Supplemental Information for: Interactions of polychlorinated biphenyls and
organochlorine pesticides with sedimentary organic matter of retrogressive thaw slumpaffected lakes in the tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT, Canada
David C. Eickmeyer1, Linda E. Kimpe1, Steve V. Kokelj2†, Michael F.J. Pisaric3‡, John P. Smol4,
Hamed Sanei5, 6, Joshua R. Thienpont4‡, Jules M. Blais1*
David C. Eickmeyer1, david.c.eickmeyer@gmail.com
Linda E. Kimpe1, linda.kimpe@uottawa.ca
Steve V. Kokelj2, steve_kokelj@gov.nt
Michael F.J.Pisaric3, mpisaric@brocku.ca
John P. Smol4, smolj@queensu.ca
Hamed Sanei5, 6, hamed.sanei@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
Joshua Thienpont4, joshua.thienpont@gmail.com
Jules M. Blais1*, jules.blais@uottawa.ca
1
Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of
Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
2
Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Canada, NWT Geoscience Office, P.O. Box 1500, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2R3, Canada
3
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, B353 Loeb Building, Carleton
University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
4
Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), Department of
Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
5
Geological Survey of Canada-Calgary, 3303 33rdStreet NW, Calgary, AB, T2L 2A7, Canada
6
AU Herning, Aarhus University, Birk Centerpark 15, DK-7400 Herning, Denmark
† Currently of: NWT Geoscience Office, Government of the Northwest Territories, P.O. Box
1500, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2R3, Canada
‡ Currently of: Department of Geography, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St.
Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
*To whom correspondence should be addressed:
E-mail: jules.blais@uottawa.ca
Supplemental Table S1. Mean method detection limits (MDL) (ng g-1 TOC) and congeners
monitored for polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCBs), chlorobenzenes (ΣCBzs) and
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (ΣDDTs) and metabolites.
MDL
(ng g-1 TOC)
Congeners
PCBs
DiCBs
TriCBs
TetraCBs
0.14
0.12
0.058
8-5
18
44
14
19
49
31-28
52
29
32
PentaCBs
0.072
87
99
105
110
118
HexaCBs
0.070
0.064
132
155
180
138
156
183
146
157
187
149
163
HeptaCBs
128
153
170
OctaCBs
NonaCBs
0.026
0.039
194
206
195
201
203
DecaCBs
0.074
209
CBzs
0.054
PentaCBz
HexaCBz
DDTs
0.055
2, 4’-DDT
4, 4’-DDT
2, 4’-DDD
4, 4’-DDD
2,4’-DDE
4,4’-DDE
Supplemental Table S2. Organic carbon and contaminant fluxes of ΣPCBs, ΣCBzs and ΣDDTs
in sediment samples of 8 study lakes in the tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT.
Fluxes were determined by taking inventories of individual contaminants, carbon fractions and
dry weight to determine concentrations for sections of each sediment core encompassing 1970 –
2000, then multiplying by focus-corrected sedimentation rates.
ΣPCBs1
ΣCBzs1
ΣDDTs1
-2
-1
-2
-1
(ng m yr ) (ng m yr ) (ng m-2 yr-1)
I. Reference Lakes
570
53
87
2200
96
220
550
40
110
140
13
23
870
50
110
910
35
82
II. Slump-Affected Lakes
1200
250
110
1600
130
190
3400
300
320
350
110
41
1600
200
160
1300
92
120
Lake
2a
9a
14a
36a
Mean
SD
2b
9b
14b
36b
Mean
SD
1
S2 Carb2
(g m-2 yr-1)
3.4
13
6.0
1.8
6.0
4.9
3.3
5.2
1.9
0.60
2.8
2.0
S3 Carb3
Chl a4
TOC5
-2
-1
-2
-1
(g m yr ) (mg m yr ) (g m-2 yr-1)
2.9
6.4
4.5
3.2
4.3
1.6
9.1
7.2
3.4
6.6
2.9
2.7
3.2
3.9
2.8
3.2
0.54
5.3
14
0.91
1.0
5.3
6.1
Congeners monitored for each contaminant listed in Supplemental Table S1
2 S2
carbon fraction
3 S3
carbon fraction
4 Inferred
5 Total
chlorophyll a, data for 2a not available
organic carbon
18
43
26
13
25
13
17
20
18
11
16
3.9
Supplemental Figure S1. Vertical distributions of ΣPCB, ΣCBz, ΣDDT fluxes (ng m-2 yr-1),
inferred chlorophyll a flux (mg m-2 yr-1), S2 carbon flux (g HC m-2 yr-1) and S3 carbon flux (g
CO2 m-2 yr-1) in sediment core depth profiles (focus corrected to 50 Bq m-2 yr-1 excess 210Pb)
from 4 reference lakes in tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT. Chlorophyll a
data not available for lake 2a.
Supplemental Figure S2. Vertical distributions of ΣPCB, ΣCBz, ΣDDT concentrations (ng g-1
TOC), inferred chlorophyll a concentration (μg g-1 DW), S2 carbon concentration (mg HC g-1
DW), S3 carbon concentration (mg CO2 g-1 DW), and sedimentation rate (g m-2 yr-1, focus
corrected to 50 Bq m-2 yr-1 excess 210Pb) in sediment core depth profiles from 4 reference lakes
in tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT. Chlorophyll a data not available for lake
2a.
