Palaeolimnological assessment of lake acidification and environmental change in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta

Curtis, C. J.; Flower, Roger J.; Rose, Neil L.; Shilland, James; Simpson, Gavin L.; Turner, Simon; Yang, Handong; Pla, Sergi

doi:10.4081/jlimnol.2010.s1.92

Cited by 40 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org /10.5194/acp-2017- past observational studies of lakes in the environs of the Athabasca oil sands (Hazewinkel et al, 2008;Curtis et al, 2010;Laird et al, 2013), two out of twenty lakes were found to show signs of acidification. These observation locations are depicted in Figure 20, overlaid on the map of exceedances for aquatic ecosystems with respect to S dep of Figure 17(b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimates of Exceedances of Critical Loads for Acidifying Deposition in Alberta and Saskatchewan

Makar¹,

Akingunola²,

Aherne³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Abstract.Estimates of potential harmful effects to ecosystems in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan due to acidifying deposition were calculated, using a one year simulation of a high resolution implementation of the Global Environmental Multiscale -Modelling Air-quality and Chemistry (GEM-MACH) model, and estimates of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem critical loads. The model simulation was evaluated against two different sources of deposition data; 20 total deposition in precipitation and total deposition to snowpack in the vicinity of the Athabasca oil sands. The model captured much of the variability of observed ions in wet deposition in precipitation (observed versus model sulphur, nitrogen and base cation R 2 values of 0.90, 0.76 and 0.72, respectively), while being biased high for sulphur deposition, and low for nitrogen and base cations (slopes 2.2, 0.89 and 0.40, respectively). Aircraft-observation-based estimates of fugitive dust emissions, shown to be a factor of ten higher than reported values (Zhang et al.., 2017), were used to estimate the impact of 25 increased levels of fugitive dust on model results. Model comparisons to open snowpack observations were shown to be biased high, but in reasonable agreement for sulphur deposition when observations were corrected to account for throughfall in needleleaf forests. The model-observation relationships for precipitation deposition data, along with the expected effects of increased (unreported) base cation emissions, were used to provide a simple observation-based correction to model deposition fields. Base cation deposition was estimated using published observations of base cation fractions in surface 30 collected particles .Both original and observation-corrected model estimates of sulphur, nitrogen and base cation deposition were used in conjunction with critical load data created using the NEG-ECP (2001) and CLRTAP (2004, 2016, 2017) Base cation deposition was shown to have a neutralizing effect on acidifying deposition, and the use of the aircraft and precipitation observation-based corrections to base cation deposition resulted in reasonable agreement with snowpack data collected in the oil sands area. However, critical load exceedances calculated using both observations and observationcorrected deposition suggest that the neutralization effect is limited in spatial extent, decreasing rapidly with distance from 10 emissions sources, due to the rapid deposition of emitted primary particles dust particles as a function of their size.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimates of Exceedances of Critical Loads for Acidifying Deposition in Alberta and Saskatchewan

Makar¹,

Akingunola²,

Aherne³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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show abstract

“…In northern Alberta, shifts in flood regime and an increase in the number of closed-drainage lakes during the 20th century are unprecedented over the last millennium and signify a shift in the region's hydrology in response to climatic changes (34,35). In addition, the oil sands industry is an obvious point source of atmospheric emissions of key components of acidic precipitation, including sulfur and nitrogen oxides (3,36,37), although Alberta's carbonate-rich soils provide some buffering capacity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Longer ice-free season and enhanced thermal stability, coupled with higher surface-water temperatures and the redistribution of nutrients within the water column, contribute to greater algal production within many lake ecosystems (38,39). Paleolimnological studies from a suite of lakes in Alberta (29,36) and the adjacent Northwest Territories (40) record notable shifts in lake primary production, influenced to some degree by climatic control. Despite the acidification potential of emissions from upgrading facilities, diatom-based analyses of 20 acid-sensitive lakes in northern Alberta (29,36) showed evidence of acidification at only one site.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Paleolimnological studies from a suite of lakes in Alberta (29,36) and the adjacent Northwest Territories (40) record notable shifts in lake primary production, influenced to some degree by climatic control. Despite the acidification potential of emissions from upgrading facilities, diatom-based analyses of 20 acid-sensitive lakes in northern Alberta (29,36) showed evidence of acidification at only one site. To date, the overall pattern emerging from paleolimnological studies conducted in the greater oil sands region, including data presented here, is that 20th century biotic assemblages (i.e., cladocerans, diatoms) and other sediment measures (i.e., VRS-chla, C:N) reflect greater lake primary production and higher alkalinity (29,36).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the acidification potential of emissions from upgrading facilities, diatom-based analyses of 20 acid-sensitive lakes in northern Alberta (29,36) showed evidence of acidification at only one site. To date, the overall pattern emerging from paleolimnological studies conducted in the greater oil sands region, including data presented here, is that 20th century biotic assemblages (i.e., cladocerans, diatoms) and other sediment measures (i.e., VRS-chla, C:N) reflect greater lake primary production and higher alkalinity (29,36). If climate warming enhances limnological conditions favorable to some algal species, such as cyanobacteria (38), then internal phosphorus loading during anoxia may exacerbate the already-enhanced nutrient conditions of relatively productive Albertan lakes that thermally stratify (29,41).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Legacy of a half century of Athabasca oil sands development recorded by lake ecosystems

