Geochemistry of zinc, copper and lead in the sediments of the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence

1978 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 757-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Loring
Keyword(s):  
Organic Material ◽  
Lower Estuary ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Elemental Concentrations ◽  
Suspended Particulate ◽  
Fine Grained Material ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Total Sedimentation ◽  
St Lawrence River

Total elemental concentrations (Zn, 8–215 ppm; Cu, 3–76 ppm; Pb, 9–66 ppm) vary texturally and regionally in the sediments of the St. Lawrence estuary and open Gulf of St. Lawrence.Chemical and mineralogical analyses indicate that 8–39% of the total Zn, 7–20% of the total Cu and 15–26% of the total Pb are weakly held by fine-grained organic material, oxide grain coatings, ion exchange positions and carbonates in the sediments. These concentrations are potentially available to the biota. The remaining concentrations (61–93% of the total) are not readily available but are locked up in fine-grained sulphide, oxide and silicate minerals.The highest concentrations of the detrital and non-detrital contributions occur in the pelites or muds of the upper estuary. Seaward these concentrations decrease as the natural and anthropogenic supply of dissolved and suspended particulate matter from the St. Lawrence River diminishes. The upper estuary acts as a sink for these elements because most of the non-detrital Zn, Pb and Cu supplied are removed here by adsorption onto fine-grained suspended terrestrial organic material from solution or before entry (Cu) and transferred to the bottom along with other fine-grained material in response to the present depositional conditions. Decreasing concentrations of these elements are deposited seaward and the sedimentation intensities of the non-detrital elements remain constant with fluctuations in total sedimentation intensity in the lower estuary and open Gulf of St. Lawrence.Biogeochemically, Zn is a contaminant and Pb and Cu are potential contaminants of the upper estuary sediments. Zn and Pb are potential contaminants in the lower estuary but all the elements are at or near natural levels in the open gulf sediments.

Geochemistry of cobalt, nickel, chromium, and vanadium in the sediments of the estuary and open Gulf of St. Lawrence

1979 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1196-1209 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Loring
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Deposit ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Hydrous Oxides ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Local Anomalies

Total Co (3–22 ppm), Ni (4–160 ppm), V (4–168 ppm), and Cr (8–241 ppm) concentrations vary regionally and with textural differences in the sediments of the St. Lawrence estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. They are, except for local anomalies, at or near natural levels relative to their source rocks and other marine sediments.Chemical partition and mineralogical analyses indicate that small but biochemically significant quantities (2–24%) of the total element concentrations are potentially available to the biota and are most likely held by fine-grained organic material, hydrous iron oxides, and ion exchange positions in the sediments. In the upper estuary, nondetrital Ni, Cr, and V supplied from natural and anthropogenic (Cr) sources are apparently preferentially scavenged from solution by terrestrial organic matter and hydrous oxides and concentrated in fine-grained sediments deposited below the turbidity maximum. In the lower estuary, the fine-grained sediments are relatively enriched in nondetrital V supplied from anthropogenic sources in the Saguenay system. Elsewhere the sedimentation intensities of the nondetrital elemental contributions have remained relatively constant with fluctuations in total sediment intensity.Seventy-six to 98% of the total Co, Ni, Cr, and V is not, however, available to the biota, but held in various sulphide, oxide, and silicate minerals. The host minerals have accumulated at the same rate as other fine-grained detrital material except for some local anomalies. In the upper estuary, detrital V concentrations are highest in the sands as an apparent result of an enrichment of ilmenite and titaniferous magnetite from a nearby mineral deposit. In the open gulf, relatively high concentrations of Ni, Cr, and V occur in sediments from the Bay of Islands, Newfoundland, and probably result from the seaward dispersal of detrital Ni, Cr, and V bearing minerals from nearby ultrabasic rocks.

Le Panache du Saguenay

1983 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lebel ◽  
E. Pelletier ◽  
M. Bergeron ◽  
N. Belzile ◽  
G. Marquis
Keyword(s):  
Surface Layer ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Fresh Waters ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
Region Data ◽  
Saguenay River ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence River

The large difference between the alkalinity of the fresh waters of the St. Lawrence River (1.475 mmol∙kg−1) and the Saguenay River (0.134 mmol∙kg−1) was used to locate the region on the St. Lawrence estuary which is under the influence of the Saguenay River. This method has the advantage over classical measurements such as salinity and temperature that it is independent of the upwelling of deep water in this region. Data was obtained in the St. Lawrence estuary near the mouth of the Saguenay fjord using a network of 33 stations at slack low tide and 23 stations at slack high tide. The results show that, at low tide, Saguenay water forms a plume which extends more than 10 km from the mouth of the fjord into the estuary. At high tide the plume is restricted to the surface layer as the Saguenay waters are pushed back into the fjord.

