Karsten Liber

Professor, School of Environment and Sustainability
Director, Toxicology Centre

(306) 966-7444
karsten.liber@usask.ca

Designations

  • Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Biology (Aquatic Ecotoxicology), University of Guelph
  • Bachelor of Science in Ecology, University of Guelph

Research Interests

Metal bioavailability and toxicity in aquatic ecosystems; mining impacts on aquatic ecosystems; water quality assessments; pesticide ecotoxicology

Recent Grants/Awards

  • 2011-2014 - A paleolimnological assessment of Lake Diefenbaker sediment: A reconstruction of historical contaminant trends. Province of Saskatchewan via the U of S Global Institute for Water Security. Co-Principal Investigator. 
  • 2008-2011 - Investigation of temporal and spatial distribution, fate and biological effects of selenium in a boreal aquatic ecosystem. NSERC-CRD with Cameco Corporation. Co-Principal Investigator.
  • 2008-2011 - Carbon dynamics, food web structure and reclamation strategies in Athabasca oil sands wetlands.  NSERC-CRD.  Co-Principal Investigator.
  • 2008-2011 -  Assessment of surface water toxicity to white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontana) in the Upper Columbia River. Co-Investigator.

Select Publications

  • Phibbs, J., C.I.E. Wiramanaden, D. Hauck, I.J. Pickering, K. Liber and D.M. Janz. 2011. Selenium uptake and speciation in wild and caged fish downstream of a metal mining and milling discharge. Ecotoxicol. Environ. Safety 74: 1139-1150. 
  • Liber, K., L.E. Doig and S.L. White-Sobey. 2011. Toxicity of uranium, molybdenum, nickel, and arsenic to Hyalella azteca and Chironomus dilutus in water-only and spiked-sediment toxicity tests. Ecotocicol. Environ. Safety 74: 1171-1179.
  • Doig, L. and K. Liber. 2010. An assessment of Hyalella azteca burrowing activity under laboratory sediment toxicity testing conditions. Chemosphere. 81: 261-265. 
  • Puttaswamy, N. and K. Liber. 2010. Variation in toxicity response of Ceriodaphnia dubia to Athabasca oil sands coke leachates. Chemosphere. 80: 489-497.
  • Muscatello, J.R. and K. Liber. 2010. Uranium uptake and depuration in the aquatic invertebrate Chironomus tentans. Environ. Pollution 158: 1696-1701.
  • Wiramanaden, C.I.E., E. Forster and K. Liber.  2010.   Selenium distribution in a lake system receiving effluent from a metal mine and milling operation in northern Saskatchewan, Canada.  Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 29: 1-11.
  • Muscatello, J.R. and K. Liber. 2009.  Accumulation and chronic toxicity of uranium over different life stages of the aquatic invertebrate Chironomus tentans.  Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 57:531-539.
  • Robertson, E. and K. Liber.  2009.  Effect of sampling method on contaminant measurement in pore-water and surface water at two uranium operations: can method affect conclusions?  Environ. Monit. Assess. 155: 539-553.
  • deRosemond, S., Q. Xie and K. Liber. 2008. Arsenic concentration and speciation in five freshwater fish species from Back Bay near Yellowknife, NT, Canada. Environ. Monit. Assess. 147: 199-210.
  • Stoughton, S. and K. Liber. 2008. Acute and chronic toxicity of imidacloprid to the aquatic invertebrates Chironomus tentans and Hyalella azteca under press and pulse exposure conditions. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 54: 662-673.
  • Irving, E.C., R.B. Lowell, J.M. Culp, K. Liber, Q. Xie and R. Kerrich. 2008. Effects of speciation and low dissolved oxygen condition on the toxicity of arsenic to a lotic mayfly. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 27: 583-590.
  • Alexander, A.C., J.M. Culp, K. Liber and A.J. Cessna. 2007. Effects of imidacloprid insecticide exposure on feeding inhibition in mayflies and oligochaetes.Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 26:1726-1732.
  • Robertson, E. and K. Liber. 2007. Bioassays with caged Hyalella azteca to determine aquatic toxicity downstream of two Saskatchewan, Canada, uranium operations. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 26: 2345-2355.
  • Liber, K., W. Goodfellow, P. den Besten, W. Clements, T. Galloway, A. Gerhardt, A. Green and S. Simpson. 2007.  In-situ-based effects measures: Considerations for improving methods and approaches. Integr. Environ. Assess. Manage. 3: 246-258.
  • Doig, L.E. and K. Liber. 2006. Influence of dissolved organic matter on nickel bioavailability and toxicity to Hyalella azteca in water-only exposures. Aquat. Toxicol. 76: 203-216.
  • Liber, K., L. Weber and C. Lévesque. 2005. Sublethal toxicity of two wastewater treatment polymers to lake trout fry (Salvelinus namaycush). Chemosphere61: 1123-1133.
  • de Rosemond, J.C. and K. Liber. 2004. Wastewater treatment polymers identified as the toxic component of a diamond mine effluent. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 23: 2234-2242.

Current Courses

  • TOX 321.3 - Risk Assessment and Regulatory Toxicology