Lake Ontario Sediments as Indicators of the Niagara River as a Primary Source of Contaminants

Abstract

Past studies on the distribution of mercury, PCB, and mirex in the surficial bottom sediments of Lake Ontario have clearly indicated the significance of the Niagara River as a major source of contaminants to the lake. The distributions have further indicated the net transport of sediment-bound materials in the lake which has assisted in the general understanding of the occurrence of contaminants at many trophic levels in the Lake Ontario ecosystem. Mean concentrations of a number of elements in suspended solids centrifuged from the Niagara River in 1974 further indicated that the river is also a major source for chromium, cadmium, vanadium, and arsenic, and a lesser though significant source of lead, copper, and nickel.