InnoTech Alberta, Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A6, Canada; Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3R4, Canada.
Government of Alberta, Alberta Environment and Parks, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1G4, Canada.
Sci Total Environ. 2017 Dec 15;603-604:570-583. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.051. Epub 2017 Jun 21.
The composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in snow and surface waters in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) was characterized in order to identify major contributors to the organics detected in rivers and lakes in the region. PAH concentrations, measured by three monitoring programs in 2011, were used to compare the PAH compositions of snow and surface waters across the AOSR. The 2011 dataset includes total (dissolved+particulate) concentrations of thirty-four parent and alkylated PAH compounds in 105 snow, 272 river, and 3 lake samples. The concentration of PAHs in rivers varies seasonally, with the highest values observed in July. The timing of increases in PAH concentrations in rivers coincides with the high river discharge during the spring freshet, indicating that this major hydrological event may play an important role in delivering PAHs to rivers. However, the composition of PAHs present in rivers during this period differs from the composition of PAHs present in snow, suggesting that direct runoff and release of PAHs accumulated on snow may not be the major source of PAHs to the Athabasca River and its tributaries. Instead, snowmelt may contribute indirectly to increases in PAHs due to hydrological processes such as erosion of stream channels, remobilization of PAH-containing sediments, increased catchment runoff, and snowmelt-induced groundwater inputs during this dynamic hydrologic period. Better understanding of transformations of PAH profiles during transport along surface and subsurface flow paths in wetland-dominated boreal catchments would improve identification of potential sources and pathways in the region. The compositional differences highlight the challenges in identifying the origins of PAHs in a region with multiple potential natural and anthropogenic sources particularly when the potential transport pathways include air, soil and water.
为了确定造成阿萨巴斯卡油砂地区（AOSR）河流和湖泊中有机物检测的主要因素，对存在于雪中及地表水中的多环芳烃（PAH）的成分进行了分析。2011 年三个监测项目测量的 PAH 浓度，被用于比较 AOSR 范围内雪中及地表水中 PAH 成分。2011 年的数据组包括 105 个雪中、272 个河流中和 3 个湖泊样品中 34 种母体和烷基化 PAH 化合物的总（溶解态+颗粒态）浓度。河流中的 PAH 浓度具有季节性变化，7 月份浓度最高。河流中 PAH 浓度的增加与春季融雪期的高径流量同时发生，表明这一主要水文事件可能在将 PAH 输送到河流中发挥了重要作用。然而，这一时期河流中存在的 PAH 成分与雪中存在的 PAH 成分不同，这表明直接径流和积雪中积累的 PAH 释放可能不是阿萨巴斯卡河及其支流中 PAH 的主要来源。相反，由于侵蚀河道、再悬浮含 PAH 的沉积物、增加流域径流量和融雪期地下水输入等水文过程，融雪可能会间接导致 PAH 增加。更好地了解在以湿地为主的北方集水区的地表和地下水流路径中 PAH 分布的转化，将有助于识别该地区潜在的来源和途径。这种成分差异突出了在一个具有多种潜在自然和人为来源的地区识别 PAH 来源的挑战，尤其是当潜在的传输途径包括空气、土壤和水时。
