Isotope tracing of water yields and flow pathways for critical loadings assessment in the oil sands region

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Areas of the boreal forest in northeastern Alberta are expected to be affected by acid deposition from the oil sands bitumen refining operations. Concern to minimize the impacts to the natural environment has prompted the industry, in cooperation with regulators, to consider future strategies such as improved emission controls. A better understanding of present and future acid sensitivity of the natural environment is acknowledged as necessary to design of appropriate cost-effective prevention strategies. This study centres on development and application of isotopic and geochemical tracers methods, in combination with classical hydrologic methods, remote sensing and GIS techniques, to constrain processes/interactions that control acid sensitivity of soils and downstream aquatic ecosystems. The study will improve on existing estimates of acid loadings, their variability in lakes and wetlands, and knowledge of critical future thresholds that are important to maintain ecosystem health. Knowledge of hydrologic flowpaths, surface/groundwater interaction, and flushing rates for lakes will be used to improve realism of models concurrently under development (e.g. Model of Acidification of Groundwater in Catchments, MAGIC) to simulate time-to-effects of critical loadings in the region.