Quantifying wet and dry atmospheric inputs of mercury to Manitoba Hydro reservoirs and watersheds

量化马尼托巴水电水库和流域的湿和干大气汞输入

• 批准号: 370904-2008
• 负责人: StLouis, Vincent
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2009-01-01 至 2010-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=434724
• 关键词: Quantifying; wet; dry; atmospheric; inputs

Hydroelectricity is currently touted as relatively "green" due to its low per unit energy greenhouse gas emissions. However, reservoir creation has many other environmental impacts, including the production and bioaccumulation of methylmercury (MeHg; a toxic form of Hg) into fish. To accurately quantify the net effect of reservoir creation on the biogeochemical cycling of Hg, researchers require measures of atmospheric loadings of Hg to intact forested watersheds, and an understanding of how these inputs change following flooding. These atmospheric inputs of MeHg and inorganic Hg(II) can then be subtracted from exports of MeHg and Hg(II) from reservoirs to determine, for example, the net production of MeHg within the reservoir itself. The overall objective of our proposal is to quantify wet and dry atmospheric inputs of MeHg and Hg(II) to Manitoba Hydro reservoirs and watersheds. This will be accomplished by initiating a wet deposition Hg monitoring program at a Manitoba Hydro generating station to be used in conjunction with a long-term and expanding dataset of wet and dry deposition being collected at the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario. Our research will allow Manitoba Hydro to more accurately quantify and predicatively model the net impact of reservoir creation on the biogeochemical cycling of Hg and the bioaccumulation of MeHg in fish. Such information will also allow Manitoba Hydro to accurately compare its net Hg "footprint" per unit energy produced relative to that associated with burning coal in North America to produce an equivalent amount of electricity, and better explain the environmental benefits of hydroelectricity production. Our dataset will also contribute to ongoing studies examining the net export of Hg from Manitoba Hydro watersheds to Hudson Bay, where certain species of marine mammals contain high enough concentrations of Hg to be of concern to First Nations peoples using them as a traditional food source. Finally, our proposed research will contribute via the newly initiated Environment Canada Clean Air Regulatory Agenda (CARA) Mercury Science Program to our overall understanding of Hg deposition across Canada.

水力发电目前被吹捧为相对“绿色”，因为其单位能源温室气体排放量低。然而，水库的建立会产生许多其他环境影响，包括甲基汞（甲基汞;汞的一种有毒形式）的产生和生物累积到鱼类体内。为了准确量化水库建设对汞的地球化学循环的净影响，研究人员需要测量大气中汞对完整森林流域的负荷，并了解这些输入在洪水后如何变化。然后，从水库的甲基汞和汞（II）输出量中减去这些进入大气的甲基汞和无机汞（II），以确定水库本身的甲基汞净产量。我们的建议的总体目标是量化湿和干大气输入的甲基汞和汞（二）到马尼托巴水电水库和流域。这将通过在马尼托巴一个水力发电站启动一个湿沉降汞监测方案来实现，该方案将与在安大略西北部实验湖区收集的湿沉降和干沉降的长期和不断扩大的数据集结合使用。我们的研究将使马尼托巴水电更准确地量化和预测模型的净影响水库创建的汞的地球化学循环和甲基汞在鱼类的生物积累。这些信息还将使马尼托巴水电公司能够准确地比较其每单位能源生产的净汞“足迹”与北美燃煤生产同等数量电力的净汞“足迹”，并更好地解释水力发电的环境效益。我们的数据集还将有助于正在进行的研究，研究从马尼托巴Hydro流域到哈德逊湾的汞净出口，在哈得逊湾，某些海洋哺乳动物的汞浓度很高，足以引起将其作为传统食物来源的原住民的关注。最后，我们提出的研究将有助于通过新发起的加拿大环境部清洁空气监管议程（CARA）汞科学计划，我们的整体了解整个加拿大的汞沉积。