Glahder, C.M., Asmund, G. & Riget, F. 2010: Environmental monitoring at the Nalunaq Gold Mine, South Greenland, 2009. National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University. 32 pp. – NERI Technical Report No. 772.
This sixth monitoring study was carried out in the Nalunaq gold mining area, Nanortalik, South Greenland, on 15-22 August 2009. Twelve shipments of ore, the last on 27 March 2009, had been transported to Canada for gold extraction since the last monitoring study performed late August 2008. Mining stopped late 2008. Angel Mining (Gold) bought the Nalunaq gold mine on 1 July 2009, but no gold ore was mined prior to the present monitoring study.
Blue mussels, brown seaweed and shorthorn sculpin were sampled at 4 marine stations in the Kirkespir Bay, resident Arctic char were caught in the river and lichens Cetraria nivalis were collected at 20 stations in the valley and along the bay. In addition, lichens were transplanted from an uncontaminated area (AMI1) to the mining area (Fig. 1). Collected samples were analysed for 12 elements (Hg, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, As, Se, Co, Mo and Au) and the results were compared both to background levels and to previous monitoring studies.
No elevated concentrations were found in mussels and in sculpin livers, while seaweed had slightly elevated concentrations of Co at one sampling station. The impact from the mining activities on the marine environment was found to be very low in 2009. During 2006-2009, only Co was consistently elevated in seaweed and only at the same station.
In livers from resident Arctic char, average concentrations were not elevated in 2009 compared to baseline concentrations. During 2004-2009, minor elevations of Cr, Co and Cd were found in 2004 and 2006.
In lichens, concentrations of Cu, Cr, As and Co were, like in previous years, significantly elevated compared to the background levels in the depot and the camp and mine area. In 2009, elevations in the two areas were 2-3 times for Cu and Cr, 4-10 times for As and 2-10 times for Co. In 2008 elevations in the two areas were about the double.
Temporal trends in concentrations of Cu, Cr, As and Co in lichens in the two impacted areas showed a non-linear course during 2004-2009 with a decrease in 2009 for all metals. Most pronounced was the decrease in the camp and mine area. This trend was expected due to the reduced mining activities in 2009.
We tested the relationship between the concentrations of Cu, Cr, As and Co in lichens and the distance to the road. All concentrations of the four metals showed a significantly decrease with increasing distance. Cu and As concentrations above the background levels could, as in previous years, be found to a distance of about 1000 m from the road, while Cr and Co reached the background level at about 500 m.
In 2009, concentrations of metals in the transplanted lichens were lower than in the transplanted lichens in 2008. Also, fewer metals showed elevated concentrations in 2009 compared to 2008.
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