Reactive Silicon Data in Hamilton Harbour, Lake Ontario

This project investigated nutrient silicon cycling in Hamilton Harbour, Lake Ontario. A field sampling program was undertaken to collect water, suspended sediment, and bottom sediment samples from Hamilton Harbour, which were then analysed for dissolved and particulate reactive silicon. Sediment cores were also used in sediment core incubation experiments to determine the flux of silicon from sediments to the water column. This data was collated into a reactive silicon mass balance model to determine silicon inputs, outputs and internal cycling processes within Hamilton Harbour. This project was funded the by Canada Excellence Research Chair in Ecohydrology but the data collected will also be used to support the project titled "Lake Futures: Enhancing Adaptive Capacity and Resilience of Lakes and Their Watersheds". Lake Futures is a Pillar 3 project under the Global Water Futures Program funded by Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

Field sampling consisted of collection of water, suspended sediments, and bottom sediment samples from Hamilton Harbour, and water samples from external sources over 2015 and 2016. Water samples were collected from four sites across Hamilton Harbour at 1m below the surface (epilimnion), and 1m above the sediment-water interface (hypolimnion). Final effluent samples were collected from the two wastewater treatment plants that discharge into Hamilton Harbour. Water samples were collected from the steel mill, intake and surface water discharge sites, as well as from two combined sewer overflow tanks. Suspended sediment samples were collected monthly from the same four sites across Hamilton Harbour as the water samples, using sediment traps. Sediment cores were collected in July and October 2016 from multiple sites across Hamilton Harbour using a box corer and subsampling into core tubes (7.5cm in diameter, 60cm long). Field samples were analysed for dissolved silicon, and total dissolved phosphorus (water samples), as well as reactive particulate silicon (suspended solids in water samples, suspended sediment samples, and bottom sediment samples). Sediment cores were also used in sediment core incubation experiments under varying oxygen and temperature conditions to determine the seasonal flux of reactive silicon from bottom sediments to the water column in Hamilton Harbour. This data was combined with water discharge data and reactive silicon concentration data from published literature and federal and provincial monitoring programs, to create a silicon mass balance model for the time period May to November 2016. Discharge and concentration data were processed in Excel to give mean monthly values. Reactive silicon fluxes were computed by multiplying discharge by concentration, or by mass balance. Internal cycling fluxes were computed from laboratory experiments, or by mass balance.

Ridenour, C., Van Cappellen, P., Parsons, C., Marvin, C., & Fiztpatrick, Mark. (2019). Reactive Silicon Data in Hamilton Harbour, Lake Ontario. Waterloo, Canada: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN). ( https://dx.doi.org/10.20383/101.0148 ).

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