Assessing the contribution of combustion-derived contaminants to a remote subarctic environment from traffic on the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter road (Northwest Territories, Canada)

Remote mining operations in Canada's Northwest Territories and Nunavut are supported by a 600km winter road, which spans the transition from subarctic boreal forest in Yellowknife to low Arctic tundra. Each year, thousands of truckloads of fuel, large equipment, and other heavy loads are hauled up the winter road. We investigated whether diesel emissions from commercial truck traffic is a major source of metals and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) to aquatic ecosystems along the winter road. In March 2014, at the end of the hauling season, we collected integrated snow samples, water, and sediment from nine lakes located along the winter road, as well as from six lakes located within the city of Yellowknife. Examination of PAC composition and diagnostic ratios in snow samples showed that wildfires are an important source of PACs to lakes along the winter road, while anthropogenic sources are more prevalent in snow from Yellowknife lakes. Concentrations of PACs, including those associated with diesel emissions, were variable in snow, water, and sediment across all sites. The highest concentrations of PACs in snow were reported in winter road lakes located in the subarctic boreal forest, where forest fires are common. No compositional differences were observed for PACs in sediment and water samples between Yellowknife and winter road lakes. We did not observe any evidence of metal contamination in snow collected along the winter road, and metal concentrations in snow from winter road sites were consistently lower than Yellowknife sites. Our results show that a high contribution of PACs from natural sources can obscure potential contributions from diesel traffic emissions along the winter road. [Display omitted] •Diamond mining in the Northwest Territories, Canada, is supported by a winter road.•We measured metals and PACs in snow, water, and sediment from winter road lakes.•Study lakes along the winter road spanned the treeline ecotone.•The highest PAC concentrations were measured in boreal lakes.•Forest fires, not traffic, are an important source of PACs to winter road lakes.