Advances in science and applications of air pollution monitoring: A case study on oil sands monitoring targeting ecosystem protection
Advances in science and applications of air pollution monitoring: A case study on oil sands monitoring targeting ecosystem protection
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空气污染监测科学与应用进展：以生态系统保护为目标的油砂监测案例研究
DOI：
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发表时间：
2019
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
B. Pauli
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
J. Brook;S. Cober;M. Freemark;T. Harner;Shao;J. Liggio;P. Makar;B. Pauli
摘要 加拿大艾伯塔省油砂工业排放的空气污染物对环境的潜在影响受到了广泛关注。开采和加工沥青以生产合成原油以及与此活动相关的废物会导致大量气态和颗粒空气污染物的排放。污染物的沉积发生在本地（即靠近污染源），也可能发生在顺风的远处，具体取决于每种污染物的化学和物理特性以及气象条件。联合油砂监测计划 (JOSM) 由加拿大政府和阿尔伯塔省于 2012 年发起，旨在加强或改善对污染物及其潜在影响的监测。为了支持 JOSM，加拿大环境与气候变化 (ECCC) 通过三个部分开展了重大研究工作：空气、水和野生动物部分，其实施是为了更好地估计与空气和水中污染物水平、沉积量以及生物群所经历的暴露相关的基线条件。标准空气污染物（例如氮氧化物 [NOx]、二氧化硫 [SO2]、挥发性有机化合物 [VOC]、空气动力学直径 <2.5 μm 的颗粒物 [PM2.5]）及其二次大气产物以及有毒化合物，特别是多环芳香族化合物 (PAC)、痕量金属和汞 (Hg) 受到关注。这篇批判性评论讨论了评估生态系统影响的挑战，并总结了截至 2018 年左右这些努力的主要成果。重点是空气排放和 ECCC 研究空气部分的发现，以及与该地区地表水、水生物种以及陆地和鸟类物种污染物水平观测的联系。简要讨论了对这些物种影响的现有证据，以及其中一些物种作为哨兵物种进行持续监测的潜力，以更好地了解潜在影响、潜在原因并检测未来的变化。需要改进对多种污染物的大气排放的量化，以及对影响无组织排放和当地和区域沉积模式的过程的了解。从天然沥青和森林火灾到气候变化，多种压力因素对生物群暴露和反应的影响，使目前将影响归因于行业空气排放的能力变得复杂化。然而，越来越多的证据表明当前 PAC 水平对某些物种产生了影响，这表明需要提高预测 PAC 暴露和所涉及的关键排放源的能力。尽管这一批判性审查试图整合各个组成部分的一些发现，但就 ECCC 活动而言，加强空气、水和野生动物研究的协调或整合将增强更深入的科学理解。需要加深理解，以指导长期监测战略的制定，从而最有效地为未来油砂环境监测和影响预防的适应性管理方法提供信息。影响：多种污染物的大气排放量化需要改进，并且可以调整报告机制和标准以促进这种改进，包括定期验证，特别是在不确定性最大的情况下。对空气、水和生物群基线状况的了解显着提高；在这一进展的基础上，持续加强监测将有助于改善油砂地区的生态系统保护措施。哨兵物种已被确定，可用于识别和描述当地和区域野生动物暴露的潜在影响。多环芳香族化合物被认为在目前的浓度水平下对水生和陆生野生动物有影响，尽管这些影响的重要性以及油砂开发排放的归因需要进一步评估。鉴于高分辨率空气质量预测模型的改进，这些应该成为未来环境评估和累积环境影响评估的宝贵工具。
ABSTRACT The potential environmental impact of air pollutants emitted from the oil sands industry in Alberta, Canada, has received considerable attention. The mining and processing of bitumen to produce synthetic crude oil, and the waste products associated with this activity, lead to significant emissions of gaseous and particle air pollutants. Deposition of pollutants occurs locally (i.e., near the sources) and also potentially at distances downwind, depending upon each pollutant’s chemical and physical properties and meteorological conditions. The Joint Oil Sands Monitoring Program (JOSM) was initiated in 2012 by the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta to enhance or improve monitoring of pollutants and their potential impacts. In support of JOSM, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) undertook a significant research effort via three components: the Air, Water, and Wildlife components, which were implemented to better estimate baseline conditions related to levels of pollutants in the air and water, amounts of deposition, and exposures experienced by the biota. The criteria air contaminants (e.g., nitrogen oxides [NOx], sulfur dioxide [SO2], volatile organic compounds [VOCs], particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm [PM2.5]) and their secondary atmospheric products were of interest, as well as toxic compounds, particularly polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), trace metals, and mercury (Hg). This critical review discusses the challenges of assessing ecosystem impacts and summarizes the major results of these efforts through approximately 2018. Focus is on the emissions to the air and the findings from the Air Component of the ECCC research and linkages to observations of contaminant levels in the surface waters in the region, in aquatic species, as well as in terrestrial and avian species. The existing evidence of impact on these species is briefly discussed, as is the potential for some of them to serve as sentinel species for the ongoing monitoring needed to better understand potential effects, their potential causes, and to detect future changes. Quantification of the atmospheric emissions of multiple pollutants needs to be improved, as does an understanding of the processes influencing fugitive emissions and local and regional deposition patterns. The influence of multiple stressors on biota exposure and response, from natural bitumen and forest fires to climate change, complicates the current ability to attribute effects to air emissions from the industry. However, there is growing evidence of the impact of current levels of PACs on some species, pointing to the need to improve the ability to predict PAC exposures and the key emission source involved. Although this critical review attempts to integrate some of the findings across the components, in terms of ECCC activities, increased coordination or integration of air, water, and wildlife research would enhance deeper scientific understanding. Improved understanding is needed in order to guide the development of long-term monitoring strategies that could most efficiently inform a future adaptive management approach to oil sands environmental monitoring and prevention of impacts. Implications: Quantification of atmospheric emissions for multiple pollutants needs to be improved, and reporting mechanisms and standards could be adapted to facilitate such improvements, including periodic validation, particularly where uncertainties are the largest. Understanding of baseline conditions in the air, water and biota has improved significantly; ongoing enhanced monitoring, building on this progress, will help improve ecosystem protection measures in the oil sands region. Sentinel species have been identified that could be used to identify and characterize potential impacts of wildlife exposure, both locally and regionally. Polycyclic aromatic compounds are identified as having an impact on aquatic and terrestrial wildlife at current concentration levels although the significance of these impacts and attribution to emissions from oil sands development requires further assessment. Given the improvement in high resolution air quality prediction models, these should be a valuable tool to future environmental assessments and cumulative environment impact assessments.