Giarikos Environmental Chemical Contaminant© Chemistry (GECC©) Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Dimitrios Giarikos, Ph.D.
Professor
Director of Lab Operations for the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Director of GECC©
Office: Parker Building, Room #122
Research Lab: Parking Building, Room #315
(954) 262-8337
giarikos@nova.edu 

View the Works and Career Accomplishments of Dimitri Giarikos

Research Focus

At the Giarikos Environmental Chemical Contaminant Chemistry Laboratory (GECC©), our research centers on understanding the presence, behavior, and impacts of chemical contaminants—including trace elements and both inorganic and organic compounds—in aquatic environments, spanning marine and freshwater systems. Our team investigates how these contaminants interact with and move through ecosystems by analyzing water, sediments, and a range of biological indicators, from algae and fish tissues to marine mammals such as sea otters, sea lions, seals, penguins, whales. These organisms serve as bioindicators, providing valuable insights into the health and chemical composition of their environments. GECC© works in close collaboration with the Charismatic Megafauna & Oceanography Laboratory (CMOL; Dr. Amy C. Hirons) to explore trophic dynamics and examine how physical and chemical characteristics of aquatic systems influence energy transfer and contaminant pathways in biological organisms.

Research Activities

The Giarikos Environmental Chemical Contaminant Chemistry Laboratory (GECC©) conducts multidisciplinary research across marine ecosystems spanning from the Arctic to the Antarctic, with field sites that include Alaska, Hawai‘i, Peru, and South Florida. Our studies encompass a diverse range of organisms and habitats, from seagrasses and mangroves to zooplankton, fish, wading birds, penguins, sea turtles, and marine mammals such as sea otters, sea lions, and whales. By examining these interconnected systems, we aim to understand how contaminants and environmental conditions shape the health and dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. Our domestic and international collaborations bring together experts in marine biology, biology, math, chemistry, and veterinary medicine, enabling a holistic approach to studying environmental processes and organismal responses.

Ecosystems are inherently complex, and the interactions among animals, plants, protists, and their environments often extend beyond immediate ecological boundaries. At GECC©, we seek to unravel these intricate relationships and clarify the roles each organism plays in maintaining the balance and resilience of ocean environments.

Current Research Topics

Recently Completed Projects

• Essential and non-essential elements in the baleen of Western Arctic bowhead whales
• Maternal transfer of arsenic and other trace elements in Peruvian fur seals
• Heavy metal partitioning across egg components in Humboldt penguins
• Trace element concentrations in the serum and vibrissae of Peruvian pinnipeds
• Acute toxicity of arsenate and arsenite in scleractinian coral species
• Potential health risks from trace elements in four commercial fish species from the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea
• Heavy metal incorporation in juvenile sciaenid fishes
• Salmon as an ecological pathway for trace element contaminants in Alaskan food webs
• Trophic relationships and heavy metal contamination in northern sea otters
• Method development for detecting persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in keratinized tissues
• Trophic structure and contaminant reconstruction in Hawaiian monk seals
• Immune responses to contaminant exposure in Peruvian pinnipeds
• Maternal transfer of contaminants among marine mammals and penguins
• Diet and contaminant exchange between marine and terrestrial systems in coastal Alaskan wolves

Ongoing Research

• Marine mammal bone as a long-term recorder of trace element dynamics (past 7,000 years) in the North Pacific Ocean
• Whale baleen as an archive for inorganic and organic contaminant exposure
• Trace element accumulation in South Florida seagrass and sediment
• Abiotic influences on Southeast Florida coral reef communities
• Trace element offloading in Hawaiian monk seal bone
• Spatial distribution of trace elements in Alaskan sea otter vibrissae
• Heavy metal concentrations across sediments of the Main Hawaiian Islands
• Heavy metal pollution, microbiome variation, and organic matter distribution in Port Everglades, Florida
• Effects of heavy metals on sediment microbiomes and coral responses to arsenic exposure
• Tissue-specific accumulation of heavy metals and metalloids in red mangroves and adjacent sediments in southeastern Florida
• Relationships between inorganic contaminant abundance and ENSO strength in pinniped teeth  

Associated Researchers

• Amy C. Hirons, Nova Southeastern University (NSU)
• David Kerstetter, NSU
• Radleigh Santos, NSU
• Jason Gershman, NSU
• Dorothy (Abby) Renegar, NSU
• Jessica Brown, NSU
• Reza Razeghifrad, NSU
• Jose Lopez, NSU
• Beatrix Aukszi, NSU
• Michael Adkesson, Chicago Zoological Society
• Milton Levin, University of Connecticut
• Lawrence K. Duffy, University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Susana Cárdenas-Alayza, Director, Center for Environmental Sustainability (CSA)
• Gretchen Roffler, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• Verena Gill, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

Collaborations/Community Service

• Water Way Working Group with the City of Fort Lauderdale
• Residents for Resilience