Snow samples were collected in the Athabasca Oil Sands region of northeastern Alberta in mid-January and late February 1981. The snow depth was measured and snow cores were taken at .60 sites around the oil sands plants. Snow sample collectors were set out at six of the sites in mid-January and removed in late February. Quantitative chemical analyses of the samples were carried out by a commercial laboratory. Duplicate samples from nine of the sites were analyzed as an independent cross-check. Concentrations of the major ions (SO4, NO3, Cl-, NH4, K+, H+, Na+, Mg++, ca++) as well as the insoluble (AI, Mn, Ti, V) and soluble (Al, Fe, Ni, V) constituents were determined. Snowpack loadings were computed from the measured concentrations, snowmelt volume, and the area sampled. The amounts of sulphate and nitrate deposited in the snow within 25 km of the oil sands plants have increased by 88 and 27% respectively, since the previous study in 1978. The amounts of insoluble particulates have decreased markedly
Related Resources
The Development and Reclamation Review Process
Resource Date:
1982
Athabasca River Modeling Studies (Phase I): Fort McMurray – Embarras
Resource Date:
1982
Soils Inventory of the Alberta Oil Sands Environmental Research Program Study Area
Resource Date:
1982
Athabasca Oil Sands Precipitation Chemistry Studies: 1976-79 and 1981
Resource Date:
1982
Soils of Permanent Sample Plots in the Athabasca Oil Sands Area
Resource Date:
1982
Organization
Was this helpful?
|