Higher tritium concentrations measured in permafrost thaw lakes in northern Alberta. Issue 2 (29th July 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gibson, J. J.; Birks, S. J.; Yi, Y.
• Is Part Of: Hydrological processes. Volume 30:Issue 2(2016)
• Page Start: 245
• Page End: 249
• Publication Date: 2015-07-29
• Subjects: tritium -- isotopes -- lakes -- water balance -- water yield -- permafrost thaw; Hydrology -- Periodicals; Hydrology -- Research -- Periodicals; Hydrologic models -- Periodicals; Hydrological forecasting -- Periodicals; 631.432
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.10599
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0885-6087

Abstract

Abstract: Tritium concentrations were measured in a survey of 24 lakes, 15 wetlands, and 133 groundwaters in the oil sands region of northeastern Alberta and compared with both recent precipitation and precipitation sampled during the 1960s tritium peak caused by atmospheric thermonuclear weapons testing. Water samples from lakes included a group of 14 thaw lakes that had higher runoff attributed to melting of permafrost in peat plateaus within their watersheds. While tritium in all lakes was found to be intermediate between recent and 1960s concentrations, the thaw lakes were found to be significantly enriched in tritium compared with other lakes, as were unfrozen wetlands characterized by a thick sequence of low‐hydraulic conductivity peat. The results provide further evidence of different water sources to the thaw lakes and may indicate that melting of modern permafrost in part formed since the 1950s is occurring in these systems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.