Abstract
Abstract. During the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) campaign, two NASA research aircraft, a DC-8 and a P-3B, were outfitted with extensive trace gas (the DC-8) and aerosol (both aircraft) instrumentation. Each aircraft spent about a half hour sampling air around the oil sands mining and upgrading facilities near Ft. McMurray, Alberta, Canada. The DC-8 circled the area, while the P-3B flew directly over the upgrading plants, sampling close to the exhaust stacks, then headed downwind to monitor the aerosol as it aged. At short range, the plume from the oil sands is a complex mosaic of freshly nucleated ultrafine particles from a SO2- and NO2-rich plume, soot and possibly fly ash from industrial processes, and dust from dirt roads and mining operations. Shortly downwind, organic aerosol appears in quantities that rival SO4, either as volatile organic vapors condense or as they react with the H2SO4. The DC-8 pattern allowed us to integrate total flux from the oil sands facilities within about a factor of 2 uncertainty that spanned values consistent with 2008 estimates from reported SO2 and NO2 emissions, though there is no reason to expect one flyby to represent average conditions. In contrast, CO fluxes exceeded reported regional emissions, due either to variability in production or sources missing from the emissions inventory. The conversion rate of SO2 to aerosol SO4 of ~6% per hour is consistent with earlier reports, though OH concentrations are insufficient to accomplish this. Other oxidation pathways must be active. Altogether, organic aerosol and black carbon emissions from the oil sands operations are small compared with annual forest fire emissions in Canada. The oil sands do contribute significant sulfate and exceed fire production of SO2 by an order of magnitude.
Highlights
Canada’s oil sand deposits represent 30 % of total world oil reserves (Alboudwarej et al, 2006) and are estimated at about 180 billion barrels
Studies of aerosol formation (Cheng et al, 1987), deposition (Barrie, 1980; Proemse et al, 2012b) and composition (Proemse et al, 2012a) have been ongoing as have air quality modeling efforts (Davies, 2012). Despite this emphasis on measuring oil sands emissions, there had been no recent evaluations of them using an extensive airborne instrumentation suite until the summer of 2008, when the NASA DC-8 and P-3B research aircraft were deployed at the Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake in Alberta, Canada
On this scale the oil sands are an insignificant source of black carbon (BC), organic aerosol (OA), and CO, but they still dwarf fire production of SO2
Summary
Canada’s oil sand deposits represent 30 % of total world oil reserves (Alboudwarej et al, 2006) and are estimated at about 180 billion barrels. Oil sands operators are required to report emissions to the Environment Canada’s National Pollutant Release Inventory (http: //www.ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/) and fund air quality monitoring in the region As part of their response to environmental issues, the oil sands operators have provided capital and ongoing support for the Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA), which is a collaboration of communities, environmental groups, industry, government and aboriginal stakeholders. Studies of aerosol formation (Cheng et al, 1987), deposition (Barrie, 1980; Proemse et al, 2012b) and composition (Proemse et al, 2012a) have been ongoing as have air quality modeling efforts (Davies, 2012) Despite this emphasis on measuring oil sands emissions, there had been no recent evaluations of them using an extensive airborne instrumentation suite until the summer of 2008, when the NASA DC-8 and P-3B research aircraft were deployed at the Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake in Alberta, Canada. The work reported here extends that analysis to include aerosol emissions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
