Isotopic and Chemical Assessment of the Dynamics of Methane Sources and Microbial Cycling during Early Development of an Oil Sands Pit Lake.

ABSTRACT: Water-capped tailings technology (WCTT) is a key component of the reclamation strategies in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) of northeastern Alberta, Canada. The release of microbial methane from tailings emplaced within oil sands pit lakes, and its subsequent microbial oxidation, could inhibit the development of persistent oxygen concentrations within the water column, which are critical to the success of this reclamation approach. Here, we describe the results of a four-year (2015-2018) chemical and isotopic (δ13C) investigation into the dynamics of microbial methane cycling within Base Mine Lake (BML), the first full-scale pit lake commissioned in the AOSR. Overall, the water-column methane concentrations decreased over the course of the study, though this was dynamic both seasonal

SUBMITTER: Slater GF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8703832 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature