Analysis of Microplastic Sources in the South Saskatchewan River and Selected Saskatoon Storm Ponds
| dc.contributor.advisor | Kahan, Tara F | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Stevens, Amy | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Gravel, Michel | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Soltan, Jafar | |
| dc.creator | Kumayon, Iyanu Mautin | |
| dc.creator.orcid | 0009-0005-4291-5246 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-03-13T22:50:39Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-03-13T22:50:39Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2023 | |
| dc.date.created | 2023-06 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-03-13 | |
| dc.date.submitted | June 2023 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2023-03-13T22:50:39Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Due to their widespread presence in all ecosystems, microplastics have been classified as significant persistent environmental contaminants. Aquatic organisms' reproductive cycles, access to energy, and growth may all be adversely affected by microplastics in water bodies. As a result, it is important to identify the origins and quantities of microplastic in significant Saskatchewan waterways, particularly the South Saskatchewan River, which supplies water to more than 50% of the province's residents for a variety of uses. In this study, we used Raman micro-spectroscopy to examine the compositions and loadings of microplastics in samples taken from three storm ponds in the City of Saskatoon and seven sites along the South Saskatchewan River. Microplastics were identified in all river and storm pond samples with the mean concentrations of 4.43 ± 2.88 m-3 and 6.44± 3.62 m-3 respectively. Although the small sample size and large variability in the mean microplastics concentrations between samples limits meaningful statistical analysis, our results suggest that the mean microplastics load at Miry creek (12.00 ± 9.12 m-3) is higher compared to 3.18 ± 3.00 m-3 for all other river samples, indicating Diefenbaker dam may be acting as a sink for microplastics along the waterways. Fibers dominate the morphology class of microplastics recovered, while polymers from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) were the major microplastics chemically identified among the samples. Particle contributions from both dyed and undyed natural fibers were also analyzed. This study represents the first exploration of microplastic levels in the South Saskatchewan River and selected Saskatoon’ storm ponds, thereby improving our understanding of this pervasive environmental contamination on the Canadian prairies. | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10388/14511 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.subject | Microplastics | |
| dc.subject | Storm ponds. | |
| dc.title | Analysis of Microplastic Sources in the South Saskatchewan River and Selected Saskatoon Storm Ponds | |
| dc.type | Thesis | |
| dc.type.material | text | |
| thesis.degree.department | Chemistry | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Chemistry | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of Saskatchewan | |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |