Legacy of gold mining: persistent sediment toxicity in Nova Scotia lakes

Image of a sediment core from one of the study lakes that can be used.
Photo credit is Casey Doucet.

Historical gold mining operations in Nova Scotia, Canada have left toxic tailings near abandoned mines in remote and urban areas.

Inputs of tailings have entered aquatic ecosystems downstream of mine areas.

Read this open access paper on the FACETS website.

Using dated lake sediments, we show that metal(loid) concentrations exceeded levels that are potentially harmful to aquatic organisms during the mining era.

Although 80 years has passed since large-scale mining ended, metal(loid) concentrations in sediments continue to be elevated.

Urbanization and climate change are influencing ecosystem recovery in combination with the legacy of historical mining activities.

Read the paper — Historical gold mining increased metal(loid) concentrations in lake sediments from Nova Scotia, Canada by Branaavan Sivarajah, Linda M. Campbell, John P. Smol, Jesse C. Vermaire, and Joshua Kurek.