Assessment of seven Canadian rivers in relation to stages in oil sands industrial development, 1972–2010

Alexander, Alexa C.; Chambers, Patricia A.

doi:10.1139/er-2016-0033

Cited by 44 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Disentangling the influence of multiple stressors on aquatic biota residing in flowing waters has been especially challenging in the OSR. In streams, CoCs are often found at elevated concentrations at sites adjacent to oil sands facilities [11,14,[26][27][28], and aquatic indicators captured at these locations, such as fish also often show effects consistent with exposure to these compounds [28,29]. However, CoCs can derive directly and indirectly from both natural and industrial sources [11,12,26,30,31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Influence of Sewage Phosphorus and Wet and Dry Deposition Detected in Fish Collected in the Athabasca River North of Fort McMurray

Arciszewski

McMaster

2021

Environments

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The health of fish is a primary indicator of ecosystem response in the Oil Sands Region of northeastern Alberta. However, industrial activity is accompanied by other stressors, such as the discharge of sewage, municipal activity, forest fires, and natural weathering and erosion of bitumen. To combat the spatial confounding influences, we examined white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) captured in the Athabasca River at sites over time (2011–2019) and included covariates to account for the possible sources of influence. The analyses suggest spatially heterogeneous influences of natural factors on fish, such as discharge and air temperature, but also the influence of sewage phosphorus and precipitation. Among the stressors examined here, precipitation may be the most complex and may include a mixture of sources including inputs from tributaries, urban activity, industrial development, and forest fires. Although suggestive, the attribution of variance and detection of changes are affected by sample sizes in some years; these analyses may have missed effects or misspecified important relationships, especially in males. Despite these limitations, the analyses suggest potential differences may be associated with precipitation and highlight the need to integrate robust information on known and suspected stressors in future monitoring of aquatic ecosystems in the oil sands region and beyond.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Influence of Sewage Phosphorus and Wet and Dry Deposition Detected in Fish Collected in the Athabasca River North of Fort McMurray

Arciszewski

McMaster

2021

Environments

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“…Several metals show evidence of lower concentrations than predicted but are most notable in Al T . Lower concentrations of metals than expected may be related to declines in inputs of dust, erosion, or weathering, and differences in patterns may reflect the particulate fractions containing these metals since 2010 (Graney et al ), how deposition patterns may vary over time and space, expected patterns associated with particular phases of developments (Alexander and Chambers ), and general improvements in environmental performance of local operations (Cooke et al ). Total metals are, however, still entering the Athabasca near the mines, but the rate of addition is lower than predicted from the reference observations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing and applying control charts to detect changes in water chemistry parameters measured in the Athabasca River near the oil sands: A tool for surveillance monitoring

Arciszewski

Hazewinkel

Munkittrick

et al. 2018

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Control charting is a simple technique to identify change and is well suited for use in water quality programs. Control charts accounting for covariation associated with discharge and in some cases time were used to explore example and representative variables routinely measured in the Athabasca River near the oil sands area for indications of change. The explored variables include 5 major ions (chloride, sodium, sulfate, calcium, magnesium), 5 total metals (aluminum, iron, thallium, molybdenum, vanadium), and total suspended solids at two sites straddling the developments north of Fort McMurray. Regression equations developed from reference data (1988-2009) were used to predict observations and calculate residuals from later test data (2010-2016). Evidence of change was sought in the deviation of residual errors from the test period compared with the patterns expected and defined from probability distributions of the reference residuals using the odds ratio. In most cases, the patterns in test residuals were not statistically different from those expected from the reference period at either site, especially when data were examined annually. However, differences were found at both locations, more were found at the downstream site, and more differences emerged as data accumulated and were analyzed over time. In sum, the analyses at the downstream site suggest higher concentrations than predicted in most major ions, but the source of the changes is uncertain. In contrast, the concentrations of most metals at during the test period were lower than expected, which may be related to deposition patterns of materials or weathering of minerals during construction activities of the 2000s which influence the reference data used. The analyses also suggest alternative approaches may be necessary to understand change in some variables. Despite this, the results support the use of control charts to detect changes in water chemistry parameters and the value of the tool in surveillance phases of long-term and adaptive monitoring programs. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2296-2311. © 2018 SETAC.

