Tags: contaminants, mercury, water quality, sediment
| Principal Investigator: | Evans, Marlene S. (54) |
| Licence Number: | 15447 |
| Organization: | Environment Canada |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2014
|
| Issued: | Mar 26, 2014 |
| Project Team: | Jonathan Keating, Dylan Criddle, Shannon Landels |
Objective(s): To collect a series of sediment cores in the West Basin of Great Slave Lake to investigate time trends in various chemicals of interest including mercury, mercury isotopes and persistent organic contaminants.
Project Description: The objectives of this research project are to collect a series of sediment cores in the West Basin of Great Slave Lake to investigate time trends in various chemicals of interest including mercury, mercury isotopes and persistent organic contaminants. In late-March 2014, the research team will collect sediment cores at 3-4 locations on Great Slave Lake (West Basin, offshore Slave River). An 8.6-cm internal diameter gravity corer will be used to collect cores from the lake bottom. Up to 3 cores will be collected per location. Sediment cores will be sectioned at 0.5 cm intervals down to ca. 12 cm, and at 1 cm intervals down to 20 cm. Sediment core slices will be freeze-dried and percent water calculated. Cores will be dated using 210Pb and most likely 137Cs techniques. Approximately 15 core slices from each location will be analyzed for mercury, mercury isotopes and POPs. The research team will also collect a water sample at each site for nutrient analyses (C, N, P), and will perform a depth profile using our YSI sonde in order to record water quality parameters (oxygen, temperature, pH, etc.). Communities and agencies will be kept informed of the results through telephone, email, and other communications. Community visits may also take place, depending on interest and schedules. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from March 24, 2014 to March 31, 2014.
