Freshwater Diatoms as Indicators of Combined Long-Term Mining and Urban Stressors in Junction Creek (Ontario, Canada)

Diatomées périphytiques comme indicateurs de stress combinés liés à l'historique minier et à la pression urbaine dans le bassin versant de Junction Creek (Ontario, Canada)

I. Lavoie (1) , Soizic Morin (2) , V. Laderriere (1) , C. Fortin (1)

1 INRS - ETE - Centre Eau Terre Environnement [Québec]
2 UR EABX - Ecosystèmes aquatiques et changements globaux

Sudbury (Ontario, Canada) has a long mining history that has left the region with a distinctive legacy of environmental impacts. Several actions have been undertaken since the 1970s to rehabilitate this deteriorated environment, in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Despite a marked increase in environmental health, we show that the Junction Creek system remains under multiple stressors from present and past mining operations, and from urban-related pressures such as municipal wastewater treatment plants, golf courses and stormwater runoff. Water samples have elevated metal concentrations, with values reaching up to 1 mg·L

Mots clés: bioindication; diatom; freshwater; mine; stress; rivers

Mots clés: DIATOMEE; EAU DOUCE; COURS D'EAU; NUTRIMENT

Domaines: Sciences de l'environnement

I. Lavoie, Soizic Morin, V. Laderriere, C. Fortin. Freshwater Diatoms as Indicators of Combined Long-Term Mining and Urban Stressors in Junction Creek (Ontario, Canada). Environments, 2018, 5 (2), pp.30. ⟨10.3390/environments5020030⟩. ⟨hal-01772384⟩