The role of aquatic and terrestrial vegetation in controlling the mobility of arsenic and other metals in northern environments

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: physical sciences, contaminants, vegetation, botany, metals

Principal Investigator: Stephen, Celsian C (1)
Licence Number: 14777
Organization: Queen's University
Licensed Year(s): 2010
Issued: Aug 04, 2010
Project Team: Celsian Stephen (Principal Investigator, Queen's University), Heather Jamieson (Research Supervisor, Queen's University), Mackenzie Bromstad (Field Assistant, Queen's University)

Objective(s): To enhance understanding of the role terrestrial and aquatic plants play in sequestering mine-contaminants such as arsenic, antimony, copper, lead and zinc.

Project Description: The objective of this project is to enhance our understanding of the controls on the mobility of metal contaminants in mine-impacted environments. More specifically, to enhance our understanding of the role terrestrial and aquatic plants play in sequestering mine-contaminants such as arsenic, antimony, copper, lead and zinc. The field methods for this program consist of a soil and vegetation sampling program on the Giant Mine, and possibly in the immediate vicinity of the boundaries of the site. The researcher and the field assistant will access the mine site over the period of a few weeks to sample soil and vegetation. Vegetation will be sampled in one-square-meter plots with equipment including: hand clippers to sample leafy vegetation, and hand trowels to surface root samples; all samples to be contained in zip-lock bags. Soil samples will be collected using hand trowels in localities close to vegetation sample... Show mores; also to be stored in zip-lock bags. None of the sampling equipment will be left in the field unaccompanied by the samplers. No in-situ tests will be done; all analysis and experimentation on the samples will be conducted at Queen's University or an analogous location. Local involvement possibilities include: educational benefits through furthering the understanding of how terrestrial and aquatic plants at Giant Mine have shaped the current environmental problem, and their potential uses in the remediation process; economic benefits through aiding the remediation process for the eventual opening up of the land for industry; and social and cultural benefits through actively contributing critical information to a remediation process orchestrated to turn a toxic mine site back to local use and benefit. A field report will be submitted to the local community when field work is complete, and the researcher will send copies of any further reports and of the final report. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from August 4, 2010 to December 31, 2010. Show less