Inuvik Air Quality Monitoring: National Air Pollution Surveillance Network (NAPS)

Main Project Contact:
Joel McAlister

Project Start Date:
October 2012

Project End Date:
Ongoing

Project Name:
Inuvik Air Quality Monitoring: National Air Pollution Surveillance Network (NAPS)

ARI Team:

Edwin Amos

Ryan McLeod

Greg Elias


Overview:
Air is one of our most precious resources, and is vital to life on earth.  Maintaining good air quality in the NWT is an important factor in environmental protection and the protection of human health.  Sources of air pollution that affect our air quality are both natural, such as emissions from forest fires, and anthropogenic (man-made), such as industrial, vehicular, and home heating emissions. The pollutants monitored at the Inuvik Air Quality Station include carbon monoxide, particulate matter of various sizes, ozone, sulfate, and nitrogen-containing gases.

Objectives:
The objective of this research is to meet and maintain the capture atmospheric sampling requirements set out by the NAPS protocols required by the Canada Wide Standards. 

 

Location:
The Inuvik Air Quality Station is one of four air quality monitoring stations in the NWT (including Yellowknife, Fort Liard and Norman Wells), and is one of two with a NAPS network designation.  The Inuvik station is 3m x 5m mobile building on Bompas Rd, between the baseball diamond and the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex.

Methods:
WARC staff provide the technical capacity required to monitor, maintain and repair the highly technical and very sensitive atmospheric monitoring equipment.   The following analyzers are part of the atmospheric sampling array:

  1. NOx: API 200E Series Analyzer;
  2. PM2.5: Met One BAM-1020 FEM PM2.5;
  3. PM10:  Met One BAM-1020 FEM PM10;
  4. SO2:  API 100E Series Analyzer;
  5. O3:  API 400E Series Analyzer;
  6. XAD-passive air sampler;
  7. Passive Mercury air sampler; and
  8. Valsala Meteorological station.

Schedule:
WARC staff will perform quality control checks on a weekly basis and as required, calibrate, maintain, and service the equipment.

External Partners:
John McKay, Environment and Natural Resources - Government of the Northwest Territories
Dr. Hayley Hung, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Media:

Pesticides, microplastics contaminating Arctic Air - INUVIK DRUM

 

Keywords:
Air quality, cilmate change, air pollution, passive air sampler, natural emissions, anthropogenic emissions, contaminants

 

 

 

 

Updated May 2021

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