Kurek

Kirk

Muir

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

246

221

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The absence of well-executed environmental monitoring in the Athabasca oil sands (Alberta, Canada) has necessitated the use of indirect approaches to determine background conditions of freshwater ecosystems before development of one of the Earth’s largest energy deposits. Here, we use highly resolved lake sediment records to provide ecological context to ∼50 y of oil sands development and other environmental changes affecting lake ecosystems in the region. We show that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within lake sediments, particularly C1-C4–alkylated PAHs, increased significantly after development of the bitumen resource began, followed by significant increases in dibenzothiophenes. Total PAH fluxes in the modern sediments of our six study lakes, including one site ∼90 km northwest of the major development area, are now ∼2.5–23 times greater than ∼1960 levels. PAH ratios indicate temporal shifts from primarily wood combustion to petrogenic sources that coincide with greater oil sands development. Canadian interim sediment quality guidelines for PAHs have been exceeded since the mid-1980s at the most impacted site. A paleoecological assessment of Daphnia shows that this sentinel zooplankter has not yet been negatively impacted by decades of high atmospheric PAH deposition. Rather, coincident with increases in PAHs, climate-induced shifts in aquatic primary production related to warmer and drier conditions are the primary environmental drivers producing marked daphniid shifts after ∼1960 to 1970. Because of the striking increase in PAHs, elevated primary production, and zooplankton changes, these oil sands lake ecosystems have entered new ecological states completely distinct from those of previous centuries.

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A critical review of the ecological status of lakes and rivers from Canada's oil sands region

Arciszewski

Hazewinkel

Dubé

2021

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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We synthesize the information available from the peer‐reviewed literature on the ecological status of lakes and rivers in the oil sands region (OSR) of Canada. The majority of the research from the OSR has been performed in or near the minable region and examines the concentrations, flux, or enrichment of contaminants of concern (CoCs). Proximity to oil sands facilities and the beginning of commercial activities tend to be associated with greater estimates of CoCs across studies. Research suggests the higher measurements of CoCs are typically associated with wind‐blown dust, but other sources also contribute. Exploratory analyses further suggest relationships with facility production and fuel use data. Exceedances of environmental quality guidelines for CoCs are also reported in lake sediments, but there are no indications of toxicity including those within the areas of the greatest atmospheric deposition. Instead, primary production has increased in most lakes over time. Spatial differences are observed in streams, but causal relationships with industrial activity are often confounded by substantial natural influences. Despite this, there may be signals associated with site preparation for new mines, potential persistent differences, and a potential effect of petroleum coke used as fuel on some indices of health in fish captured in the Steepbank River. There is also evidence of improvements in the ecological condition of some rivers. Despite the volume of material available, much of the work remains temporally, spatially, or technically isolated. Overcoming the isolation of studies would enhance the utility of information available for the region, but additional recommendations for improving monitoring can be made, such as a shift to site‐specific analyses in streams and further use of industry‐reported data. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:361–387. © 2021 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

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Palaeolimnological assessment of lake acidification and environmental change in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta

Abstract: ABSTRACT

Cited by 40 publications

References 41 publications

Estimates of Exceedances of Critical Loads for Acidifying Deposition in Alberta and Saskatchewan

Estimates of Exceedances of Critical Loads for Acidifying Deposition in Alberta and Saskatchewan

Legacy of a half century of Athabasca oil sands development recorded by lake ecosystems

A critical review of the ecological status of lakes and rivers from Canada's oil sands region

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