dc.contributor.advisor |
Campbell, Linda M., 1970- |
|
dc.contributor.advisor |
Rickwood, Carrie |
|
dc.coverage.spatial |
Nova Scotia |
|
dc.creator |
Smith, Michael P. |
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2021-09-02T17:28:05Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2021-09-02T17:28:05Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2021 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/29820 |
|
dc.description |
1 online resource (vi, 177 pages) : colour illustrations, colour maps, colour charts, graphs |
|
dc.description |
Includes abstract. |
|
dc.description |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 25-36, 119-135, 166-172, 177). |
|
dc.description.abstract |
Historic gold mining in Nova Scotia, Canada, produced mercury (Hg)-contaminated
tailings from the 1860s to 1940s that were deposited into the environment and
subsequently abandoned upon mine closures. Today, these degraded landscapes are
potential sources of contaminated dust, posing risks to human and ecosystem health. The
primary objective of this thesis was to use epiphytic lichens (<i>Usnea</i> and <i>Platismatia</i> spp.)
as biomonitors of airborne Hg in the Montague Gold District. Spatial distribution patterns
of Hg in lichens showed hotspots near tailings deposits, reflecting greater inputs of Hg
from windblown tailings, volatilization processes, throughfall, and/or stemflow. The Hg
in the lichens was assessed in two ways, including surface-deposited and absorbed Hg
fractions. These results suggested that gaseous Hg from the tailings was a more important
source of the element compared to particulate-bound Hg. These lichens proved to be
effective biomonitoring tools at Montague for assessing Hg pollution and identifying risk
areas. |
en_CA |
dc.description.provenance |
Submitted by Greg Hilliard (greg.hilliard@smu.ca) on 2021-09-02T17:28:05Z
No. of bitstreams: 1
Smith_Michael_MASTERS_2021.pdf: 11734768 bytes, checksum: 57c0d7907e90d91bb1c2cd51d5a5d74d (MD5) |
en |
dc.description.provenance |
Made available in DSpace on 2021-09-02T17:28:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1
Smith_Michael_MASTERS_2021.pdf: 11734768 bytes, checksum: 57c0d7907e90d91bb1c2cd51d5a5d74d (MD5)
Previous issue date: 2021-08-18 |
en |
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_CA |
dc.publisher |
Halifax, N.S. : Saint Mary's University |
|
dc.subject.lcsh |
Epiphytic lichens -- Nova Scotia |
|
dc.subject.lcsh |
Environmental monitoring -- Nova Scotia |
|
dc.subject.lcsh |
Mercury -- Bioaccumulation -- Nova Scotia |
|
dc.subject.lcsh |
Gold mines and mining -- Environmental aspects -- Nova Scotia |
|
dc.subject.lcsh |
Tailings (Metallurgy) -- Environmental aspects -- Nova Scotia |
|
dc.title |
Using epiphytic lichens as biomonitors of atmospheric mercury and dust at a historical gold mine tailings site in Nova Scotia, Canada |
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.) |
|