Supplemental Figure S3. Vertical distributions of ΣPCB, ΣCBz, ΣDDT fluxes (ng m-2 yr-1),
inferred chlorophyll a flux (mg m-2 yr-1), S2 carbon flux (g HC m-2 yr-1) and S3 carbon flux (g
CO2 m-2 yr-1) in sediment core depth profiles (focus corrected to 50 Bq m-2 yr-1 excess 210Pb)
from 4 slump-affected lakes in tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT.
Supplemental Figure S4. Vertical distributions of ΣPCB, ΣCBz, ΣDDT concentrations (ng g-1
TOC), inferred chlorophyll a concentration (μg g-1 DW), S2 carbon concentration (mg HC g-1
DW), S3 carbon concentration (mg CO2 g-1 DW), and sedimentation rate (g m-2 yr-1, focus
corrected to 50 Bq m-2 yr-1 excess 210Pb) in sediment core depth profiles from 4 slump-affected
lakes in tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT.
Supplemental Figure S5. Mean total, organic and inorganic sedimentation rates (g m-2 yr-1) for
cores (focus corrected to 50 Bq m-2 yr-1 excess 210Pb) from 8 study lakes in the tundra uplands
adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT, plotted against ΣPCB, ΣCBz and ΣDDT concentrations (ng
g-1 DW), panels A, B and C, respectively. Cumulative inventories of each contaminant were
calculated for sections of each core encompassing 1970 – 2000 to determine concentration. “A
Lakes” denote reference lakes and “B Lakes” denote lakes affected by thaw slumps. R2 and pvalues of individual regressions noted above (n = 8).
Supplementary Figure S6. Concentration of total organic carbon (mg L-1) in surface waters of
8 study lakes in the tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT, plotted against surface
sediment ΣPCB, ΣCBz and ΣDDT concentrations (ng g-1 TOC), panels A, B and C, respectively.
Cumulative inventories of each contaminant and total organic carbon were calculated for the
sections of each sediment core encompassing 1970 – 2000 to determine concentration. “A
Lakes” denote reference lakes and “B Lakes” denote lakes affected by thaw slumps. R2 and pvalues of individual regressions noted above (n = 8).
Supplemental Figure S7. Inferred chlorophyll a flux (mg m-2 yr-1) for sediment cores from 7
study lakes in the tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT, plotted against ΣPCB,
ΣCBz and ΣDDT fluxes (ng m-2 yr-1), panels A, B and C, respectively. Cumulative inventories of
each contaminant and chlorophyll a were calculated for the sections of each core encompassing
1970 – 2000 and multiplied by focus-corrected sedimentation rates to determine fluxes. “A
Lakes” denote reference lakes and “B Lakes” denote lakes affected by thaw slumps. R2 and pvalues of individual regressions noted above (n = 7).
Supplemental Figure S8. S2 carbon flux (g HC m-2 yr-1) for sediment cores from 8 study lakes
in the tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT, plotted against ΣPCB, ΣCBz and
ΣDDT fluxes (ng m-2 yr-1), panels A, B and C, respectively. Cumulative inventories of each
contaminant and S2 carbon were calculated for the sections of each core encompassing 1970 –
2000 and multiplied by focus-corrected sedimentation rates to determine fluxes. “A Lakes”
denote reference lakes and “B Lakes” denote lakes affected by thaw slumps. R2 and p-values of
individual regressions noted above (n = 8).
Supplemental Figure S9. S3 carbon flux (g CO2 m-2 yr-1) for sediment cores from 8 study lakes
in the tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT, plotted against ΣPCB, ΣCBz and
ΣDDT fluxes (ng m-2 yr-1), panels A, B and C, respectively. Cumulative inventories of each
contaminant and S3 carbon were calculated for the sections of each core encompassing 1970 –
2000 and multiplied by focus-corrected sedimentation rates to determine fluxes. “A Lakes”
denote reference lakes and “B Lakes” denote lakes affected by thaw slumps. R2 and p-values of
individual regressions noted above (n = 8).
Supplemental Figure S10. Organic carbon flux (g m-2 yr-1) for sediment cores from 8 study
lakes in the tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT, plotted against ΣPCB, ΣCBz
and ΣDDT fluxes (ng m-2 yr-1), panels A, B and C, respectively. Cumulative inventories of each
contaminant and organic carbon were calculated for the sections of each core encompassing
1970 – 2000 and multiplied by focus-corrected sedimentation rates to determine fluxes. “A
Lakes” denote reference lakes and “B Lakes” denote lakes affected by thaw slumps. R2 and pvalues of individual regressions noted above (n = 8).
Supplemental Figure S11. S2 carbon concentration (mg HC g-1 DW) for sediment cores from 8
study lakes in the tundra uplands adjacent to the Mackenzie Delta, NT, plotted against ΣPCB,
ΣCBz and ΣDDT concentrations (ng g-1 DW), panels A, B and C, respectively. Cumulative
inventories of each contaminant and S2 carbon were calculated for the sections of each core
encompassing 1970 – 2000 to determine concentration. “A Lakes” denote reference lakes and “B
Lakes” denote lakes affected by thaw slumps. R2 and p-values of individual regressions noted
above (n = 8).