Surface oil is the primary driver of macroinvertebrate impacts following spills of diluted bitumen in freshwater

The response of freshwater invertebrates following accidental releases of oil is not well understood. This knowledge gap is more substantial for unconventional oils such as diluted bitumen (dilbit). We evaluated the effects of dilbit on insect emergence and benthic invertebrates by conducting experimental spills in limnocorrals (10-m diameter; ~100-m3) deployed in a boreal lake at the IISD-Experimental Lakes Area, Canada. The study included...