Snowpack deposition of trace elements in the Athabasca oil sands region, Canada

Sources of Methylmercury to Snowpacks of the Alberta Oil Sands Region: A Study of In Situ Methylation and Particulates

“…As with most large-scale industrial activities, there are concerns about human and ecosystem health within the AOSR. − Contaminants in the AOSR are released from sources such as stack emissions and wastewaters, − tailings ponds, , increased erosion, blowing dust from landscape disturbance, road activity, and open-pit mines. , Among these contaminants are an array of organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), − naphthenic acids, − sulfur dioxide and nitrogenous oxide species, − secondary organic aerosols, and metals, including mercury (Hg). − Kelly et al , found that wintertime atmospheric deposition of the 13 elements (Ag, Ar, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, Sb, Tl, and Zn) considered priority pollutants elements (PPEs) under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency increased with proximity to the major upgraders. The same pattern of elevated loadings near the major upgraders was demonstrated by Kirk et al for both total Hg (THg; all forms of Hg in a sample) and methylmercury (MeHg; a vertebrate neurotoxin that readily bioaccumulates in organisms and biomagnifies through foodwebs) in snowpacks.…”

Impact of snow deposition on major and trace element concentrations and elementary fluxes in surface waters of the Western Siberian Lowland across a 1700 km latitudinal gradient

“…In order to assess a snapshot of snow deposition across a 1700 km latitudinal profile and collect the freshest snow that was subject to minimal transformation, we chose to sample only the upper layer of the snow cover. This technique, in contrast to traditional sampling of entire snow columns (i.e., Guéguen et al, 2016;Niu et al, 2017), allows an adequate representation of the upper fresh snow layer that had minimal transformation at the soil, and frequently used in remote regions (Kang et al, 2007;Zhang et al, 2015). The isotope composition of collected snow proved its fresh character, not subject to any metamorphism (Vasil'chuk et al, 2016).…”

“…The snow cover exhibits a number of properties making it a unique natural archive and indicator of the ecosystem status (Baltrėnaitė et al, 2014;Bokhorst et al, 2016;Callaghan et al, 2011;de Caritat et al, , 2005Garbarino et al, 2002;Guéguen et al, 2016;Kashulina et al, 2014;Lisitzin, 2002;Niu et al, 2016;Ross and Granat, 1986;Singh et al, 2011;Siudek et al, 2015;Van de Velde et al, 1999;Walker et al, 2003). The snow washes out insoluble aerosol particles from the atmosphere as well as soluble compounds, including various pollutants (Telmer et al, 2004;Barrie, 1986;Tranter et al, 1986Tranter et al, , 1987.…”

Estimation of Atmospheric Dry and Wet Deposition of Particulate Elements at Four Monitoring Sites in the Canadian Athabasca Oil Sands Region

“…The oil sands development activities in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) of Canada are potential sources of the airborne particulate elements in the region (Landis et al., 2017; Mamun et al., 2021; Phillips‐Smith et al., 2017). Numerous studies have examined the enrichment of elements on various receptor media in the AOSR including airborne particulates, lichens, mosses, snow, river water, etc (Gopalapillai et al., 2019; Graney et al., 2017; Gue et al., 2015; Gueguen et al., 2016; Hebert et al., 2011; Kelly et al., 2010; Landis et al., 2012, 2017; Shotyk et al., 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019; Stachiw et al., 2019; Willis et al., 2018). As atmospheric deposition is a critical pathway of pollutant contamination to these receptors, it is essential to monitor the rates of elemental deposition to assess their environmental impacts.…”