Robie W. Macdonald, O.C. (deceased)
Victoria, British Columbia
Robie Macdonald is one of Canada’s foremost marine geochemists. During a long career with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, he has studied aquatic pathways of organic carbon, freshwater and anthropogenic contaminants. A dedicated field worker, he has participated in many missions to Canada’s remotest places, often collecting samples under the harshest conditions. His work, conducted in the Arctic and eastern Pacific oceans, has demonstrated that changes in carbon and freshwater cycles associated with climate variability may increase the risks for ecosystems and humans who rely on these for food—a concern which is now relevant on a global scale.