Surface Water Chemistry From Athabasca Oil Sands Region

1999 field sampling provides pH, conductivity, and concentrations of major, minor, and trace elements from three lakes, three creeks, one stream, and two rivers. The Alberta Geological Survey collected samples across a 55.34°N to 55.96°N, 110.5°W to 111.8°W area, with laboratory analysis performed by Norwest Labs and the University of Calgary. This data was not included in a final report and remains unprocessed.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlations between pH and trace_element concentrations across different surface water body types.
• Model spatial distribution of stable_isotope_ratio values for oxygen and hydrogen within the defined latitude and longitude bounds.
• Compare conductivity measurements between river and lake samples to assess natural variability.
• Establish baseline ranges for minor_element concentrations in the Athabasca Oil Sands in-situ area prior to major industrial development.

Strengths

• Covers nine distinct surface water bodies (three lakes, three creeks, one stream, two rivers) within a defined geographic area.
• Includes multiple analytical categories: laboratory measured pH, conductivity, major/minor/trace element concentrations, and stable isotope ratios.

Limitations

• Contains data from a single summer (1999), offering only a temporal snapshot with no time-series component.
• The data provider states the information was not interpreted or processed, and may contain unvalidated laboratory results.
• Sample size is limited to a one-year sampling program from a specific geographic region.

Provenance

Source

Alberta Geological Survey (AGS), Government of Alberta.

Collection Method

Discrete sampling: bottles were dipped, rinsed, filled, and capped on-site, followed by filtration through a 0.45 micron filter.

Time Range

Summer of 1999.

Freshness

Data is from 1999, though metadata was last updated in 2026.

Geography

Athabasca Oil Sands in-situ area, Alberta, Canada, from approximately 55.34°N to 55.96°N and 110.5°W to 111.8°W (datum NAD83).