The Arctic ecosystem is undergoing rapid and severe environmental changes, including changes in snow cover and hydrology, permafrost thawing and increase in industrial development. These changes to freshwater systems represent a challenge for Arctic communities and industrial use. In this study, we report on the development of a citizen-based monitoring program of water quality in Arctic rivers. The time-integrated nature of the <i>in situ</i> diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) samplers offers the advantage of continuous monitoring of water bodies in which metal levels fluctuate due to changing hydrography. The spring flood period is a critical period as it coincides with the maximum fluxes of dissolved and particulate organic carbon and metals, but it is also the least investigated period. In this study, the close collaboration with northern communities allowed us to safely deploy and retrieve DGT samplers during the rapid changes in volume and source of river discharge. The concentrations of DGT-labile metal and dissolved organic carbon peaked during the early stages of the spring floods and decrease over the course of the summer. The result highlights the considerable potential of using DGT samplers as a monitoring tool for evaluating the impacts of human activities on water quality.

Monitoring water quality in arctic rivers: Citizen science approach

2019 Fall National Meeting

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