Ecosystem Sites, Speciated Mercury, Validated Data, Oil Sands Region

Measurements of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and particulate bound mercury on PM2.5 (referred to as PBM2.5) were collected by Environment and Climate Change Canada from August to September 2013 at the Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA) Air Monitoring Station (AMS) 13 – Fort McKay South, and at WBEA AMS 4 – Buffalo Viewpoint. Monitoring resumed at WBEA AMS 13 in September 2014 with two speciated mercury instruments and is ongoing. One speciated mercury instrument monitors GEM, GOM, and PBM2.5; the second speciated mercury instrument monitors GEM, GOM, and mercury on PM10 (referred to as PBM10). These data are the first atmospheric speciated mercury measurements to be reported in the oil sands region. Speciated mercury concentrations reported are comparable to those measured at sites across Canada (Cole et al., Atmosphere, 2014, 5(3), 635-668). Longer-term speciated mercury measurements will provide information on how mercury is cycling in the local ecosystem. There are no Environment and Climate Change Canada or Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) air quality guidelines, nor Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives for speciated Hg measurements.

加拿大环境与气候变化部（Environment and Climate Change Canada）于2013年8月至9月，在伍德布法罗环境协会（Wood Buffalo Environmental Association, WBEA）空气监测站（Air Monitoring Station, AMS）13号（位于麦凯堡南部）以及WBEA AMS 4号监测站（位于布法罗观景台），采集了气态元素汞（gaseous elemental mercury, GEM）、气态氧化汞（gaseous oxidized mercury, GOM）及PM2.5结合态汞（particulate bound mercury on PM2.5，PBM2.5）的监测数据。2014年9月，WBEA AMS 13号站点恢复监测工作，配备两台形态汞专用分析仪，目前监测仍在持续。其中一台分析仪可同步监测GEM、GOM与PBM2.5；另一台则可监测GEM、GOM及PM10结合态汞（particulate bound mercury on PM10，PBM10）。本数据集为油砂区域首次公开报道的大气形态汞监测数据，本次报道的形态汞浓度水平与加拿大境内其他监测站点的测量结果可比（Cole等，"Atmosphere"，2014，5(3)，635-668）。长期形态汞监测数据将有助于解析汞在当地生态系统中的循环过程。目前暂未出台加拿大环境与气候变化部、加拿大环境部长理事会（Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, CCME）的空气品质指南，亦无针对形态汞监测的阿尔伯塔省环境空气品质目标。