Oil Spills and Fresh Water
A new research project is taking take place at the Experimental Lakes Area in Northwestern Ontario.
A 2015 report by the Royal Society of Canada indicated that here are gaps in the understanding of the impacts of oil spills on freshwater systems.
From the iisd-ela website: "First, a pilot using three small (2-m diameter) land-based microcosms has already been completed to examine the chemical and physical behaviour of dilbit in fresh water. ... . The second stage is field study. Researchers will use large enclosures (10-m diameter) placed in a lake to examine how diluted bitumen reacts in fresh water over longer periods of time. Researchers will also be directly testing changes in the oil’s toxicity to freshwater bugs, fish and amphibians. ... The information from these first two studies will guide a third study, where researchers will examine the most effective methods of cleaning spilled oil from shorelines."