Parkland Airshed Management Zone
Continuous
Continuous monitoring involves drawing air through highly sensitive analyzers calibrated to produce an output that is proportional to the ambient concentration of the compound being monitored. This provides the best data but is more costly than passive monitoring.
The PAMZ continuous monitoring program monitors a wide range of man-made (anthropogenic) and natural emissions. These include: sulphur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), total reduced sulphur compounds (TRS), oxides of nitrogen (NOX), ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), methane, non-methane and total hydrocarbons (CH4, NMHC, THC), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ammonia (NH3). The analyzers and instrumentation used are consistent with other air quality zones in Alberta and the Alberta Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (AAAQMS) network.
PAMZ analyzers are capable of detecting low level concentrations of compounds that may be associated with chronic human and livestock health disorders as well as the higher levels associated with the health concerns resulting from acute exposures. Intensive QA/QC programs stemming from monitoring and data management permit detection of subtle changes and trends in data. This allows assessment of the impacts of various emission-producing operations within the zone. Various meteorological parameters, such as wind speed and direction, are also monitored continuously to gain a better understanding of possible sources and behaviours of the different pollutants.
The continuous monitoring program utilizes data collected at four continuous monitoring stations. The continuous monitoring stations consist of:
- One permanently fixed station, owned and operated by PAMZ, located approximately 16 kilometres south-southeast of the town of Caroline.
- One permanently fixed station located in the City of Red Deer along Riverside Drive near Three Mile Bend. This station is owned by Alberta Environment and operated by PAMZ under an agreement that also provides funding for the station's operation.
- Two continuous portable Air Quality Monitoring (AQM) Stations, the Martha Kostuch and David McCoy AQM Stations, owned and operated by PAMZ. These stations are named to honour the contributions of two PAMZ founding members who made significant contributions to the organization in its early years. The Martha Kostuch Station is housed in a portable trailer used primarily to gather data to address regional air quality issues. The David McCoy Station is also housed in a portable trailer. This station is used primarily to gather data to address technical or geographic data gaps.
The criteria used to locate the two portable monitoring stations are different. The selection of the locations for the Martha Kostuch Station is based on recommendations from the PAMZ Issues Response Group. The Issues Response Group receives this input through its annual public meeting held specifically for this purpose and also through stakeholder input received at regular Board meetings. Once the recommendations of the Issues Response Group are approved by the PAMZ Board, the Technical Working Group selects specific monitoring locations which are then finalized and secured by the Executive Director. In a given year, the Martha Kostuch Station typically monitors air quality at six different locations. It is moved to a different site at about 30 day intervals, returning to the initial site after an interval of six months. Data is, therefore, collected under different meteorological conditions.
The David McCoy Station typically monitors at four different locations in a year, one per quarter. One of these locations is northeast of Crossfield. Data is used to assess the impact of emissions from the City of Calgary and its surrounding areas on PAMZ's southern region. The selection of the remaining three locations for the David McCoy Station is made by the Technical Working Group based on a review of the technical and geographic data gaps that need to be addressed by the monitoring program. These selections are reviewed and approved by the Board and are then finalized and secured by the Executive Director.
