NEWMAN-THESIS-2019.Pdf

An integrated analysis of sediment geochemistry and flood history of floodplain lakes in the Athabasca Region A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science In the Department of Geography and Planning University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Kevin Thomas Newman Copyright Kevin Newman, September 2019. All rights reserved. Permission to Use In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Geography and Planning 105 Kirk Hall, 117 Science Place University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C8 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i Abstract This research advances understanding of trace metal deposition in floodplain lakes within the context of the Athabasca oil sands. This thesis begins with an evaluation of geomorphometric changes and flood history in two floodplain lakes of the Athabasca region over the past century. Analyses of historical aerial photographs, weather data, and hydrometric data present a temporal perspective on changes occurring to the floodplain lake environment. These results show that, despite no corresponding climatic shifts or changes to flood frequency, there appears to have been an increase in the area of both Shipyard Lake and Isadore’s Lake, though their position with respect to the Athabasca River remains unchanged. Building on the exploration of floodplain lake geomorphometry, this thesis then presents an analysis of metals in three lakes in the Athabasca region as related to the early development and continuing expansion of the nearby oil sands mining operations. Physical and chemical characteristics of sediment cores, and the concentration of environmentally relevant metals, linked to the timing of development of oil sands mining operations by Pb-210 dating, present an evaluation of temporal changes in the sediment of lake NE20. Due to dynamic depositional environments in Isadore’s Lake and Shipyard Lake, no accurate age model could be constructed. Results show that, despite an initial increase in the normalized metal concentrations of As, Ni, and V in each of the lakes following the onset of oil sands mining operations, there appears to be no recent enrichment of trace metals corresponding to the continuing expansion of operations. Results also indicate that disturbances to sedimentation in floodplain lakes, most likely associated with flooding, are an important factor affecting changes in metal deposition. Overall, this research contributes to the following aspects of our understanding of trace metal content in lake sediments of the Athabasca Region by: i) elucidating trends in sediment quality within floodplain lakes adjacent to oil sands mining operations; ii) investigating methods of normalizing different fractions of metal concentration data to increase understanding of metal transportation and deposition; and iii) assessing the effect disturbances to sedimentation can have on the concentration of metals in lake environments. ii Acknowledgments The research was funded by the National Hydrological Research Centre of Environment and Climate Change Canada and the University of Saskatchewan, as part of a contribution agreement. Data support was provided by the National Hydrological Research Centre, the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Government of Canada, and Alberta Environment & Parks. I would like to thank my MSc co-supervisors, Dr. Dirk de Boer and Dr. Marlene Evans, for their guidance and advice throughout this research and completion of the thesis, and the members of my MSc committee, including Dr. Alec Aitken, Dr. Cherie Westbrook, and Dr. Krystopher Chutko. As well, my gratitude goes to the Department of Geography and Planning for providing employment as a teaching assistant during my graduate studies. Additional thanks to Dr. John Smol, Dr. Jason Ahad, Christopher Grooms, and Katleen Ruhland for their support in both the collection and analysis of my samples. iii Table of Contents Permission to Use ............................................................................................................................ i Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... xii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Research purpose & objectives ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Geomorphology of floodplain lakes ............................................................................................. 3 1.3 Sediment chemistry of floodplain lakes ........................................................................................ 5 2. Literature review ...................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Oil sands development history ...................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Bitumen and metals in sediment ................................................................................................... 9 2.2.1 Bitumen overview ................................................................................................................. 9 2.2.2 Global bitumen deposits ...................................................................................................... 10 2.2.3 Forms of bitumen indicators in Athabasca region .............................................................. 10 2.3 Sediment cores as records of metal deposition history ............................................................... 11 2.3.1 Benefits of sediment cores for investigating metal deposition history ............................... 11 2.3.2 Dating sediment cores with Pb-210 decay models ............................................................. 12 2.3.3 Issues with sediment cores for investigating metal deposition history ............................... 13 2.4 Review of northern Canadian rivers ........................................................................................... 14 2.4.1 Athabasca River system ...................................................................................................... 14 2.4.2 The Mackenzie River system .............................................................................................. 15 2.4.3 The Slave River system ....................................................................................................... 17 2.5 Floodplains .................................................................................................................................. 18 2.5.1 Floodplain landforms and features ...................................................................................... 18 2.5.2 River floodplain formation & morphology ......................................................................... 19 2.5.3 Oxbow lakes ........................................................................................................................ 21 2.5.4 Ice jam flooding .................................................................................................................. 21 2.5.5 Alteration of floodplains ..................................................................................................... 22 2.6 Sediment quality guidelines review ............................................................................................ 22 iv 3. Study area .............................................................................................................................

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