Athabasca River Benthic Invertebrate and Water Chemistry Data 2012-2022

Benthic macroinvertebrate samples collected via 3-minute traveling kick-net with a 400 µm mesh, providing total organism counts per taxon. The dataset integrates supporting water and sediment chemistry measures, including nutrients, metals, and polycyclic aromatic compounds, from up to twenty-one sites on the Athabasca River mainstem. Data collection occurred annually from 2012 to 2022, except for 2020 due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Use Cases

• Analyze total organism counts per taxon from kick-net samples to assess benthic community health as a water quality indicator.
• Model relationships between benthic macroinvertebrate abundance and supporting water chemistry measures like nutrient and metal concentrations.
• Investigate temporal trends in polycyclic aromatic compound levels in sediment chemistry alongside invertebrate assemblage data from 2012-2022.
• Use the lowest practical taxonomic level identifications to track changes in specific insect, crustacean, mollusc, or worm populations in near-shore gravel and sand habitats.

Strengths

• Integrated dataset combining biological (benthic macroinvertebrate) and physicochemical (water/sediment chemistry) monitoring from the same sites and dates.
• Data spans a decade of annual fall sampling from 2012 to 2022, providing a longitudinal view.
• Samples collected following standardized protocols: 3-minute traveling kick-net with 400 µm mesh and CABIN laboratory sorting.

Limitations

• Missing data for the year 2020 due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, creating a gap in the time series.
• Sample size is limited to up to twenty-one sites, focusing on near-shore habitats of the Athabasca River mainstem.
• Taxonomic identification is to the 'lowest practical level,' which may vary and not always be species-level.

Provenance

Source

Environment and Climate Change Canada, part of the Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for Oil Sands Monitoring.

Collection Method

Field sampling of benthic macroinvertebrates using a standardized 3-minute traveling kick-net, with supporting water and sediment chemistry samples analyzed by CALA accredited laboratories.

Time Range

Fall sampling seasons from 2012 to 2022 (excluding 2020).

Freshness

Data collection covers up to 2022, with a platform last updated date of 2026-03-10.

Geography

Mainstem of the Athabasca River and its major tributaries, in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of northeastern Alberta, Canada.