Bioaccumulation and transfer of mercury and arsenic in aquatic invertebrates and emergent insects at historical gold mine tailing sites of Nova Scotia

Show simple item record

dc.contributor.advisor Campbell, Linda M., 1970-
dc.creator LeBlanc, Molly E.
dc.date.accessioned 2019-05-15T13:52:02Z
dc.date.available 2019-05-15T13:52:02Z
dc.date.issued 2019
dc.identifier.other QH545 M4 L43 2019
dc.identifier.uri http://library2.smu.ca/handle/01/28587
dc.description 97 leaves : illustrations (some colour), map ; 29 cm
dc.description Includes abstract.
dc.description Includes bibliographical references.
dc.description.abstract Historical gold mining in Nova Scotia resulted in over 3,000,000 tonnes of mine tailings deposited into aquatic habitats and low-lying areas, where they remain today. Legacy tailings are typically elevated in mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As), however, aquatic ecological effects remain largely unquantified to date. An initial literature review revealed only three studies mentioning contaminants in aquatic invertebrates at tailing sites. My objective was to assess [Hg] and [As] in aquatic invertebrates living on tailings-affected wetlands, and the role of emergent insects as biovectors of these contaminants. Samples showed that sediment and water at tailings sites were elevated in Hg and As, often surpassing CCME guidelines. Aquatic invertebrates from tailings sites had elevated [Hg] (up to 4.20 ppm). Invertebrate [As] frequently exceeded CCME guidelines for fish. Adult emergent insects were shown to be likely biovectors of Hg, while As was largely shed with casings during hatching. en_CA
dc.description.provenance Submitted by Greg Hilliard (greg.hilliard@smu.ca) on 2019-05-15T13:52:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 LeBlanc_Molly_MASTERS_2019.pdf: 9528005 bytes, checksum: 3de40ff5d140c437e2eb840f6e889963 (MD5) en
dc.description.provenance Made available in DSpace on 2019-05-15T13:52:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LeBlanc_Molly_MASTERS_2019.pdf: 9528005 bytes, checksum: 3de40ff5d140c437e2eb840f6e889963 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019-04-29 en
dc.language.iso en en_CA
dc.publisher Halifax, N.S. : Saint Mary's University
dc.subject.lcc QH545.M4
dc.subject.lcsh Mercury -- Bioaccumulation -- Nova Scotia
dc.subject.lcsh Arsenic -- Bioaccumulation --- Nova Scotia
dc.subject.lcsh Gold mines and mining -- Environmental aspects -- Nova Scotia
dc.subject.lcsh Tailings (Metallurgy) -- Environmental aspects -- Nova Scotia
dc.subject.lcsh Aquatic invertebrates -- Ecology -- Nova Scotia
dc.subject.lcsh Aquatic insects -- Ecology -- Nova Scotia
dc.title Bioaccumulation and transfer of mercury and arsenic in aquatic invertebrates and emergent insects at historical gold mine tailing sites of Nova Scotia en_CA
dc.type Text en_CA
thesis.degree.name Master of Science in Applied Science
thesis.degree.level Masters
thesis.degree.discipline Environmental Science
thesis.degree.grantor Saint Mary's University (Halifax, N.S.)
 Find Full text

Files in this item

 
 

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record