University of SaskatchewanHARVEST
  • Login
  • Submit Your Work
  • About
    • About HARVEST
    • Guidelines
    • Browse
      • All of HARVEST
      • Communities & Collections
      • By Issue Date
      • Authors
      • Titles
      • Subjects
      • This Collection
      • By Issue Date
      • Authors
      • Titles
      • Subjects
    • My Account
      • Login
      JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
      View Item 
      • HARVEST
      • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      • View Item
      • HARVEST
      • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      • View Item

      Developing monitoring strategies for assessing effects In pristine northern rivers receiving mining discharges

      Thumbnail
      View/Open
      PaulaSpencerthesis.pdf (1.210Mb)
      Date
      2008
      Author
      Spencer, Paula
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Level
      Masters
      Metadata
      Show full item record
      Abstract
      The overall objective of my thesis research was to develop methodologies for assessing effects of mining effluents on pristine and sensitive northern rivers. I used a multi-trophic level approach in field studies to evaluate current monitoring methods and to determine whether metal mining activities had affected two otherwise pristine rivers that flow into the South Nahanni River, NWT; a World Heritage Site. Upstream reference conditions in the rivers were compared to sites downstream and further downstream of mines. The endpoints evaluated included concentrations of metals in river water, sediments and liver and flesh of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus); benthic algal and macroinvertebrate abundance, richness, diversity, and community composition; and various slimy sculpin measures. Elevated concentrations of copper (p=0.002)and iron (p=0.001) in liver tissue of sculpin from the Flat River were associated with high concentrations of mine-derived iron in river water and copper in sediments that were above national guidelines. In addition, sites downstream of the mine on the Flat River had increased algal abundances (p=0.002) and altered benthic macroinvertebrate communities ((p
      Degree
      Master of Science (M.Sc.)
      Department
      Toxicology
      Program
      Toxicology
      Supervisor
      Dubé, Monique
      Copyright Date
      2008
      URI
      http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-10242008-155122
      Subject
      histopathology
      monitoring
      gills
      ammonia
      Prairie Creek
      Nahanni
      Tungsten
      northern rivers
      Multi-trophic
      Slimy sculpin
      Collections
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      University of Saskatchewan

      University Library

      © University of Saskatchewan
      Contact Us | Disclaimer | Privacy