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Paleolimnological assessment of limnological change in 10 lakes from northwest Saskatchewan downwind of the Athabasca oils sands based on analysis of siliceous algae and trace metals in sediment cores

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Abstract

The extraction of bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands is rapidly expanding, and emission of sulphur and nitrogen oxides has substantially increased. To determine whether lakes downwind of this development in northwest Saskatchewan have been detrimentally impacted since development of the oil sands, a paleolimnological assessment of ten lakes was carried out. Analysis of diatom valves and inferences of diatom-inferred pH indicated that emissions have not resulted in widespread chronic acidification of acid-sensitive lakes ~80–250 km east and northeast of the oil sands development around Fort McMurray and Fort Mackay. However, one of the closest sites to the development indicated a slight decline in diatom-inferred pH, but the two next closest sites, both of which had higher alkalinity, did not show any evidence of acidification. There were also no consistent trends in the concentration or flux of total or individual priority pollutants including lead, mercury, copper, zinc and vanadium. The sedimentation rates in most lakes increased since the mid-1900s, along with increased flux of both diatoms and scaled chrysophytes. Subtle changes in the species assemblages of diatoms and increased flux of diatoms and chrysophyte scales are consistent with recent climate change in this region.

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Acknowledgments

This project was funded by the Saskatchewan Ministry of the Environment. We would like to thank Kenneth Scott for assistance with lake selection and fieldwork, Steve Wilke for assistance in the field, and Moumita Karkamar for assistance in the lab. We are also thankful to Oil Sands Quest Inc. for use of their facilities while undertaking the fieldwork associated with this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory (PEARL), Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Biosciences Complex, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada

    Kathleen R. Laird, Melanie Kingsbury, Brendan Wiltse & Brian F. Cumming

  2. Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, 3211 Albert Street, Regina, SK, S4S 5W6, Canada

    Biplob Das

  3. Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, 120 Bayview Pkwy., Newmarket, ON, L3Y 4X1, Canada

    Melissa T. Moos

  4. CEAB-CSIC, Ctr Adv Studies Blanes, LimnolGrp, 17300, Blanes, Girona, Spain

    Sergi Pla-Rabes

  5. Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, 490 rue de la Couronne, Quebec, QC, G1K 9A9, Canada

    Jason M. E. Ahad

  6. Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain

    Sergi Pla-Rabes

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  1. Kathleen R. Laird
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  2. Biplob Das
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Fig. S1

Gamma activities: total 214Bi (open square) and 210Pb (closed square) in dpm g−1, and age models (time by depth) for each lake. (TIFF 65 kb)

Fig. S2

Percent abundance for the dominant chrysophyte scale taxa for each lake. (TIFF 99 kb)

Fig. S3

Total priority pollutant elements (PPE) concentration for each lake in µg g−1. (TIFF 50 kb)

Fig. S4

Concentration (µg g−1) and flux (µg cm−2 year−1) of lead for each study lake. (TIFF 51 kb)

Fig. S5

Concentration (µg g−1) and flux (µg cm−2 year−1) of mercury for each study lake. (TIFF 46 kb)

Fig. S6

Concentration (µg g−1) and flux (µg cm−2 year−1) of copper for each study lake. (TIFF 51 kb)

Fig. S7

Concentration (µg g−1) and flux (µg cm−2 year−1) of zinc for each study lake. (TIFF 48 kb)

Fig. S8

Concentration (µg g−1) and flux (µg cm−2 year−1) of vanadium for each study lake. (TIFF 51 kb)

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Laird, K.R., Das, B., Kingsbury, M. et al. Paleolimnological assessment of limnological change in 10 lakes from northwest Saskatchewan downwind of the Athabasca oils sands based on analysis of siliceous algae and trace metals in sediment cores. Hydrobiologia 720, 55–73 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-013-1623-5

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