Download or read book Tracking the History of Alberta Oil Sands Contaminants Using Lake Sediment Cores written by Alexandre Salat and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Petroleum hydrocarbons are emitted into the environment via natural and anthropogenic activities. Once emitted, these hydrocarbons can be transported globally, persisting and accumulating in aquatic ecosystems. In the Alberta oil sands region (AOSR), mining activities have significantly altered and polluted the surrounding aquatic and terrestrial environments with heavy metals and various petroleum hydrocarbons including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PACs). Though PACs have been tracked through time using dated lake sediment cores, separating natural and anthropogenic PACs can be difficult. In the Peace Athabasca Delta (PAD) this task is especially difficult as this region has been receiving annual inputs of naturally eroded bitumen throughout history. Petroleum biomarkers are unique petrogenic compounds (i.e. derived from petroleum) which may provide a secondary proxy to track mining impacts. This thesis investigated the impacts of mining activities on the AOSR and the PAD using two different proxies, PAC and petroleum biomarkers. These two regions were compared to reference lakes to the south and northwest of the Athabasca oil sands formation, in order to provide a natural signal, with minimal oil sands mining contamination. Historically deposited PACs and petroleum biomarkers were analysed in radiometrically dated lake sediment cores from the AOSR and the PAD, Alberta. Sediment profiles in the AOSR (Saline Lake) showed increases in PAC fluxes for both alkylated and parent compounds coeval with mining activities. Alkylated PAC fluxes in reference lakes (Mariana Lake and BM11) increased at the height of oil sands development (1990s). PAD lakes showed no statistical increase in PAC flux through time due to high levels of naturally eroded bitumen entering the system. Parent PAC diagnostic ratios, however, showed clear shifts from pyrogenic (primarily wood burning) in pre-development sediments to petrogenically derived PACs in modern sediments, in both AOSR and PAD lakes, coeval with oil sands development. Petroleum biomarker diagnostic ratios in Saline Lake and PAD lakes remained stable through time, indicating a clear current and historical petroleum signal originating from the AOSR. Reference lakes (Mariana Lake and BM11) showed the greatest change in petroleum biomarkers. Historically, these lakes had signatures uncommon of petroleum sources, however, in recent years petroleum inputs from mining development were revealed by these petroleum biomarkers. This study compared the historical trends of several petroleum hydrocarbons in lake sediment to the historical emissions of these petroleum hydrocarbons from oil sands mining operations. Notably, we show the potential for petroleum biomarkers to trace petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in the environment.
Download or read book Developing Pre industrial Baselines from Floodplain Lake Sediment Cores to Quantify the Extent of Metals Pollution Within the Alberta Oil Sands Region written by Wynona Klemt and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Oil sands mining operations began in 1967, but the onset of a monitoring program to assess water and sediment quality in the Athabasca River watershed began 30 years later. Consequently, no knowledge of pre-industrial, baseline conditions exists upon which current river sediment quality can be compared. This has undermined an ability to determine the relative importance of contaminants supplied by natural processes versus pollution to the Athabasca River by rapid growth of oil sands development. In this study, a paleolimnological approach was used to analyze sediment cores from five flood-influenced lakes located upstream and downstream of oil sands operations within the Alberta Oil Sands Region (AOSR). Loss-on-ignition and organic carbon and nitrogen elemental analyses were used to differentiate periods of strong and weak Athabasca River flood influence. In addition, the temporal changes in concentrations of bitumen-associated metals vanadium (V) and nickel (Ni) were explored at each lake. A pre-industrial baseline was developed using pre-1967 sediment concentrations of V and Ni, normalized to aluminum concentration, from lakes in the AOSR to estimate the natural range of variability of these metals. When normalized metals concentrations in recently deposited flood-influenced sediment were compared to the pre-industrial baseline, no evidence of enrichment in the river-derived stratigraphic intervals was detected. However, significant enrichment of bitumen-related metals V and Ni (up to 2- and 1.6-fold above the baseline, respectively) was observed in weakly flood-influenced sediment in the two floodplain lakes located closest to the most active mining operations (
Download or read book Alberta Oil Sands written by Kevin E Percy and published by Newnes. This book was released on 2012-11-29 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At 170 billion barrels, Canada's Oil Sands are the third largest reserves of developable oil in the world. The Oil Sands now produce about 1.6 million barrels per day, with production expected to double by 2025 to about 3.7 million barrels per day. The Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) in northeastern Alberta is the largest of the three oil sands deposits. Bitumen in the oil sands is recovered through one of two primary methods - mining and drilling. About 20 per cent of the reserves are close to the surface and can be mined using large shovels and trucks. Of concern are the effects of the industrial development on the environment. Both human-made and natural sources emit oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, trace elements and persistent organic compounds. Of additional concern are ground level ozone and greenhouse gases. Because of the requirement on operators to comply with the air quality regulatory policies, and to address public concerns, the not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA) has since 1997 been closely monitoring air quality in AOSR. In 2008, WBEA assembled a distinguished group of international scientists who have been conducting measurements and practical research on various aspects of air emissions and their potential effects on terrestrial receptors. This book is a synthesis of the concepts and results of those on-going studies. It contains 19 chapters ranging from a global perspective of energy production, measurement methodologies and behavior of various air pollutants during fossil fuel production in a boreal forest ecosystem, towards designing and deploying a multi-disciplinary, proactive, and long-term environmental monitoring system that will also meet regulatory expectations. Covers measurement of emissions from very large industrial sources in a region with huge international media profile Validation of measurement technologies can be applied globally The new approaches to ecological monitoring described can be applied in other forested regions
Download or read book Environmental Contaminants written by Jules M. Blais and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-03-27 with total page 515 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The human footprint on the global environment now touches every corner of the world. This book explores the myriad ways that environmental archives can be used to study the distribution and long-term trajectories of chemical contaminants. The volume first focuses on reviews that examine the integrity of the historic record, including factors related to hydrology, post-depositional diffusion, and mixing processes. This is followed by a series of chapters dealing with the diverse archives and methodologies available for long-term studies of environmental pollution, such as the use of sediments, ice cores, sclerochronology, and museum specimens.
Download or read book Historical Reconstruction of Contamination Using Sediment Cores written by Nathalie Valette-Silver and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Atmospheric Deposition to the Athabasca Oil Sands Region Using Snowpack Measurements and Dated Lake Sediment Cores written by Jane Kirk and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Occurrence of and Trends in Selected Sediment associated Contaminants in Caddo Lake East Texas 1940 2002 written by Jennifer T. Wilson and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ethical Oil written by Ezra Levant and published by McClelland & Stewart. This book was released on 2011-05-03 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Canada's "no. 1 defender of freedom of speech" and the bestselling author of Shakedown makes the timely and provocative case that when it comes to oil, ethics matter just as much as the economy and the environment. In 2009, Ezra Levant's bestselling book Shakedown revealed the corruption of Canada's human rights commissions and was declared the "most important public affairs book of the year." In Ethical Oil, Levant turns his attention to another hot-button topic: the ethical cost of our addiction to oil. While many North Americans may be aware of the financial and environmental price we pay for a gallon of gas or a barrel of oil, Levant argues that it is time we consider ethical factors as well. With his trademark candor, Levant asks hard-hitting questions: With the oil sands at our disposal, is it ethically responsible to import our oil from the Sudan, Russia, and Mexico? How should we weigh carbon emissions with human rights violations in Saudi Arabia? And assuming that we can't live without oil, can the development of energy be made more environmentally sustainable? In Ethical Oil, Levant exposes the hypocrisy of the West's dealings with the reprehensible regimes from which we purchase the oil that sustains our lifestyles, and offers solutions to this dilemma. Readers at all points on the political spectrum will want to read this timely and provocative new book, which is sure to spark debate.
Download or read book Investigative Strategies for Lead Source Attribution at Superfund Sites Associated with Mining Activities written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2017-12-01 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Superfund program of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in the 1980s to address human-health and environmental risks posed by abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous-waste sites. Identification of Superfund sites and their remediation is an expensive multistep process. As part of this process, EPA attempts to identify parties that are responsible for the contamination and thus financially responsible for remediation. Identification of potentially responsible parties is complicated because Superfund sites can have a long history of use and involve contaminants that can have many sources. Such is often the case for mining sites that involve metal contamination; metals occur naturally in the environment, they can be contaminants in the wastes generated at or released from the sites, and they can be used in consumer products, which can degrade and release the metals back to the environment. This report examines the extent to which various sources contribute to environmental lead contamination at Superfund sites that are near lead-mining areas and focuses on sources that contribute to lead contamination at sites near the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District. It recommends potential improvements in approaches used for assessing sources of lead contamination at or near Superfund sites.
Download or read book Costly Fix written by Ian Thomas Urquhart and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: « Costly Fix addresses core questions about the Alberta oil sands boom that started in the 1990s: Why did this flood of investment pour into the oil sands of northern Alberta? What role has government played with respect to the oil sands rush, and why? Who benefited and who or what has paid the costs of exploiting the oil sands? By analyzing the interest, ideas, and institutions involved in the oil sands boom, Ian Urquart charts its development from the beginning to the present. In this process, we learn about the state's role in making the oil sands profitable, the environmental dimensions of oil sands development, and First Nations' roles in both opposing and supporting the industry. The final chapter examines the extent to which Alberta's new NDP government, in its first eighteen months, altered the legacies they inherited from the Progressive Conservatives on royalties, tailings reservoirs, and climate change. » --
Download or read book Energy Heritage written by Robert E. McRory and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Microbial Communities Utilizing Hydrocarbons and Lipids Members Metagenomics and Ecophysiology written by Terry J. McGenity and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-07-11 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides comprehensive, authoritative discussions about microbial communities in environments that are rich in hydrocarbons, crude oil or lipids. It encompasses natural environments, such as tar sands, oil seeps and reservoirs, as well as habitats where methane is produced. Equally, the book deals with habitats that have been influenced by human activity, including oil-contaminated soils, aquifers, coast and seas. The book opens with a series of chapters considering the contemporary approaches used to investigate microbial communities.
Download or read book Oil Sands written by L. V. Hills and published by Calgary : Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. This book was released on 1974 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Developing Alberta s Oil Sands written by Paul Anthony Chastko and published by University of Calgary Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alberta's oil sands represent a vast and untapped oil reserve that could reasonably supply all of Canada's energy needs for the next 475 years. With an estimated 300 billion barrels of recoverable oil at stake, the quest to develop this natural resource has been undertaken by many powerful actors, both nationally and internationally. Using research that integrates the economic, political, scientific, and business factors that have been influential in discovering and developing the sands, this book provides a comprehensive history of the oil sands project and a window on the nature of the complex relationships between industry, government, and transnational players. This book is the first comprehensive volume that examines the origins and development of the oil sands industry over the last century.
Download or read book Oil Spill Environmental Forensics Case Studies written by Scott Stout and published by Butterworth-Heinemann. This book was released on 2017-10-22 with total page 861 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Oil Spill Environmental Forensics Case Studies includes 34 chapters that serve to present various aspects of environmental forensics in relation to “real-world” oil spill case studies from around the globe. Authors representing academic, government, and private researcher groups from 14 countries bring a diverse and global perspective to this volume. Oil Spill Environmental Forensics Case Studies addresses releases of natural gas/methane, automotive gasoline and other petroleum fuels, lubricants, vegetable oils, paraffin waxes, bitumen, manufactured gas plant residues, urban runoff, and, of course, crude oil, the latter ranging from light Bakken shale oil to heavy Canadian oil sands oil. New challenges surrounding forensic investigations of stray gas in the shallow subsurface, volatiles in air, dissolved chemicals in water (including passive samplers), and biological tissues associated with oil spills are included, as are the effects and long-term oil weathering, long-term monitoring in urbanized and non-urbanized environments, fate and transport, forensic historical research, new analytical and chemical data processing and interpretation methods. Presents cases in each chapter on the application of specific oil spill environmental forensic techniques Features chapters written by international experts from both academia and industry Includes relevant concepts and theories elucidated for each theme
Download or read book Methods for Measuring the Toxicity and Bioaccumulation of Sediment associated Contaminants with Freshwater Invertebrates written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Anthropocene as a Geological Time Unit written by Jan Zalasiewicz and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-07 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reviews the evidence underpinning the Anthropocene as a geological epoch written by the Anthropocene Working Group investigating it. The book discusses ongoing changes to the Earth system within the context of deep geological time, allowing a comparison between the global transition taking place today with major transitions in Earth history.
