Variation in trace metal exports from small Canadian shield watersheds

Abstract

Annual exports of Cu, Pb, and Cd were estimated for eleven headwater and two lake outflow streams in the District of Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. COCl2-APDC coprecipitation coupled with anodic stripping voltammetry was used to determine metal concentrations. Concentrations of all three metals were similar to those reported from other temperate forested ecosystems, being usually less than 1 ug L−1 with Cd undetectable (<25 ng L−1) in many samples. There was limited evidence for a spring peak in metal concentrations associated with the snowpack melt. Annual export (mass per unit area per year) of each metal was calculated; variability between streams was small. Exports of Pb appear to be related to the organic content of the water. Copper export was correlated with watershed area, not with organic acids, implying that a different transport mechanism and possibly a different source are important for this metal. The exports of Pb and Cu were much lower in all streams than the estimated annual atmospheric metal depositions reported for this area in the literature. Terrestrial retention was higher than 95% for all catchments, while lake retention was slightly lower in some cases. Despite the small fractional loss of trace metal from the watersheds, terrestrial inputs can comprise a significant portion of the total metal load to typical lakes in this region because of size of the catchments relative to the lake areas.