Étude de la remontée relative des niveaux d'eau de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent

1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Anctil ◽  
Jean-Pierre Troude
Keyword(s):  
High Water ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Freshwater Input ◽  
Relative Variation ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
High Discharge ◽  
Mean Water Level ◽  
Stability Of Water ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence River

Data available on water levels in the St. Lawrence Estuary were used to evaluate the relative variation of mean water levels in this area. Only measurements taken at Pointe-au-Père could be used to evaluate this parameter with the required precision; a relative stability of water levels (−0.3 ± 0.5 mm/year) was observed. Upstream stations, especially the ones in the estuary, are highly influenced by the freshwater input of the St. Lawrence River. The high discharge of the river has been identified as the main cause of high water levels observed between 1970 and 1988 and, consequently, of bank erosion at the limit of the St. Lawrence estuary. Key words: discharge, erosion, estuary, mean water level, relative variation.

Distribution, Transport, and Composition of Suspended Matter in the St. Lawrence Estuary

1973 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1380-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno F. d'Anglejan ◽  
Eric C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Suspended Matter ◽  
Large Time ◽  
Total Suspended Matter ◽  
Quebec City ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Tidal Circulation ◽  
Saguenay River ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Vertical Gradients ◽  
St Lawrence River

The distribution of total suspended matter in the estuary of the St. Lawrence River was studied by quantitative filtration through membrane filters. Tidal fluctuations in the vertical gradients of suspensoids were followed at fixed stations along the estuary. The concentrations varied from nearly 40 mg/1 below near Ile d'Orléans, to values less than 1 mg/1 at the downstream end of the upper estuary near the Saguenay River entrance. The tidal mean concentrations for the fixed stations ranged from 20 mg/1 to 2 mg/1. A turbidity maximum, which develops because of entrapments of particles by the tidal circulation, extends for 100 km below Quebec City. In this zone large vertical gradients changing in intensity with the tide by resuspension of settled material exist above the bottom. The total suspended matter is 60% to more than 90% inorganic by weight, and has a mean particle size between 5 and 7 μ. The annual rate of transport of suspended material out of the upper estuary at a section near the Saguenay River is estimated at less than 1 × 106 metric tons.Chemical and mineralogical analyses were performed on 23 suspensoid samples collected by centrifuging large volumes of water. The clay mineral composition of the less than 2 μ fraction is on the average 1.5% montmorillonite, 8% kaolinite, 31% chlorite, and 60% illite. However, large time and space variations are found both in the chemistry and mineralogy of the suspended matter.

Geochemistry of suspended particulate matter in the Saguenay Fjord

1978 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1002-1011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjørn Sundby ◽  
Douglas H. Loring
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Suspended Particulate Matter ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
Suspended Particulate ◽  
Bottom Waters ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Analysis of major elements in suspended particulate matter from the Saguenay Fjord in May and September 1974 shows that the content of Si, Al, Ca, Mg, and K remain relatively constant in time and space, reflecting the constancy of the silicate mineralogy of the particulate matter. Large variations in time and space occur, however, in the content of Fe and Mn. High levels of Fe occur in particulate matter from near-bottom waters of the fjord during both time periods. Variations in the Fe/Al ratios indicate that Fe is enriched in the non-silicate fraction of the particulate matter (oxides, hydroxides, etc.) in the near-bottom waters, but not elsewhere. In contrast, Mn is enriched relative to both Al and Fe in particulate matter from intermediate depths, and varies in time and space. This is attributed to the in situ uptake of Mn from seawater and (or) the input of particles, already containing high levels of Mn, from the St. Lawrence Estuary.

scholarly journals Tumors in St. Lawrence Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

1994 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 444-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. De Guise ◽  
A. Lagacé ◽  
P. Béland
Keyword(s):  
Small Population ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Carcinogenic Effect ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Endangered Population ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence River

A population of 450–500 belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas) resides in the polluted estuary of the St. Lawrence River. Stranded carcasses of this endangered population were recovered and necropsied. High concentrations of organochlorines, heavy metals, and benzo-a-pyrene exposure were demonstrated in tissues of these whales. Between 1988 and 1990, 21 tumors were found in 12 out of 24 carcasses. Among these tumors, six were malignant and 15 were benign. The animals were between 1.5 and >29 years of age, and the ages of animals with and without tumors did not differ when two juvenile animals (1.5 and 3.5 years of age) were excluded. Seven other neoplasms had been reported previously in six out of 21 well-preserved carcasses examined in the same laboratory between 1982 and 1987. Overall, 28 of the 75 confirmed tumors reported so far in cetaceans (37%) were from this small population of beluga whales in the St. Lawrence Estuary. Such a high prevalence of tumors would suggest an influence of contaminants through a direct carcinogenic effect and/or a decreased resistance to the development of tumors in this population.

scholarly journals Benthic fluxes of dissolved organic nitrogen in the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary and implications for selective organic matter degradation

