Peer review report 2 on “Isotope-based partitioning of streamflow in the oil sands region, northern Alberta: towards a monitoring strategy for assessing flow sources and water quality controls”

Advances in mass spectrometry in the authors’ and key collaborators’ research are reviewed for analysis of oil sands naphthenic acids fraction compounds (NAFCs) and industrial process chemicals, sulfolane and alkanolamines in wetlands. Focus is given to developments of analyses of NAFCs in constructed wetland treatment systems and natural wetlands in the Athabasca oil sands region, Alberta, Canada. The analytical developments are applied to show the utility of wetlands to sequester and oxidize oil sands naphthenic acids. The advancements in molecular characterization led to the first application of high-resolution mass spectrometry (Fourier transform ion-cyclotron resonance; and Orbitrap mass spectrometry) for elucidation of toxic mono-and dicarboxylic NAFCs in oil sands environmental samples. Key findings reveal that oil sands NAFCs are not limited to saturated structures, but contain a diverse range of components, many of which contain S, N, heteroatomic species and aromatic species. Other developments of mass spectrometry methods for industrial process chemicals show for the first time that the completely water-miscible chemical, sulfolane, translocate to upper portions of cattails at natural wetland sites in the Canadian environment. Likewise, wetland-plant mediated changes of complex mixtures of alkanolamines were revealed based on the coupling of ion chromatography mass spectrometry and ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry. The advances in mass spectrometry are of particular benefit to Canada, for development of soil and water quality guidelines for oil sands NAFCs and process chemicals. In turn, the water quality guidelines serve to protect Canadian aquatic environments.

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“Fighting the Same Old Battle”: Obscured Oil Sands Entanglements in Press Coverage of Indigenous Resistance in the Winter of 1983

Canadian Journal of Communication ◽

10.22230/cjc.2018v43n1a3311 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 43 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Patricia H. Audette-Longo

Keyword(s):

Critical Discourse Analysis ◽

Oil Sands ◽

Healthcare Access ◽

Critical Discourse ◽

Newspaper Coverage ◽

Press Coverage ◽

Indigenous Resistance ◽

Fort Mcmurray ◽

Energy Politics ◽

Northern Alberta

Background This article examines a week-long road blockade that took place in northern Alberta in January, 1983, organized by members of the Fort McKay First Nation and the Fort McKay Métis Community. The communities leveraged their blockade against a logging company, expanding the conversation to demand compensation, tougher oil sands pollution management, and better healthcare access. Analysis A critical discourse analysis of newspaper coverage of the blockade in the local Fort McMurray Today and the provincial Edmonton Journal shows how links between the blockade and broader oil sands politics were minimized. Conclusions and implications The article closes with considerations for contemporary journalistic practices of covering oil development, energy politics, and Indigenous resistance.Contexte Cet article examine le blocus d’une semaine organisé par la Première Nation de Fort McKay et la Communauté Métis de Fort McKay au nord de l’Alberta en janvier 1983. Ces communautés ont mis à profit leur blocus contre une entreprise forestière pour demander des compensations, une gestion plus stricte de la pollution provenant des sables bitumineux et un meilleur accès aux soins.Analyse Une analyse critique du discours utilisé pour parler du blocus dans les journaux, au niveau local dans le Fort McMurray Today et au niveau provincial dans le Edmonton Journal, démontre comment les liens entre le blocus et les politiques plus larges des sables bitumineux ont été minimisés.Conclusion et implications L’article conclut avec des considérations pour les pratiques journalistiques contemporaines dans la couverture du développement pétrolier, politiques énergétiques et résistance autochtone.

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The Use of Carbon and Nitrogen Stable Isotope Analysis to Characterize Food Web Changes in Aquatic Systems for Reclamation of Oil Sands Process-Affected Materials

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.2009.032 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 44 (4) ◽

pp. 313-322 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Monalisa Elshayeb ◽

Michael D. MacKinnon ◽

D. George Dixon ◽

Michael Power

Keyword(s):

Food Web ◽

Oil Sands ◽

Isotope Analysis ◽

Naphthenic Acid ◽

Carbon Sources ◽

Nitrogen Isotope ◽

Isotopic Signatures ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Aquatic Food ◽

Northern Alberta

Abstract One strategy for reclamation of oil sands leases in northern Alberta is the construction of lakes and wetlands by capping oil sands process-affected material (OSPM) with water. To assess this approach, experimental sites containing a range of OSPM have been constructed to monitor the evolution of the resulting aquatic habitats. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen were used to assess the effects of OSPM on aquatic food webs. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures of sediment, dissolved inorganic and organic carbon, particulate organic matter, periphyton, plants, plankton, aquatic invertebrates, and fish were used to assess differences related to the naphthenic acid (NA) concentration in OSPM and reference sites. NAs are a principal contaminant of concern in OSPM. Sites were grouped into low (0 to 4 mg/L), medium (4 to 15 mg/L), and high (>15 mg/L) NA concentrations. There were no significant differences in food web area or length among the three NA groupings. In most cases, carbon isotope analyses of samples from low, medium, and high NA concentration sites were not significantly different, suggesting that OSPM is not a significant contributor to food web carbon sources. Significant differences were found in nitrogen isotope signatures between low, medium, and high NA sites. Ammonia from OSPM is suggested as the main contributor to δ15N enrichment.

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