Highlights
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- Small increasing trends were observed for NO2 at two oil sands communities.
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- No meaningful trends occurred for SO2 at all oil sands communities.
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- No notable trends were observed for O3, PM2.5, and CO over the 15-year period.
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- No indications of air quality trends were found at Fort Chipewyan.
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- Forest fire smoke plays a key role for PM2.5 exceedances at all communities.
Abstract
An
investigation of ambient air quality was undertaken at three
communities within the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) of Alberta,
Canada (Fort McKay, Fort McMurray, and Fort Chipewyan). Daily and
seasonal patterns and 15-year trends were investigated for several
criteria air pollutants over the period of 1998 to 2012. A parametric
trend detection method using percentiles from frequency distributions of
1 h concentrations for a pollutant during each year was used. Variables
representing 50th, 65th, 80th, 90th, 95th and 98th percentile
concentrations each year were identified from frequency distributions
and used for trend analysis. Small increasing concentration trends were
observed for nitrogen dioxide (< 1 ppb/year) at Fort McKay and Fort
McMurray over the period consistent with increasing emissions of oxides
of nitrogen (ca. 1000 tons/year) from industrial developments. Emissions
from all oil sands facilities appear to be contributing to the trend at
Fort McKay, whereas both emissions from within the community (vehicles
and commercial) and oil sands facility emissions appear to be
contributing to the trend at Fort McMurray. Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
emissions from industrial developments in the AOSR were unchanged
during the period (101,000 ± 7000 tons/year; mean ± standard deviation)
and no meaningful trends were judged to be occurring at all community
stations. No meaningful trends occurred for ozone and fine particulate
matter (PM2.5)
at all community stations and carbon monoxide at one station in Fort
McMurray. Air quality in Fort Chipewyan was much better and quite
separate in terms of absence of factors influencing criteria air
pollutant concentrations at the other community stations.
Keywords
- Alberta's oil sands;
- Air quality;
- Trends;
- Fort McKay;
- Fort McMurray;
- Fort Chipewyan
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