Organic matter control on the distribution of arsenic in lake sediments impacted by ~ 65 years of gold ore processing in subarctic Canada

Jennifer M. Galloway; Graeme T. Swindles; Heather E. Jamieson; Michael Palmer; Michael B. Parsons; Hamed Sanei; Andrew L. Macumber; R. Timothy Patterson; Hendrik Falck

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.048

Organic matter control on the distribution of arsenic in lake sediments impacted by ~ 65 years of gold ore processing in subarctic Canada

Jennifer M. Galloway^*, Graeme T. Swindles, Heather E. Jamieson, Michael Palmer, Michael B. Parsons, Hamed Sanei, Andrew L. Macumber, R. Timothy Patterson, Hendrik Falck

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

35 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Climate change is profoundly affecting seasonality, biological productivity, and hydrology in high northern latitudes. In sensitive subarctic environments exploitation of mineral resources led to contamination and it is not known how cumulative effects of resource extraction and climate warming will impact ecosystems. Gold mines near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, subarctic Canada, operated from 1938 to 2004 and released > 20,000 t of arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃) to the environment through stack emissions. This release resulted in elevated arsenic concentrations in lake surface waters and sediments relative to Canadian drinking water standards and guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. A meta-analytical approach is used to better understand controls on As distribution in lake sediments within a 30-km radius of historic mineral processing activities. Arsenic concentrations in the near-surface sediments range from 5 mg·kg^{− 1} to over 10,000 mg·kg^{− 1} (median 81 mg·kg^{− 1}; n = 105). Distance and direction from the historic roaster stack are significantly (p < 0.05) related to sedimentary As concentration, with highest As concentrations in sediments within 11 km and lakes located downwind. Synchrotron-based μXRF and μXRD confirm the persistence of As₂O₃ in near surface sediments of two lakes. Labile organic matter (S1) is significantly (p < 0.05) related to As and S concentrations in sediments and this relationship is greatest in lakes within 11 km from the mine. These relations are interpreted to reflect labile organic matter acting as a substrate for microbial growth and mediation of authigenic precipitation of As-sulphides in lakes close to the historic mine where As concentrations are highest. Continued climate warming is expected to lead to increased biological productivity and changes in organic geochemistry of lake sediments that are likely to play an important role in the mobility and fate of As in aquatic ecosystems.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1668-1679
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	622-623
Early online date	28 Oct 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.048
Publication status	Published - 01 May 2018

Keywords

Arsenic
Climate change
Lake sediments
Mining
Organic matter
Subarctic

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Environmental Engineering
Environmental Chemistry
Waste Management and Disposal
Pollution

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.048Licence: Unspecified

Cite this

Galloway, J. M., Swindles, G. T., Jamieson, H. E., Palmer, M., Parsons, M. B., Sanei, H., Macumber, A. L., Timothy Patterson, R., & Falck, H. (2018). Organic matter control on the distribution of arsenic in lake sediments impacted by ~ 65 years of gold ore processing in subarctic Canada. Science of the Total Environment, 622-623, 1668-1679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.048

Galloway, Jennifer M. ; Swindles, Graeme T. ; Jamieson, Heather E. ; Palmer, Michael ; Parsons, Michael B. ; Sanei, Hamed ; Macumber, Andrew L. ; Timothy Patterson, R. ; Falck, Hendrik. / Organic matter control on the distribution of arsenic in lake sediments impacted by ~ 65 years of gold ore processing in subarctic Canada. In: Science of the Total Environment. 2018 ; Vol. 622-623. pp. 1668-1679.

@article{4468670f834d4f45bc54d7ccefdebe96,

title = "Organic matter control on the distribution of arsenic in lake sediments impacted by ~ 65 years of gold ore processing in subarctic Canada",

abstract = "Climate change is profoundly affecting seasonality, biological productivity, and hydrology in high northern latitudes. In sensitive subarctic environments exploitation of mineral resources led to contamination and it is not known how cumulative effects of resource extraction and climate warming will impact ecosystems. Gold mines near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, subarctic Canada, operated from 1938 to 2004 and released > 20,000 t of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) to the environment through stack emissions. This release resulted in elevated arsenic concentrations in lake surface waters and sediments relative to Canadian drinking water standards and guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. A meta-analytical approach is used to better understand controls on As distribution in lake sediments within a 30-km radius of historic mineral processing activities. Arsenic concentrations in the near-surface sediments range from 5 mg·kg− 1 to over 10,000 mg·kg− 1 (median 81 mg·kg− 1; n = 105). Distance and direction from the historic roaster stack are significantly (p < 0.05) related to sedimentary As concentration, with highest As concentrations in sediments within 11 km and lakes located downwind. Synchrotron-based μXRF and μXRD confirm the persistence of As2O3 in near surface sediments of two lakes. Labile organic matter (S1) is significantly (p < 0.05) related to As and S concentrations in sediments and this relationship is greatest in lakes within 11 km from the mine. These relations are interpreted to reflect labile organic matter acting as a substrate for microbial growth and mediation of authigenic precipitation of As-sulphides in lakes close to the historic mine where As concentrations are highest. Continued climate warming is expected to lead to increased biological productivity and changes in organic geochemistry of lake sediments that are likely to play an important role in the mobility and fate of As in aquatic ecosystems.",

keywords = "Arsenic, Climate change, Lake sediments, Mining, Organic matter, Subarctic",

