HR: 09:12h
AN: A31D-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Air Quality in the Central Ontario Region
AU: * Gbor, P K
EM: pkgbor@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca
AF: University of Waterloo, Waterloo Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Waterloo, ON N2L3G1 Canada
AU: Meng, F
EM: fmeng@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca
AF: University of Waterloo, Waterloo Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Waterloo, ON N2L3G1 Canada
AU: Singh, R
EM: r22singh@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca
AF: University of Waterloo, Waterloo Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Waterloo, ON N2L3G1 Canada
AU: Galvez, O
EM: ogalvez@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca
AF: University of Waterloo, Waterloo Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Waterloo, ON N2L3G1 Canada
AU: Sloan, J J
EM: sloanj@UWaterloo.CA
AF: University of Waterloo, Waterloo Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Waterloo, ON N2L3G1 Canada
AB: The Central Ontario Region (COR) is the most densely populated area in Canada. With a population of 7.3 million, it contains 23% of the total population of Canada. It extends from the extreme south west end of Ontario to the eastern end of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and includes the Niagara, Hamilton and Waterloo Regions,. The air quality of this region is frequently severely impaired in the summer months. In the larger metropolitan areas (Toronto and Hamilton) air pollution is a concern throughout the year. Local health authorities attribute about 1000 premature deaths per year in the GTA alone to air pollution. Average air pollution levels in Ontario have decreased significantly during the past 30 years, despite significant growth in both population and industry. The concentrations of SO2 and CO have decreased by over 80% and the concentration of NOX has decreased by about 50% over the past 26 years. Currently, the concentrations of NOX, CO, SO2 and VOCs in the COR are well below the Provincial and Federal air quality criteria. Ozone, PM2.5 and PM10, however, remain above the Provincial guidelines, so smog still remains a problem. The pollutants in the atmosphere of the COR are caused by both local emissions and long range transport. The COR contributes over 50% of the NOx, VOC and CO emissions in Ontario. Over 58% of NOX and CO emissions in the COR are due to mobile sources while about 50% of VOC and PM emissions are due to area sources. The proximity of the COR to the Canada-U.S. border makes it vulnerable to long range transport of pollutants stemming from the much larger population in the United States. The Canadian government, industries and non-governmental organizations are all taking steps to help reduce the level of pollution in Canada. The Canadian federal government also participates in extensive consultations and cooperative programs with the United States designed to reduce the mutually detrimental effects of cross-border pollution. These initiatives are important because substantial improvements in the COR air quality must be made to avoid significant deterioration in the respiratory health of the population.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801)
DE: 0322 Constituent sources and sinks
DE: 0345 Pollution--urban and regional (0305)
DE: 0365 Troposphere--composition and chemistry
DE: 0368 Troposphere--constituent transport and chemistry
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting