This special issue of Environmental Geology arose from a symposium on Trace Metals in the Environment held at the Geological Association of Canada–Mineralogical Association of Canada (GAC-MAC) Joint Annual Meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1996. Most of the papers in this special issue are based on presentations made at the symposium. The ultimate goal of the symposium was to bring together workers doing research in diverse fields, all involving metal speciation and transport. More than any other area of scientific endeavor, environmental research demands a multidisciplinary approach. We have much to learn from each other, and together we can move toward a better understanding of metal cycling in the environment.