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“…Concentrations of diss Se were also elevated during the subsequent development phase at the furthest downstream site (21% greater than reference). During the early phase of mine development, diss As, diss Se, and total V loads were 34-126% greater immediately downstream of development and 47-148% greater at the furthest downstream site compared with reference loads (Figure 18) (Alexander and Chambers 2016;Chambers et al 2018).…”

Section: Monitoring Water Quality In the Athabasca River Tributariesmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Analysis of historical tributary water quality data (1972-2010) showed no discernible change in concentrations and loads of total V, dissolved Se (diss Se), and dissolved As (diss As) prior to OS development when sampled above versus below the McMurray formation (Alexander and Chambers 2016). These observations were thus used to represent reference chemical conditions (i.e., water chemistry associated with predevelopment conditions).…”

Section: Monitoring Water Quality In the Athabasca River Tributariesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Advances in science and applications of air pollution monitoring: A case study on oil sands monitoring targeting ecosystem protection

Brook

Cober

Freemark

et al. 2019

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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The potential environmental impact of air pollutants emitted from the oil sands industry in Alberta, Canada, has received considerable attention. The mining and processing of bitumen to produce synthetic crude oil, and the waste products associated with this activity, lead to significant emissions of gaseous and particle air pollutants. Deposition of pollutants occurs locally (i.e., near the sources) and also potentially at distances downwind, depending upon each pollutant's chemical and physical properties and meteorological conditions. The Joint Oil Sands Monitoring Program (JOSM) was initiated in 2012 by the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta to enhance or improve monitoring of pollutants and their potential impacts. In support of JOSM, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) undertook a significant research effort via three components: the Air, Water, and Wildlife components, which were implemented to better estimate baseline conditions related to levels of pollutants in the air and water, amounts of deposition, and exposures experienced by the biota. The criteria air contaminants (e.g., nitrogen oxides [NO x ], sulfur dioxide [SO 2 ], volatile organic compounds [VOCs], particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm [PM 2.5 ]) and their secondary atmospheric products were of interest, as well as toxic compounds, particularly polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), trace metals, and mercury (Hg). This critical review discusses the challenges of assessing ecosystem impacts and summarizes the major results of these efforts through approximately 2018. Focus is on the emissions to the air and the findings from the Air Component of the ECCC research and linkages to observations of contaminant levels in the surface waters in the region, in aquatic species, as well as in terrestrial and avian species. The existing evidence of impact on these species is briefly discussed, as is the potential for some of them to serve as sentinel species for the ongoing monitoring needed to better understand potential effects, their potential causes, and to detect future changes. Quantification of the atmospheric emissions of multiple pollutants needs to be improved, as does an understanding of the processes influencing fugitive emissions and local and regional deposition patterns. The influence of multiple stressors on biota exposure and response, from natural bitumen and forest fires to climate change, complicates the current ability to attribute effects to air emissions from the industry. However, there is growing evidence of the impact of current levels of PACs on some species, pointing to the need to improve the ability to predict PAC exposures and the key emission source involved. Although this critical review attempts to integrate some of the findings across the components, in terms of ECCC activities, increased coordination or integration of air, water, and wildlife research would enhance deeper scientific understanding. Improved understanding is needed in order to guide the development of longterm mon...

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Assessment of seven Canadian rivers in relation to stages in oil sands industrial development, 1972–2010

Cited by 44 publications

References 40 publications

Potential Influence of Sewage Phosphorus and Wet and Dry Deposition Detected in Fish Collected in the Athabasca River North of Fort McMurray

Potential Influence of Sewage Phosphorus and Wet and Dry Deposition Detected in Fish Collected in the Athabasca River North of Fort McMurray

Developing and applying control charts to detect changes in water chemistry parameters measured in the Athabasca River near the oil sands: A tool for surveillance monitoring

Advances in science and applications of air pollution monitoring: A case study on oil sands monitoring targeting ecosystem protection

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