Identifying the Sources and Tracing the Fate of Phosphate in the Bow River Basin, Alberta, Canada, Using Oxygen Isotope Analyses
Date
2015-04-16
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Abstract
This study tested the possibility to use oxygen isotope analyses (δ18OPO4) to identify the sources and trace the fate of phosphate in the Bow River Basin. The key hypothesis was that δ18OPO4 values are different for major phosphate sources. Therefore, the main sources of phosphate in this watershed(manure, compost, phosphate-containing fertilizers and effluents from six waste-water treatment plants) were characterized for δ18OPO4.Phosphate concentrations in the Bow River were also investigated.Results show that phosphate concentrations increase from upstream to downstream, with a major increase respectively within and downstream of Calgary. δ18OPO4 analyses on sediments revealed that phosphate in the Bow River seems to come from a mixture of synthetic fertilizers and wastewater effluents. This study demonstrated that most phosphate released into the river seems to be taken up by vegetation or is retained in superficial fluvial sediments, and showed that δ18OPO4 is a good tracer in this watershed.
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Keywords
Geochemistry, Geology, Hydrology
Citation
Fau, V. (2015). Identifying the Sources and Tracing the Fate of Phosphate in the Bow River Basin, Alberta, Canada, Using Oxygen Isotope Analyses (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26437