Simulating diluted bitumen spills in boreal lake limnocorrals - Part 1: Experimental design and responses of hydrocarbons, metals, and water quality parameters

Rodríguez‐Gil, José Luis; Stoyanovich, Sawyer S.; Hanson, Mark L.; Hollebone, Bruce P.; Orihel, Diane M.; Palace, Vince; Faragher, Robert; Mirnaghi, Fatemeh S.; Shah, Keval; Yang, Zeyu; Black, Tyler A.; Cederwall, Jeffrey; Mason, Johanna; Patterson, Samuel A.; Timlick, Lauren; Séguin, Jonathan Y.; Blais, Jules M.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148537

Cited by 19 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Resident fish were removed from the limnocorrals, and deterrents were installed in the surrounding areas to prevent avian or mammalian predator interference. In June, seven limnocorrals were amended with a logarithmic regression of dilbit volumes ranging between 1.5 and 180 L, representative of the range of spills (oil to water ratios) from the 50th to the 99th percentile that have occurred in Canada and the United States between 2008 and 2019 (Rodriguez‐Gil et al, 2021). This regression design was chosen over replication to be able to apply the results to multiple future spill scenarios and provide risk assessors with a tool to help predict the effects of different spill sizes on freshwater lakes.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To calculate the initial water volume in each limnocorral and monitor any subsequent changes, a known volume of a benign tracer, tritiated water (H 3 ), was added to each of the limnocorrals (Orihel, 2005). Additional details regarding safety measures and determinations of mesocosm volumes and oil fate are described elsewhere (Rodriguez‐Gil et al, 2021; Stoyanovich et al, 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Responses of Wild Finescale Dace (Phoxinus neogaeus) to Experimental Spills of Cold Lake Blend Diluted Bitumen at the International Institute for Sustainable Development‐Experimental Lakes Area, Northwestern Ontario

Timlick

Dearnley

Blais

et al. 2022

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Pipelines carrying diluted bitumen (dilbit) traverse North America and may result in dilbit release into sensitive freshwater ecosystems. To better understand the potential effects of a freshwater oil release, the Boreal-lake Oil Release Experiment by Additions to Limnocorrals project at the International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area (Ontario, Canada) modeled seven dilbit spills contained within a 10-m diameter of littoral limnocorrals in a boreal lake. Wild finescale dace (Phoxinus neogaeus) were released in the limnocorrals 21 days after oil addition and remained there for 70 days. Dilbit volumes covered a large range representing a regression of real spill sizes and total polycyclic aromatic compounds (TPAC) between 167 ng L −1 day −1 and 1989 ng L −1 day −1 . We report the effects of chronic exposure on reproductive potential as well as physiological responses in the gallbladder and liver. In exposures >1000 ng L −1 day −1 , there was a significant decrease in fish retrieval, culminating in zero recapture from the three highest treatments. Among the fish from the limnocorrals with lower levels of TPAC (<500 ng L −1 day −1 ), effects were inconsistent. Gallbladder bile fluorescence for a naphthalene metabolite was significantly different in fish from the oil-exposed limnocorrals when compared to the lake and reference corral, indicating that fish in these lower exposures were interacting with dilbit-derived polycyclic aromatic compounds. There were no significant differences in condition factor, somatic indices, or hepatocyte volume indices. There were also no significant changes in the development of testes or ovaries of exposed dace. The results from the present study may serve to orient policymakers and emergency responders to the range of TPAC exposures that may not significantly affect wild fish.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Wild Finescale Dace (Phoxinus neogaeus) to Experimental Spills of Cold Lake Blend Diluted Bitumen at the International Institute for Sustainable Development‐Experimental Lakes Area, Northwestern Ontario

Timlick

Dearnley

Blais

et al. 2022

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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“…In order to examine the fate, behavior and potential impacts of spilled dilbit in freshwater lakes, dilbit spills were simulated within 10 m diameter, ~100 m 3 volume limnocorrals on Lake 260 beginning in 2018 (Orihel, 2019). The experimental design of the simulated dilbit spills are described in a previous publication (Rodriguez-Gil et al, 2021). Briefly, limnocorrals consist of a floatation collar that supports an impermeable curtain that extends to the bottom of the lake where it is sealed to the sediments using sandbags, providing an enclosed ecosystem to model whole lake processes.…”

