By: Frauke Spurrell Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development

1. Ambient Air Quality Monitoring
in Southern Alberta
November 19, 2014
Frauke Spurrell
Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development

2. Presentation Overview
• What is ambient air quality?
• Why do we monitor ambient air?
• What is monitored?
• Who conducts air monitoring?
• How is ambient air monitored?
• Where is the monitoring conducted?
• What is the data showing us?
• Research and special studies
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3. What is ambient air quality?
• Ambient air quality refers to the quality of
outdoor air in our surrounding environment
• Air quality can be quantified by
concentrations of substances identified
through monitoring
– It is typically measured near ground level, away from
direct sources of pollution
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4. What is ambient air quality?
• Types of emission sources impacting air
quality include:
– Anthropogenic
• Transportation (motor vehicles, rail, air)
• Heating (residential, commercial, wood burning)
• Industry (oil and gas, forestry, construction, electrical
generation, aggregate etc.)
• Agriculture (confined feeding operations, tilling)
– Biogenic (vegetation)
– Natural events
(forest fires, grass fires)
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5. Why do we monitor ambient air?
• To ensure there is no adverse effect from
licensed activity emissions (industry)
• To provide information for the management of
cumulative effects 5

6. Why do we monitor ambient air?
• To provide assurance to stakeholder
communities
• To provide a tool for the community to ‘plan a
healthy day’
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7. What is monitored?
• Any compound that is measurable and is
known to have impact on the ecosystem and
human health
• Measured concentrations are compared to
Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives
(AAAQOs) and/or Canadian Ambient Air
Quality Standards (CAAQS)
– AAAQOs are developed under the Alberta
Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act
(EPEA) for all of the province to protect Alberta’s air
quality
– Objectives are based on an evaluation of scientific,
social, technical, and economic factors
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8. What is monitored?
• An example of what is monitored at the
Lethbridge ambient air monitoring station
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Carbon Monoxide Wind Speed
Sulphur Dioxide Wind Direction
Hydrogen Sulphide Std. Dev. of Wind Direction
Nitric Oxide Outdoor Air Temperature
Nitrogen Dioxide Relative Humidity
Total Oxides Of Nitrogen
Ammonia
Total Hydrocarbons
Non-methane Hydrocarbons
Methane
Ozone
PM2.5 Mass
Air Quality Health Index

9. Who conducts
ambient air
monitoring?
• Alberta Environmental
Monitoring, Evaluation
and Reporting Agency
(AEMERA)
• Alberta Airshed
Organizations
• Industry
• Environment Canada
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10. How is ambient air monitored?
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• Permanent monitoring
can be:
– Continuous
• Near instantaneous
measurements
• Costly due to capital
and operating costs
• Require power and
road access
Image source: FOCUS Corp

11. How is ambient air monitored?
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Image source: PAS www.palliserairshed.com
Image source: PAMZ www.PAMZ.org
• Or permanent monitoring can
be:
– Passive
• Long-term measurements (monthly)
• Portable, user friendly, cost effective

12. How is ambient air monitored?
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• Temporary monitoring
can include:
– Mobile Air Monitoring
Laboratory (MAML)
– Portable Air monitoring
(PAML)
– E-BAM (Particulate matter)
– Air Pointer
– Canister
(Volatile Organic Compounds)

13. How is ambient air monitored?
• If data is supplied to ESRD/AEMERA:
– monitoring must follow requirements in the Alberta Air
Monitoring Directive (AMD)
• Ensures consistency, use of proper technology, siting
requirements etc.
• Allows for quality assurance and comparability of data
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14. How is ambient air monitored?
• Data from the AEMERA and airshed stations
are submitted to the CASA Data Warehouse
• Industry submits data directly to ESRD or
Alberta Energy Regulator
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http://www.casadata.org/

15. Source: Ambient Air Monitoring Network Assessment of The South Saskatchewan Region, 2014 STI Technologies (http://esrd.alberta.ca/air/reports-
data/documents/AmbientAirMonitoringSouthSaskatchewan-2014.pdf)
Where are the ambient air monitoring stations in
Southern Alberta?
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16. What is the data showing us?
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17. What is the data showing us?
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18. What is the data showing us?
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19. What is the data showing us?
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20. Research: Monitoring Network
Assessment for Southern Alberta
• The existing network was analyzed to identify
whether the monitoring objectives are being met
• Monitoring objectives included:
– monitoring for Ambient Air Quality Objectives (AAAQO)
and Environment Protection and Enhancement Act
(EPEA) compliance
– National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) program and
Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS)
reporting requirements
– implementation of regional plans and cumulative effects
– management needs: identification of pollutant trends and
spatial distributions etc.
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Study available at: http://esrd.alberta.ca/air/reports-data/documents/AmbientAirMonitoringSouthSaskatchewan-2014.pdf

21. Research: Monitoring Network
Assessment for Southern Alberta
• Data used for analyzing a monitoring network:
– Measured concentrations
– Emissions (industrial, urban, biogenic)
– Area, topography, land-use
– Existing stations
– Population
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22. Research: Monitoring Network
Assessment for Southern Alberta
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Optimal network suitability
map for monitor placement

23. Research: Emissions modelling
• In areas without monitoring data concentrations can be
predicted through modelling
– Air Quality Modelling Exercise using Community
Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model for Southern Alberta
• 2006-2008 base case year with 2020 and 2050 future
predictions
• Modelled: O3, PM, total VOCs, NO2, SO2, NH3, CO, wet and
dry deposition
Study available at: http://environment.gov.ab.ca/info/library/8875.pdf
AAAQOCMAQ estimated NO2 Concentrations 2006-2008 CMAQ estimated future NO2 Concentrations 2020

24. Thank-you!
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