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Sediment Diagenesis Module for CE-QUAL-W2. Part 1: Conceptual Formulation

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Abstract

This paper presents a conceptual framework for a sediment diagenesis model that was developed as an add-on module to the hydrodynamic and water quality model CE-QUAL-W2. The module was designed for oil sand pit lakes, but has been developed such that it is applicable to other waterbodies, particularly those with subaqueously placed mine waste or organic-rich sediments. The module includes important physical and chemical processes such as the following: tailing consolidation coupled with lake bed deepening and pore-water release, biogenic gas production (build-up and release of methane, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia), bubble release through the water column, unconsolidated sediment resuspension during bubble ebullition, dynamic oxygen consumption at the sediment-water interface and in the water column from bubbles, and salt rejection during ice formation.

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Acknowledgments

This model development was funded by the Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA), which is a multi-stakeholder group that is tasked with studying cumulative effects in Alberta’s oil sand region and making recommendations for regulatory agencies. The authors wish to thank CEMA and its members for funding this study. In addition, the authors wish to thank CEMA’s End Pit Lake Task Group and the three external reviewers for providing insightful reviews of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Golder Associates, Ltd., 220-1755 Springfield Road, Kelowna, BC, V1Y 5V5, Canada

    Jerry A. Vandenberg

  2. 75 Valley Stream Parkway, Suite 200, Malvern, PA, 19355-1406, USA

    Shwet Prakash & Edward M. Buchak

Authors
  1. Jerry A. Vandenberg
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  2. Shwet Prakash
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  3. Edward M. Buchak
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jerry A. Vandenberg.

Additional information

This is a two-part paper, along with Sediment Diagenesis Module for CE-QUAL-W2 Part 2: Numerical Formulation

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Vandenberg, J.A., Prakash, S. & Buchak, E.M. Sediment Diagenesis Module for CE-QUAL-W2. Part 1: Conceptual Formulation. Environ Model Assess 20, 239–247 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-014-9428-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-014-9428-0

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