The origins of sulfur in waters from four Nova Scotian basins, Canada

The origins of sulfate from four watersheds in Nova Scotia were identified using an isotopic mass balance approach. Of the sites studied, one was known to be impacted by pyrite oxidation, while the remaining three were thought to be affected only by precipitation. Results showed that sulfate from two of the precipitation basins originated from both acid precipitation and seaspray from the nearby Atlantic Ocean, while in the third basin, a geological source, probably evaporitic, also contributed to the sulfate budget. A method was also developed using the mass balance model to calculate the hydrological contributions of ambient, non-polluted streams to areas affected by acid drainage.