Announcing the IEAM Best Paper Award 2023

The editors of Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) are pleased to announce the selection of Best Papers Published in 2023. The IEAM editors and the SETAC Publications Advisory Committee are committed to recognizing annually the contributions of scientists and researchers from academia, business, and government. The authors of nominated papers are recognized by their peers in the field for innovative analysis, state-of-the-science considerations, and earnest focus on solutions to the world's most difficult environmental challenges.

Methods for assessing the bioaccumulation of hydrocarbons and related substances in terrestrial organisms: A critical review. 19(6), 1433–1456. https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ieam.4756

Frank A. P. C. Gobas, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Yung-Shan Lee, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Katharine M. Fremlin, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Stephanie C. Stelmachuk, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Aaron D. Redman, ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Annandale, New Jersey, USA

Identifying chemical substances with high bioaccumulation potential is crucial for regulating their environmental release and protecting ecosystems and human health. However, the methods currently used for regulatory bioaccumulation assessments are not always suitable for evaluating air-breathing organisms. To address this gap, Gobas et al. (2023) investigate and review both existing and new approaches for assessing the terrestrial bioaccumulation potential of hydrocarbons and related organic substances. Their comprehensive critical review systematically presents the merits and limitations of various approaches to bioaccumulation assessment and their relevance to current regulatory practices. To further the field, Gobas et al. propose a four-tier evaluation scheme to minimize effort and costs while expediting the bioaccumulation assessment of the vast numbers of organic substances that are manufactured and subsequently in circulation. The authors state it best, “The findings of the review are meant to help navigate a path forward for bioaccumulation assessment of substances that is better positioned to assess the bioaccumulation of hydrocarbons and related organic compounds in terrestrial wildlife.”

Staveley, J. P., Freeman, E. L., McArdle, M. E., Ortego, L. S., Coady, K. K., Bone, A., Lagadic, L., Weltje, L., Weyers, A., Wheeler, J. R. Current testing programs for pesticides adequately capture endocrine activity and adversity for protection of vertebrate wildlife. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 19(4), 1089–1109. https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ieam.4732

Furley, T. H., Calado, S. L. M., Mendes, L. B., Chagas, K. R., Andrade, D. P., Covre Barbiero, D., Alves, C. B. M., Belo, P. I. D., Ribeiro-Filho, P. S. M., Niencheski, L. F. H. Short-term hydromorphological and ecological responses of using woody structures for river restoration in a tailing-impacted tropical river. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 19(3), 648–662. https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ieam.4721