author = "Galloway, {Jennifer M.} and Swindles, {Graeme T.} and Jamieson, {Heather E.} and Michael Palmer and Parsons, {Michael B.} and Hamed Sanei and Macumber, {Andrew L.} and {Timothy Patterson}, R. and Hendrik Falck",

year = "2018",

month = may,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.048",

language = "English",

volume = "622-623",

pages = "1668--1679",

journal = "The Science of the total environment",

issn = "0048-9697",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

Galloway, JM, Swindles, GT, Jamieson, HE, Palmer, M, Parsons, MB, Sanei, H, Macumber, AL, Timothy Patterson, R & Falck, H 2018, 'Organic matter control on the distribution of arsenic in lake sediments impacted by ~ 65 years of gold ore processing in subarctic Canada', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 622-623, pp. 1668-1679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.048

Organic matter control on the distribution of arsenic in lake sediments impacted by ~ 65 years of gold ore processing in subarctic Canada. / Galloway, Jennifer M.; Swindles, Graeme T.; Jamieson, Heather E.; Palmer, Michael; Parsons, Michael B.; Sanei, Hamed; Macumber, Andrew L.; Timothy Patterson, R.; Falck, Hendrik.

In: Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 622-623, 01.05.2018, p. 1668-1679.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Organic matter control on the distribution of arsenic in lake sediments impacted by ~ 65 years of gold ore processing in subarctic Canada

AU - Galloway, Jennifer M.

AU - Swindles, Graeme T.

AU - Jamieson, Heather E.

AU - Palmer, Michael

AU - Parsons, Michael B.

AU - Sanei, Hamed

AU - Macumber, Andrew L.

AU - Timothy Patterson, R.

AU - Falck, Hendrik

PY - 2018/5/1

Y1 - 2018/5/1

N2 - Climate change is profoundly affecting seasonality, biological productivity, and hydrology in high northern latitudes. In sensitive subarctic environments exploitation of mineral resources led to contamination and it is not known how cumulative effects of resource extraction and climate warming will impact ecosystems. Gold mines near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, subarctic Canada, operated from 1938 to 2004 and released > 20,000 t of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) to the environment through stack emissions. This release resulted in elevated arsenic concentrations in lake surface waters and sediments relative to Canadian drinking water standards and guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. A meta-analytical approach is used to better understand controls on As distribution in lake sediments within a 30-km radius of historic mineral processing activities. Arsenic concentrations in the near-surface sediments range from 5 mg·kg− 1 to over 10,000 mg·kg− 1 (median 81 mg·kg− 1; n = 105). Distance and direction from the historic roaster stack are significantly (p < 0.05) related to sedimentary As concentration, with highest As concentrations in sediments within 11 km and lakes located downwind. Synchrotron-based μXRF and μXRD confirm the persistence of As2O3 in near surface sediments of two lakes. Labile organic matter (S1) is significantly (p < 0.05) related to As and S concentrations in sediments and this relationship is greatest in lakes within 11 km from the mine. These relations are interpreted to reflect labile organic matter acting as a substrate for microbial growth and mediation of authigenic precipitation of As-sulphides in lakes close to the historic mine where As concentrations are highest. Continued climate warming is expected to lead to increased biological productivity and changes in organic geochemistry of lake sediments that are likely to play an important role in the mobility and fate of As in aquatic ecosystems.

AB - Climate change is profoundly affecting seasonality, biological productivity, and hydrology in high northern latitudes. In sensitive subarctic environments exploitation of mineral resources led to contamination and it is not known how cumulative effects of resource extraction and climate warming will impact ecosystems. Gold mines near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, subarctic Canada, operated from 1938 to 2004 and released > 20,000 t of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) to the environment through stack emissions. This release resulted in elevated arsenic concentrations in lake surface waters and sediments relative to Canadian drinking water standards and guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. A meta-analytical approach is used to better understand controls on As distribution in lake sediments within a 30-km radius of historic mineral processing activities. Arsenic concentrations in the near-surface sediments range from 5 mg·kg− 1 to over 10,000 mg·kg− 1 (median 81 mg·kg− 1; n = 105). Distance and direction from the historic roaster stack are significantly (p < 0.05) related to sedimentary As concentration, with highest As concentrations in sediments within 11 km and lakes located downwind. Synchrotron-based μXRF and μXRD confirm the persistence of As2O3 in near surface sediments of two lakes. Labile organic matter (S1) is significantly (p < 0.05) related to As and S concentrations in sediments and this relationship is greatest in lakes within 11 km from the mine. These relations are interpreted to reflect labile organic matter acting as a substrate for microbial growth and mediation of authigenic precipitation of As-sulphides in lakes close to the historic mine where As concentrations are highest. Continued climate warming is expected to lead to increased biological productivity and changes in organic geochemistry of lake sediments that are likely to play an important role in the mobility and fate of As in aquatic ecosystems.

KW - Arsenic

KW - Climate change

KW - Lake sediments

KW - Mining

KW - Organic matter

KW - Subarctic

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.048

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.048

M3 - Article

C2 - 29111252

AN - SCOPUS:85032367352

VL - 622-623

SP - 1668

EP - 1679

JO - The Science of the total environment

JF - The Science of the total environment

SN - 0048-9697

ER -

Organic matter control on the distribution of arsenic in lake sediments impacted by ~ 65 years of gold ore processing in subarctic Canada

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this