Section: Study Area and Diluted Bitumen Additionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The present study was a part of a larger series of experiments at IISD-ELA where dilbit spills and cleanups were carried out within limnocorrals and shoreline enclosures in a boreal lake (Rodriguez-Gil et al, 2021). There were two potential vectors for dilbit constituents entering the surround lake environment.…”

Section: Soluble Dilbit Constituents In Lake 260mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although research suggests that mucus may be a promising method for nonlethal sampling, the efficacy of mucus as an oil exposure assessment tool has not yet been assessed on wild populations in the field. In the present study, epidermal mucus was collected from lake charr (Salvelinus namaycush) residing in a pristine Canadian boreal shield lake at the International Institute for Sustainable Development Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) where experimental dilbit spills and cleanups were conducted within enclosures on the lake (detailed in Rodriguez-Gil et al, 2021). While experimental spills were conducted within enclosures, minute levels of dilbit entered the surrounding lake environment leading to potential exposure of resident lake charr.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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RNA Sequencing of Lake Charr Epidermal Mucus to Assess Molecular Effects of Diluted Bitumen Exposure in a Boreal Lake

Andrzejczyk

Palace

Hrenchuk

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Transport of diluted bitumen (dilbit) from Canada’s oil sands region poses risk for leaks and spills of petroleum-derived contaminants into the environment. Exposure of fish to dilbit is known to cause cardiotoxicity, developmental deformities, and impairment in swim performance. However, previous studies have examined the toxicity of dilbit in laboratory settings which does not account for environmental and biological food-web variables that may alter exposure and/or toxicity of dilbit. Moreover, most methods of assessing organism health following oil exposure require lethal sampling. This work is a part of a larger set of experiments where dilbit spills were simulated within enclosures on a lake; the present study assesses the impacts of residual levels of dilbit that may have entered the surrounding lake environment from the enclosures following model spill cleanup. In order to understand the impacts of residual dilbit in an ecosystem setting without use of lethal sampling, epidermal mucus was collected and sequenced from lake charr (Salvelinus namaycush) exposed to residual dilbit in a boreal lake. While concentrations reached a maximum of 2.29 μg/L total polycyclic aromatic compounds (ΣPAC) within surface waters, surface water ΣPAC concentrations generally remained below 1 μg/L. Results of RNA sequencing were compared to sequencing data from mucus collected prior to dilbit additions. Differential gene expression and pathway analyses indicated dysregulation of genes associated with intermediary and energy metabolism as well as a trend in upregulation of cyp1a3 in epidermal mucus following dilbit exposure. Thus, results of the present study suggest that lake charr undergo consistent biological responses after exposure to residual levels of dilbit following a model spill, and that mRNA-based analysis of mucus may be a viable method for non-lethal oil exposure assessment. Overall, the results provide insight on the response of wild fish to very dilute dilbit exposures after a model spill cleanup.

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The Challenges of Characterizing the Zooplankton Community Response Following Simulated Spills of Diluted Bitumen into Boreal Lake Limnocorrals

Black

Paterson

Timlick

et al. 2023

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol

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Simulating diluted bitumen spills in boreal lake limnocorrals - Part 1: Experimental design and responses of hydrocarbons, metals, and water quality parameters

Cited by 19 publications

References 27 publications

Responses of Wild Finescale Dace (Phoxinus neogaeus) to Experimental Spills of Cold Lake Blend Diluted Bitumen at the International Institute for Sustainable Development‐Experimental Lakes Area, Northwestern Ontario

Responses of Wild Finescale Dace (Phoxinus neogaeus) to Experimental Spills of Cold Lake Blend Diluted Bitumen at the International Institute for Sustainable Development‐Experimental Lakes Area, Northwestern Ontario

RNA Sequencing of Lake Charr Epidermal Mucus to Assess Molecular Effects of Diluted Bitumen Exposure in a Boreal Lake

The Challenges of Characterizing the Zooplankton Community Response Following Simulated Spills of Diluted Bitumen into Boreal Lake Limnocorrals

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