Environmental and seasonal controls on riverine dissolved uranium in the Hudson, James, and Ungava bays region, Canada

Abstract

This study documents the spatiotemporal variability of riverine uranium contents and fluxes in rivers discharging into the Hudson, James, and Ungava bays (HJUB). Samples retrieved during a monitoring program of the Koksoak, Great Whale, La Grande, and Nelson rivers were analyzed for dissolved uranium concentration [U] and activity ratio (234U/238U). Field surveys conducted during baseflow and snowmelt in six other rivers of the HJUB basin provided complementary data. It is estimated that altogether, the studied rivers export 3.4 × 105 mol/year of U towards the HJUB, with a discharge weighted average (234U/238U) of 1.27. Two main factors appear to control seasonal fluctuations in dissolved U exports from HJUB rivers: snowmelt and anthropogenic flow control. Under natural hydrological regimes, the dilution of U caused by snowmelt does not compensate for the associated increase in discharge, and riverine U fluxes are intensified during springtime. Contrastingly, the timing of riverine U exports is decoupled from hydroclimatic conditions in rivers affected by flow-control structures. Despite the seasonal variations in riverine U contents, the sampling profiles carried along two of the monitored rivers reveal that within the study region, sample locality is at least as important as sampling time for evaluating riverine U fluxes. In addition, a compilation of data from North American rivers reveals that spatial variations in riverine U contents seem to respond to a prominent lithological control, as rivers draining sedimentary rocks (with abundant carbonates) tend to present overall higher U contents and lower (234U/238U) variability than the rivers of the Canadian Shield.