Source apportionment of background PAHs in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (Alberta, Canada) using molecular level radiocarbon analysis.

The downstream accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), an ecologically important landscape, is a key issue of concern given the rapid development of the oil sands industry in Northern Alberta, Canada. In addition to PAHs derived from industrial act...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental Science & Technology
Main Authors: Jautzy, Josué, Ahad, Jason M. E., Hall, Roland I., Wiklund, Johan A., Wolfe, Brent B., Gobeil, Charles, Savard, Martine M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2015
Subjects:
aromatic hydrocarbons
deforestation
environmental impact
fire hazards
fires
forestry
fossil fuel deposits
oil sands
petroleum deposits
watersheds
Canada
Peace-Athabasca Delta
Peace River
Online Access:https://espace.inrs.ca/id/eprint/3865/
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b01490
Description
Summary:The downstream accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), an ecologically important landscape, is a key issue of concern given the rapid development of the oil sands industry in Northern Alberta, Canada. In addition to PAHs derived from industrial activity (i.e., oil sands mining) within the Athabasca watershed, however, forest fires and erosion of fossil fuel deposits within both the Athabasca and Peace watersheds are two potentially important natural sources of PAHs delivered to the PAD. Consequently, evaluating the environmental impact of mining activities requires a quantitative understanding of natural, background PAHs. Here, we utilize molecular-level natural-abundance radiocarbon measurements on an amalgamated sediment record from a Peace River flood-susceptible oxbow lake in the northern Peace sector of the PAD to quantitatively discriminate sources of naturally occurring alkylated PAHs (fossil and modern biomass). A radiocarbon mass balance quantified a predominantly natural petrogenic source (93% petrogenic, 7% forest fire) for alkylated PAHs during the past ~50 years. Additionally, a significant petrogenic component determined for retene, a compound usually considered a biomarker for softwood combustion, suggests that its use as a unique forest fire indicator may not be suitable in PAD sediments receiving Peace watershed-derived fluvial inputs.

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