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Two-dimensional numerical modelling of sediment and chemical constituent transport within the lower reaches of the Athabasca River

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Abstract

Flows and transport of sediment and associated chemical constituents within the lower reaches of the Athabasca River between Fort McMurray and Embarrass Airport are investigated using a two-dimensional (2D) numerical model called Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC). The river reach is characterized by complex geometry, including vegetated islands, alternating sand bars and an unpredictable thalweg. The models were setup and validated using available observed data in the region before using them to estimate the levels of cohesive sediment and a select set of chemical constituents, consisting of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals, within the river system. Different flow scenarios were considered, and the results show that a large proportion of the cohesive sediment that gets deposited within the study domain originates from the main stem upstream inflow boundary, although Ells River may also contribute substantially during peak flow events. The floodplain, back channels and islands in the river system are found to be the major areas of concern for deposition of sediment and associated chemical constituents. Adsorbed chemical constituents also tend to be greater in the main channel water column, which has higher levels of total suspended sediments, compared to in the flood plain. Moreover, the levels of chemical constituents leaving the river system are found to depend very much on the corresponding river bed concentration levels, resulting in higher outflows with increases in their concentration in the bed sediment.

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Acknowledgments

The financial support for this study was provided by the Government of Alberta and Environment Canada Joint Oil-Sands Monitoring Program (JOSMP). The authors would like to thank Drs. Fred Wrona and Anil Gupta of Alberta Environmental Monitoring and Science Division as well as Drs. Patricia Chambers and Malcolm Conly of Environment and Climate Change Canada for their contributions and constructive suggestions at the various stages of this project. The authors acknowledge the help of Ali Oveisy in developing the model grids and Paul Craig from Dynamic Solutions International for his support of the EFDC software. The authors would like to thank Dr. Fay Hicks for providing some of the lower Athabasca River cross-section data and Dr. Roderick Hazewinkel from Alberta Environment and Parks for facilitating access to the LIDAR data used for preparing the bathymetry for the Athabasca River and its flood plains.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment and Climate Change Canada, Water & Climate Impact Research Centre, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada

    Shalini Kashyap, Yonas Dibike, Ahmad Shakibaeinia & Terry Prowse

  2. Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, 867 Lakeshore Rd, Burlington, ON, L7S 1A1, Canada

    Ian Droppo

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  1. Shalini Kashyap
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  2. Yonas Dibike
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  5. Ian Droppo
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Correspondence to Shalini Kashyap.

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Kashyap, S., Dibike, Y., Shakibaeinia, A. et al. Two-dimensional numerical modelling of sediment and chemical constituent transport within the lower reaches of the Athabasca River. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 2286–2303 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7931-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7931-3

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