceland, the Canadian Arctic, Norway, and Antarctica.
I currently am involved in 15+ research projects both domestic and international, from fish to killer whales, and from blood to blubber.
Invited talks and guest lectures
Guest lecture for Prof. Tanya Brown’s BISC 475 D100 course at University Centre of the Westfjords — September 2024: From prey to predator, how
pollution spreads through marine mammal food webs. Level: Undergrad and Master.
Guest lecture for Dr. Filipa Samarra’s marine ecology course at University Centre of the Westfjords — September 2024: From prey to predator, how
pollution spreads through marine mammal food webs. Level: Master.
Guest lecture for Prof. McKinney’s ENVB305 class at McGill University — January 2023: Let’s talk about fat: using killer whale blubber to understand their ecology. Level: Undergrad.
Chemical and Physical Society, University College London – November 2021: Using Dietary Tracers to Understand the Feeding Ecology of North Atlantic Killer Whales, A. Remili
Cetacean Sessions, Bay Cetology – June 2021: You are what you eat, PCBs in North Atlantic killer whales”, A. Remili and C. Andvik
Research Internships & training
