Quantifying fugitive gas emissions from an oil sands tailings pond with open-path Fourier transform infrared measurements

Abstract. Fugitive emissions from tailings ponds contribute significantly to facility in the Alberta oil sands, but details on chemical emission profiles and temporal spatial variability of atmosphere are sparse, since flux measurement techniques applied for compliance monitoring have their limitations. In this study, open-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was evaluated as a potential alternative method quantifying spatially representative fluxes various pollutants (methane, ammonia, alkanes) particular pond, using vertical-flux-gradient inverse-dispersion methods. Gradient methane averaged 4.3 g m−2 d−1 were 44 % lower than nearby eddy covariance measurements, while agreed within 30 %. With gradient method, significant NH3 observed (0.05 d−1, 42 t yr−1), total alkane estimated be 1.05 (881 representing 9.6 emissions.