Environment and Climate Change Canada

Dataset contains laboratory-studied Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) survival when exposed to bitumen sediments from the oil sands region of northern Alberta, cut through the McMurray Formation (MF). These are the results of the toxicological exposures, when Fathead minnow embryos were...

Verified and validated SPMD data are available on experimental research data to ascertain whether low concentrations of PACs can be more accurately detected using semi-permeable membrane devices than with water grab samples. Data are available from spring 2012 through winter 2014/15 from sites...

Wild fish community data (species, abundance, diversity, length, weight) for 2013 and 2019 are now available for tributaries of the Athabasca River (rivers Steepbank, Ells, Firebag, High Hills, Dunkirk, Horse, Muskeg, Tar and Calumet) and 2017 data for rivers and creeks adjacent to Christina Lake...

Wild fish health data (length, weight, gonad size, etc.) are now available for trout perch collected from the Athabasca and Peace Rivers; white sucker collected from the Athabasca River; longnose sucker collected from the Peace River; slimy sculpin collected from the Steepbank River; lake chub...

Long Term Air Pollutant and Meteorological Monitoring at Fort McKay’s Oski-ôtin site: Preliminary data Continuous and integrated monitoring of multiple air pollutants along with meteorological conditions began in Fort McKay at the Oski-ôtin site in August 2013. The purpose of Oski-ôtin’s...

Athabasca River (includes sites M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7 [2011-March 2018]) Water quality chemistry data for 17 sites in the lower Athabasca River (LAR), the Peace and Slave rivers, and their tributaries, including measurements of major ions, nutrients, metals (dissolved and total) and organics...

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s monitoring program for species at risk, rare and difficult-to-monitor species uses targeted sampling designs to assess the population status and trend of species that are not readily sampled by other programs. A formal analysis was used to prioritize...

The old-forest landbird monitoring program was initiated in 2014. Old-forest songbirds are a priority for monitoring because they can be vulnerable to habitat disturbance, and their habitats are less common overall and difficult to restore once disturbed. This augmented program employs a...

Local-scale projects focus on gaps in our understanding of complex response patterns at regional scales by targeting specific habitats or development features of interest. Environment and Climate Change Canada is monitoring how and why boreal birds respond to oil sands development features using...

Regional-scale monitoring focuses on understanding how and why boreal songbirds, including several Species at Risk, are affected by human activity across the Peace, Athabasca and Cold Lake oil sands area. Data are collected across multiple habitat types and across a range of disturbance...

Measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) using sunphotometers are being made in the oil sands region (at Fort McKay’s Oski-ôtin site, and Fort McMurray). AOD is a measure of the degree to which atmospheric aerosols absorb or scatter sunlight anywhere from the top of the atmosphere to the...

Monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOC) was initiated by Environment and Climate Change Canada at the Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA) Air Monitoring Station (AMS) 1 – Bertha Ganter, in Fort McKay, Alberta in October 2011. The VOC compounds that are currently being measured at...

Ecosystem Sites, Volatile Organic Compounds – Preliminary Data, Oil Sands Region Volatile organic compounds (VOC) data are currently collected by Environment and Climate Change Canada at a Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA) Air Monitoring Station (AMS). As of September 27, 2017, raw,...

Concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Tailings Pond Water in the Oil Sands Region – September 2013 To evaluate evaporation from tailings ponds as a potential source of emissions of pollutants to air, bulk water samples were collected from 8...

This Joint Oil Sands Monitoring Air Emissions Inventory (Inventory) for the oil sands region is part of the Joint Oil Sands Monitoring Program Emissions Inventory Compilation Report (Report). The Inventory is based on a synthesis of available information from several existing inventories and...

Water Quality Monitoring on Tributaries in the Athabasca River Oil Sands Region Ells River (EL1, ELLS RIFF 2, ELLS RIFF5 [2012-2015]) Mackay River (MA1 [2012-2015], MA2 [2013-2015]) Steepbank River (STB RIFF1, STB WSC, STB RIFF7, STB RIFF10 [2012-2015]) Firebag River (FI1, FI WSC [2012-2015])...