Sedimentary Records of Contaminant Inputs in Frobisher Bay, Nunavut (2017-2018)

This dataset includes geochemical and contaminant data measured in surface sediments and sections of sediment cores collected from Koojesse Inlet and other locations in Frobisher Bay, Nunavut. Sediment cores and surface sediment were collected throughout Koojesse Inlet in 2017 by the Canada-Nunavut Geoscience Office aboard MV Nuliajuk vessel. Sediment cores were collected from inner and outer Frobisher Bay in 2018 by University of Manitoba researchers onboard the CCGS Amundsen icebreaker.

Geochemical parameters measured in sediment core samples included radioisotopes (210Pb and 137Cs), carbon and nitrogen content, and stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N). Contaminants measured in selected sediment sections included total mercury (THg), major and trace elements, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).

Another dataset associated with this same project is available for contaminant data collected on clams (Mya truncata) from the same area in 2018-2019:

• Analyses of contaminant inputs conducted on clams in Frobisher Bay, Nunavut (2017-2018) (upcoming)

For further information, please consult the following paper: Meaghan C. Bartley, Tommy Tremblay, Amila O. De Silva, C. Michelle Kamula, Stephen Ciastek, Zou Zou A. Kuzyk. 2023. Sedimentary records of contaminant inputs in Frobisher Bay, Nunavut. Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, 100313.

This project is part of the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program under the Oceans Protection Plan of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.