Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41547656›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

The Athabasca River regulates methylmercury burdens of waterbirds breeding downstream.

John Chételat, Craig Hebert, Jason D Demers, Colin A Cooke, Christine McClelland, Maureen Angell, Bridgit Bergquist, Marlene Evans, Maria F Fahnestock, Kuzey Güneşli and 6 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

John ChételatEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. john.chetelat@ec.gc.ca.
Craig HebertEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Jason D DemersEarth Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA.
Colin A CookeEnvironment and Protected Areas, Government of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Christine McClellandEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Maureen AngellEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Bridgit BergquistDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Marlene EvansEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, National Hydrology Research Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Maria F FahnestockJoan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA.
Kuzey GüneşliEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Sarah GreenwoodEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Bruce MacleanMaclean Environmental Consulting, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Mark McMasterEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
Lukas MundyEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Gerald TetreaultEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
Philippe J ThomasEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study characterized the transport pathways and sources of mercury in downstream food webs of the Athabasca River Basin in northern Alberta, Canada. Flowing through a large boreal watershed in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, the river drains into the ecologically-sensitive Peace-Athabasca Delta and western Lake Athabasca. Mercury stable isotope measurements on abiotic and biotic matrices were combined with spatial and temporal sampling to evaluate the importance of the Athabasca River as a conduit for mercury. Mixing model estimates derived from mercury isotopes indicated the Athabasca River was the source of 62–94% of the bioaccumulated mercury in otter, fish, and tern eggs collected from the delta or lake. A time series from 2009 to 2022 showed mercury loads from the Athabasca River enhanced bioaccumulation in western Lake Athabasca with the doubling of total mercury (THg) concentration in eggs of breeding terns following high flow years compared to low flow years. Mercury isotope data from potential abiotic sources (Athabasca River and Lake sediment, leaf litter, soil, air, rain) suggested a predominately terrestrial origin of mercury in fish of the Athabasca River. The similarity of terrestrial mercury isotope signatures with oil sands-related matrices (natural bitumen seeps, industry samples) precluded an estimation of contributions from oil sands operations to mercury bioaccumulation. Catchment processes or disturbances that increase mercury loads in the Athabasca River will increase mercury concentrations of aquatic biota in downstream receiving waters.

Indexed as

BirdsMethylmercury CompoundsRiversWater Pollutants, ChemicalAlbertaAnimalsBioaccumulationEnvironmental MonitoringFishesFood ChainLakesMercuryMercury IsotopesMercuryMercury IsotopesMethylmercury CompoundsWater Pollutants, ChemicalBioaccumulationHigh flowMercury isotopesRiver transportTerrestrial sources

Identifiers

PMID41547656
PMCPMC12891722

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.