| Title | Lake-sediment record of PAH, mercury, and fly-ash particle deposition near coal-fired power plants in Central Alberta, Canada |
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| Author | Barst, B D; Ahad, J M E ; Rose, N; Jautzy, J J; Drevnick, P E; Gammon, P R;
Sanei, H; Savard, M M |
| Source | Environmental Pollution vol. 231, 2017 p. 644-653, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.08.033  Open Access |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2017 |
| Alt Series | Earth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20160127 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | on-line; digital; paper |
| File format | pdf |
| Province | Alberta |
| NTS | 83G/08 |
| Area | Edmonton; Wabamun; Hasse Lake |
| Lat/Long WENS | -114.3333 -114.0000 54.0000 53.1667 |
| Subjects | mercury; pollutants; pollution; lacustrine deposits; stable isotope studies; environmental impacts; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); Spheroidal carbonaceous particles |
| Illustrations | location maps; graphs |
| Program | Environmental Geoscience
Sources |
| Released | 2017 08 29 |
| Abstract | We report a historical record of atmospheric deposition in dated sediment cores from Hasse Lake, ideally located near both currently and previously operational coal-fired power plants in Central
Alberta, Canada. Accumulation rates of spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs), an unambiguous marker of hightemperature fossil-fuel combustion, in the early part of the sediment record (pre-1955) compared
well with historical emissions from one
of North America's earliest coal-fired power plants (Rossdale) located ~43 km to the east in the city of Edmonton. Accumulation rates in the latter part of the record (post-1955) suggested inputs from the Wabamun region's plants situated ~17e25 km to
the west. Increasing accumulation rates of SCPs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Hg coincided with the previously documented period of peak pollution in the Wabamun region during the late 1960s to early 1970s, although Hg deposition
trends were also similar to those found in western North American lakes not directly affected by point sources. A noticeable reduction in contaminant inputs during the 1970s is attributed in part to technological improvements and stricter emission
controls. The over one hundred-year historical record of coal-fired power plant emissions documented in Hasse Lake sediments has provided insight into the impact that both environmental regulations and changes in electricity output have had over
time. This information is crucial to assessing the current and future role of coal in the world's energy supply. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs), an unambiguous marker of high-temperature fossil-fuel combustion, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and
mercury (Hg) were measured in dated sediment cores from Hasse Lake, central Alberta, to evaluate temporal trends in atmospheric contamination related to the region's coal-fired power plants. Accumulation rates of SCPs in the early part of the record
(pre-1955) compare well with the urban history of Edmonton to the east of the lake, whereas accumulation rates in the latter part of the record (post-1955) suggest inputs from coal-fired power plants in the Wabamun region to the west of the lake.
Increasing accumulation rates of SCPs, PAHs, and Hg coincide with the period of peak pollution during the late 1960s and early 1970s in the Wabumun region. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 299065 |
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