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Development and application of paleolimnological methods to assess pollution of aquatic ecosystems downstream of the Alberta oilsands

开发和应用古湖泊学方法来评估艾伯塔省油砂下游水生生态系统的污染

基本信息

批准号：
RGPIN-2016-03630
负责人：
Hall, Roland
金额：
$ 2.11万
依托单位：
University of Waterloo
依托单位国家：
加拿大
项目类别：
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
财政年份：
2017
资助国家：
加拿大
起止时间：
2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=633790
关键词：
Development application paleolimnological methods assess

项目摘要

In recent years, societal concerns have escalated over cumulative effects of rapidly-growing oilsands development on downstream ecosystems in the lower Athabasca River watershed. Based on expert-panel reports, current monitoring programs are inadequate to address the growing apprehension about releases of pollution from oilsands development via air and water. Key locations include the lower Athabasca River, Lake Athabasca, Peace-Athabasca Delta and community of Ft. Chipewyan where worries have been expressed for human and ecosystem health. Of particular concern are metals and organic pollutants. Studies of snowpack and lake sediments show that oilsands development is polluting at least a 50-km radius via the air. However, disentangling the roles of natural processes versus industrial development on contaminant supply via the Athabasca River remains a key scientific challenge, because systematic monitoring began 30 years after oilsands development. Thus, real-time measurements of pre-disturbance contaminant levels are not known and cannot be produced retroactively. Also, the river naturally erodes oil-bearing strata along >100 km of riverbank, which further confounds interpretation of existing monitoring data. The proposed research will develop and apply a scientifically-rigorous paleolimnological approach at three strategically-selected locations (Athabasca River downstream of oilsands, Peace-Athabasca Delta, lower Peace River) to provide key missing information on pre-industrial baseline levels of metal contaminants of concern carried by the Athabasca and Peace rivers. This approach, a product of 15 years of prior research, will use analyses of contaminants in sediments deposited into floodplain lakes by river floodwaters before industrial development to determine the natural range of sediment contaminant concentrations in the river, as ‘baseline’ to evaluate long-term river monitoring data for evidence of pollution by oilsands development and other human activities.

近年来，社会对阿萨巴斯卡河流域下游生态系统快速增长的油砂开发的累积效应的关注不断升级。根据专家小组的报告，目前的监测计划不足以解决人们对油砂开发通过空气和水释放污染的日益担忧。主要地点包括阿萨巴斯卡河下游、阿萨巴斯卡湖、和平阿萨巴斯卡三角洲和福特社区。Chipewyan对人类和生态系统的健康表示担忧。特别令人关切的是金属和有机污染物。对积雪和湖泊沉积物的研究表明，油砂开发正在通过空气污染至少50公里半径的地区。然而，解开自然过程与工业发展对阿萨巴斯卡河污染物供应的作用仍然是一个关键的科学挑战，因为系统监测是在油砂开发30年后开始的。因此，扰动前污染物水平的实时测量是未知的，并且不能追溯地产生。此外，河流沿沿着>100公里的河岸自然侵蚀含油地层，这进一步混淆了现有监测数据的解释。拟议的研究将在三个战略选定的地点（油砂的阿萨巴斯卡河下游，和平-阿萨巴斯卡三角洲，和平河下游）开发和应用科学严谨的古湖泊学方法，以提供有关阿萨巴斯卡河和和平河所携带的金属污染物的工业化前基线水平的关键缺失信息。这种方法，15年的前期研究的产物，将使用沉积物中的污染物沉积到河漫滩湖泊的河流洪水工业发展之前，以确定沉积物污染物浓度的自然范围在河流中的沉积物中的污染物分析，作为“基线”，以评估长期的河流监测数据的证据，油砂开发和其他人类活动的污染。