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 7917-7952
Author(s):  
M. Alkhatib ◽  
P. A. del Giorgio ◽  
Y. Gelinas ◽  
M. F. Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Pore Water ◽  
Dissolved Organic Nitrogen ◽  
Organic Nitrogen ◽  
Bottom Water ◽  
Estuarine Sediments ◽  
Pore Waters ◽  
Lower Estuary ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Abstract. The distribution of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and carbon (DOC) in sediment pore waters was determined at nine locations along the St. Lawrence Estuary and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The study area is characterized by gradients in the sedimentary particulate organic matter (POM) reactivity, bottom water oxygen concentrations, as well as benthic respiration rates. Based on pore water profiles we estimated the benthic diffusive fluxes of DON and DOC. Our results show that DON fluxed out of the sediments at significant rates (110 to 430 μmol m−2 d−1). DON fluxes were positively correlated with sedimentary POM reactivity and sediment oxygen exposure time (OET), suggesting direct links between POM quality, aerobic remineralization and the release of DON to the water column. DON fluxes were on the order of 30% to 64% of the total benthic inorganic fixed N loss due to denitrification, and often exceeded the diffusive nitrate fluxes into the sediments. Hence they represented a large fraction of the total benthic N exchange. This result is particularly important in light of the fact that DON fluxes are usually not accounted for in estuarine and coastal zone nutrient budgets. The ratio of the DON to nitrate flux increased from 0.6 in the Lower Estuary to 1.5 in the Gulf. In contrast to DON, DOC fluxes did not show any significant spatial variation along the Laurentian Channel (LC) between the Estuary and the Gulf (2100 ± 100μmol m−2 d−1), suggesting that production and consumption of labile DOC components proceed at similar rates, irrespective of the overall benthic characteristics and the reactivity of POM. As a consequence, the molar C/N ratio of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in pore water and the overlying bottom water varied significantly along the transect, with lowest C/N in the Lower Estuary (5–6) and highest C/N (> 10) in the Gulf. We observed large differences between the C/N of pore water DOM with respect to POM, and the degree of the C– versus –N element partitioning seems to be linked to POM reactivity and/or redox conditions in the sediment pore waters. Our results thus highlight the variable effects selective OM degradation and preservation can have on bulk sedimentary C/N ratios, decoupling the primary source C/N signatures from those in sedimentary archives. Our study further underscores that the role of estuarine sediments as efficient sinks of bioavailable nitrogen is strongly influenced by the release of DON during early diagenetic reactions, and that DON fluxes from continental margin sediments represent an important internal source of N to the ocean.

The Limnological Units of the Lower Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Corridor and Their Role in the Source and Aquatic Fate of Toxic Contaminants

1986 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Allan
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Residence Time ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence River

Abstract The waterways of the lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, between Sarnia and the Saguenay Fiord, are made up of four limnological units. The first comprises the high discharge, rapid flow rivers, namely the St. Clair, Detroit, Niagara and St. Lawrence. Second are the four shallow, short residence time, riverine lakes, namely St. Clair, St. Francois, St. Louis and St. Pierre. Third are the two, relatively deep, long residence time, lower Great Lakes Erie and Ontario. Lastly, there is the freshwater-salt water mixing zone of the upper St. Lawrence Estuary. The rivers are essentially sources and transport systems of toxic contaminants on a grand scale. The riverine lakes provide only temporary storage or sinks even for contaminants associated with sediments because these are eventually resuspended and moved on downstream. The major sinks, where long-term effects are most evident are the two lower Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Estuary. These sites are also where sediment associated contaminants can be permanently removed by deep burial in bottom sediments. However, even here, a proportion of the contaminant load passes on downstream and eventually out to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The distinctive characteristics of the four limnological units are discussed in relation to sources and fate of toxic contaminants. Understanding the role of the units is critical to development of toxic chemicals control strategies and reduction in aquatic ecosystem contamination.

The Saguenay Fjord: A Third Factor in the Toxic Chemical Contamination of the St. Lawrence River Estuary

1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
R.J. Allan
Keyword(s):  
Toxic Metals ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Organic Chemical ◽  
Organic Chemicals ◽  
Chemical Contamination ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
The Past ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence River

Abstract The Saguenay Fjord enters the north shore of the St. Lawrence River estuary. The St. Lawrence River is one source of a variety of toxic metals and organic chemicals to its estuary. Some of these chemicals are transported by the river from its source in Lake Ontario and others are added along its course. However, the second major source of water inflow to the St. Lawrence Estuary is the Saguenay Fjord, which is by no means free of contamination. This paper overviews the types of toxic metals and organic chemical contamination and sources in the fjord proper and upstream in its drainage basin. The principal contaminants recorded in bottom sediments are polyaromatic hydrocarbons and mercury. An extensive forest products industry may also be a source of toxic chlorinated organic chemicals. The combined (peak) inputs of these chemicals to the Saguenay Fjord system was in the past and may have continued for many years, even decades. The relationship between the type of contaminants introduced in the past to the St. Lawrence estuary by the St. Lawrence River and the Saguenay Fjord may have implications concerning contamination of the beluga whale population which is located most frequently in the estuary near the fjord inflow.

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