Journal article
Impacts of industrial atmospheric emissions on watershed export of dissolved ions in coastal streams: a Bayesian modeling approach
Environmental monitoring and assessment, v 192(9), pp 568-568
01 Sep 2020
PMID: 32767118
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Anthropogenic atmospheric emission and subsequent deposition of sulfur (S) has been linked to disrupted watershed biogeochemical processes through soil and surface water acidification. We investigated watershed-scale impacts of acidic deposition on tributary concentrations and watershed exports of major nutrients and ions for the Kitimat River Watershed, British Columbia. Since the 1950s, the Kitimat watershed had an aluminum smelting facility with substantial emissions at the river estuary. Emissions load the airshed overlying the watershed and potentially impact western tributaries leaving eastern tributaries available as reference. We assessed concentrations and export of key compounds in three reference and six potentially impacted tributaries and watersheds in 2015 and 2016. Sulfate (SO
), fluoride (F), nitrate (NO
), and chloride (Cl) were significantly higher in impacted tributaries. F concentrations exceeded the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment guideline for aquatic life in 83% of samples collected from impacted streams. Watershed export and associated uncertainty were determined by bootstrapped flow-stratified Beale's unbiased estimator. Impact of emissions on watershed export was modeled in a Bayesian approach to include variance in the export estimate to inform the uncertainty of model parameters. Export of SO
and Ca increased significantly within 16 km and 8 km, respectively, toward the smelter emissions. The corresponding impacted area for SO
and Ca was approximately 100 km
and 45 km
, respectively. SO
export is likely due to direct impacts of S deposition, with excess S being flushed from the watersheds. Ca export patterns likely result from indirect impacts of S deposition on soil chemistry and flushing of Ca. These impacts may contribute to effects within tributaries on benthic stream communities and regionally important juvenile Pacific salmon.
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Details
- Title
- Impacts of industrial atmospheric emissions on watershed export of dissolved ions in coastal streams: a Bayesian modeling approach
- Creators
- Timothy J Maguire - University of WindsorR Paul Weidman - University of WindsorScott O C Mundle - University of WindsorJonathan W Moore - Simon Fraser UniversityKyle A Chezik - Simon Fraser UniversityDaniel T Selbie - Simon Fraser University
- Publication Details
- Environmental monitoring and assessment, v 192(9), pp 568-568
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Grant note
- Discovery Grant / Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (CA) n/a / Mitacs (CA)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Environmental Biogeochemistry
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000561107700003
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85089190106
- Other Identifier
- 991021903228104721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences