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.
