Abstract
Treatment wetlands have emerged as a potential option for the treatment of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). The long-term viability of these treatment systems relies, in part, on the health and productivity of wetland vegetation. The aim of this study is to investigate the physiological and community-level effects on wetland vegetation at the Kearl Treatment Wetland (KTW) following exposure to different OSPW sources. Annual vegetation assessments were performed during 2016–2021 to monitor species composition, total percent cover, species richness, species morphology (plant stem density, leaf length, and leaf width), and plant vigor in the KTW. Cattail was found to dominate the deep-water zones whereas water sedge was found to dominate the shallow-water zones of the wetland. Species richness in the KTW decreased with time which is typical of constructed wetlands receiving industrial effluents. No changes in plant stem density of cattails or water sedge were observed; however, leaf length decreased from 2019 to 2021, and leaf width decreased from 2020 to 2021. Plant vigor ratings increased in the KTW each year suggesting that the vegetation does not show any major signs of phytotoxicity from OSPW exposure. These results demonstrate the complex dynamics and resiliency of the vegetative community in treatment wetlands, but continued efforts to monitor plant uptake and accumulation are needed to fully assess the phytotoxic effects of OSPW exposure.
Funder
Imperial Oil Resources Limited
Subject
Water Science and Technology,Aquatic Science,Geography, Planning and Development,Biochemistry
Reference77 articles.
1. Miskimmin, B., Fedorak, P.M., Lauman, R., and Vinke, K. (2010). Oil Sands Water Toxicity: A Critical Review, Natural Resources Canada—CanmetENERGY. Report No. 2010-089 (INT).
2. Phytotoxicity of oil sands naphthenic acids and dissipation from systems planted with emergent aquatic macrophytes;J. Environ. Sci. Health Part A,2007
3. Toxicity of naphthenic acids to invertebrates: Extracts from oil sands process-affected water versus commercial mixtures;Environ. Pollut.,2017
4. Toxicity of naphthenic acid fraction components extracted from fresh and aged oil sands process-affected waters, and commercial naphthenic acid mixtures, to fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) embryos;Aquat. Toxicol.,2015
5. Alberta Energy Regulator (2020, March 04). Water Use Performance. Available online: https://www.aer.ca/protecting-what-matters/holding-industry-accountable/industry-performance/oil-sands-mining-water-use.
Cited by
1 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献