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Western Washington University Western CEDAR WWU Graduate School Collection WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship Summer 2017 An Investigation of Acid Rock Drainage in Glacial Streams Through Multivariate Exploratory Analysis and the Biotic Ligand Model in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru. Edward W. Bain Western Washington University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Bain, Edward W., "An Investigation of Acid Rock Drainage in Glacial Streams Through Multivariate Exploratory Analysis and the Biotic Ligand Model in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru." (2017). WWU Graduate School Collection. 607. https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/607 This Masters Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in WWU Graduate School Collection by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. An Investigation of Acid Rock Drainage in Glacial Streams Through Multivariate Exploratory Analysis and the Biotic Ligand Model in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru. By Edward W. Bain Accepted in Partial Completion of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Kathleen L. Kitto, Dean of the Graduate School ADVISORY COMMITTEE Chair, Dr. Ruth M. Sofield Dr. Leo Bodensteiner Dr. John All 1 MASTER’S THESIS In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree at Western Washington University, I grant to Western Washington University the non-exclusive royalty-free right to archive, reproduce, distribute, and display the thesis in any and all forms, including electronic format via any digital library mechanisms maintained by WWU. I represent and warrant this is my original work, and does not infringe or violate any rights of others. I warrant that I have obtained written permissions from the owner of any third party copyrighted material included in these files. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of this work, including but not limited to the right to use all or part of this work in future works, such as article or books. Library users are granted permission for individual, research anon-commercial reproduction of this work for education purposes only. Any further digital posting of this document requires specific permission from the author. Any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, is not allowed without my written permission. Edward Bain July 21st, 2017 2 An Investigation of Acid Rock Drainage in Glacial Streams Through Multivariate Exploratory Analysis and the Biotic Ligand Model in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru. A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Western Washington University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science By Edward W. Bain July 2017 3 Abstract Humans and other organisms that reside in areas of limited water resources are especially vulnerable to activities that decrease the quality of available water. In these areas, headwater streams are especially important due to their influence on the water chemistry. Due to the hydrological connection, contamination of headwaters can potentially affect aquatic life and human health in waterbodies downstream. Glacial melt is one source for headwater streams, and glacial activities influence water chemistry in glacial melt water through interactions with local geology. Analysis of glacial melt and downstream water bodies can indicate potential anthropogenic and natural sources of contamination. Water chemistry in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, where glaciers provide a crucial freshwater reservoir to the arid Andes Mountains, was characterized during the dry season (June-August), 2014. Metal concentrations, anion concentrations, and physical and chemical parameters were assessed at 94 sample sites in seven river valleys. Nonparametric multivariate exploratory statistics were used to compare sample sites. Compared to other river valleys, high metal concentrations were evident in the Quilcayhuanca valley. Water chemistry and visual signs indicated that acid rock drainage (ARD) is occurring in the Cordillera Blanca, likely due to glacial recession. Hierarchical clustering analysis was performed on the results of a principal components analysis on the chemical data. The results of these two analyses showed cobalt, manganese, and nickel were the top metals that distinguished the different clusters. In addition to the exploratory analysis, the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) was used to predict toxicity to aquatic life based on the chemical measurements at the sampling sites. This was conducted for Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn for a large number of organisms and multiple toxicological endpoints. Approximately 20% of the sites had predicted toxic responses to metals and another 20% of the sites were outside of the calibrated pH range of the BLMs or the pH tolerance range of individual species. These sites outside of the pH ranges were assumed to cause toxicity to the aquatic organisms due to hydrogen ions rather than metals, although metals may contribute to the toxicity. From this, the altered water quality in headwater streams in the Cordillera Blanca is predicted to be detrimental to aquatic life. The reduction in water quality, combined with climate change that may reduce the glacial reservoirs feeding these headwaters, makes the understanding of these headwater streams critical in efforts to mitigate the loss of crucial water resources. Keywords: Peru, aquatic toxicology, metals, Biotic Ligand Model, multivariate analysis iv Acknowledgments Many thanks to Dr. Ruth Sofield for her support, guidance and fortitude throughout this process. Thanks to Erin Macri, Kyle Mikkelsen, and Clint Burgess for help and guidance with analytical instrumentation, Dr. Leo Bodensteiner for his input and experience, Dr. Robin Matthews for her wisdom and expertise on multivariate statistical analysis and the entirety of the American Climbers Science Program (ACSP), especially John All and Sylvie Arques, for their support throughout this process. This study was funded and made possible by the ACSP and the Huxley College Small Grants. v Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................................. v List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ viii List of Appendices...................................................................................................................................ix Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Materials and Methods .......................................................................................................................... 3 Field measurements ........................................................................................................................... 4 Sample analysis .................................................................................................................................. 4 Geospatial analysis ............................................................................................................................. 5 Statistical Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 6 Multivariate Exploratory Analysis .................................................................................................. 7 Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) ................................................................................................................. 8 Results and discussion .......................................................................................................................... 10 Exploratory Analysis of Water Chemistry ......................................................................................... 10 Correlations .................................................................................................................................. 10 First Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (PCA Model 1/HCA Model 1) ................................................................................................................................................... 11 Second Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (PCA Model 2/HCA model 2) ........................................................................................................................................ 13 Toxicological modeling ..................................................................................................................... 15 Toxicity across all valleys .............................................................................................................. 15 Comparing BLM results to PCA results ........................................................................................

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