Dataset Information

Watershed, climate, and stable isotope data (oxygen-18 and deuterium) for 50 boreal lakes in the oil sands region, northeastern Alberta, Canada, 2002-2017.

ABSTRACT: Watershed data, climate and stable data collected over a 16-year period from a network of 50 lakes in northeastern Alberta, are provided to allow for broader incorporation into regional assessments of environmental impacts, particularly hydrologic and geochemical processes under changing climate and land use development. Oxygen-18 and deuterium analyses of water samples are provided from late summer surveys of 50 lakes with varying land cover and permafrost conditions. Six sub-groups of lakes are represented, including Stony Mountains, West Fort McMurray, Northeast Fort McMurray, Birch Mountains, Caribou Mountains and Shield. This dataset includes 1582 isotopic analyses made on 791 water samples and 3164 isotope mass balance model outputs, as well as 800 lake/watershed parameters, 5600 climate parameters, and 800 modelled values for isotopic composition of precipitation used in the computations. Model data are provided to facilitate evaluation of transferability of the model for other applications, and to permit more sophisticated spatial analysis and intercomparison with geochemical and biological datasets. Details and further discussion on the isotope mass balance approach are provided in "Regional trends in water balance and runoff to fifty boreal lakes: a 16-year isotope mass balance assessment including evaluation of hydrologic drivers" [1]. Overall, the data are expected to be useful, in comparison with local and regional datasets, for water resource management and planning, including design of monitoring networks and environmental impact assessments for oil sands projects.

SUBMITTER: Gibson JJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7056631 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Watershed, climate, and stable isotope data (oxygen-18 and deuterium) for 50 boreal lakes in the oil sands region, northeastern Alberta, Canada, 2002-2017.

Gibson J J JJ Yi Y Y Birks S J SJ

Data in brief 20200224

Watershed data, climate and stable data collected over a 16-year period from a network of 50 lakes in northeastern Alberta, are provided to allow for broader incorporation into regional assessments of environmental impacts, particularly hydrologic and geochemical processes under changing climate and land use development. Oxygen-18 and deuterium analyses of water samples are provided from late summer surveys of 50 lakes with varying land cover and permafrost conditions. Six sub-groups of lakes ar ...[more]

PMID: 32154345

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Project description:While there is no denying that oil sands development in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) has large impacts upon the habitat it disturbs, developers are legally required to return this land to "an equivalent land capability." While still early in the process of reclamation, land undergoing reclamation offers an opportunity to study factors influencing reclamation success, as well as how reclaimed ecosystems function. As such, an Early Successional Wildlife Dynamics (ESWD) program was created to study how wildlife return to and use reclaimed upland boreal habitat in the AOSR. Wildlife data comprising 182 taxa of mammals, birds, and amphibians, collected between 2011 and 2017 and from five oil sands leases, were compared from multiple habitat types (burned [BRN], cleared [CLR], compensation lakes [COMP], logged [LOG], mature forest [MF], and reclaimed sites [REC]). Overall, similarity of wildlife communities in REC and MF plots varied greatly, even at 33 years since reclamation (31-62% with an average of 52%). However, an average community similarity of 52% so early in the successional process suggests that current reclamation efforts are progressing towards increased similarity compared to mature forest plots. Conversely, our data suggest that REC plots are recovering differently than plots impacted by natural (BRN) or other anthropogenic disturbances (LOG), which is likely due to differences associated with soil reconstruction and development on reclaimed plots. Regardless of the developmental trajectory of reclaimed habitats, progression towards increased wildlife community similarity at REC and MF plots is apparent in our data. While there is no expectation that reclaimed upland habitats will resemble or function identically to naturally occurring boreal forest, the degree of similarity observed in our study suggests that comparable ecological functionality is possible, increasing the probability that oil sands operators will be able to fulfill their regulatory requirements and duty to reclaim regarding wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Dataset Information

Watershed, climate, and stable isotope data (oxygen-18 and deuterium) for 50 boreal lakes in the oil sands region, northeastern Alberta, Canada, 2002-2017.

Publications

Watershed, climate, and stable isotope data (oxygen-18 and deuterium) for 50 boreal lakes in the oil sands region, northeastern Alberta, Canada, 2002-2017.

Similar Datasets

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