Ozone in a Jack Pine Forest in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region

Photochemical reaction is the primary source of ozone in the troposphere, with the ozone formation reaction depending on the concentration of precursors such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Anthropogenic emissions from oil sand extraction increase VOC concentration relative to background conditions and may have an impact on ozone concentrations. This study focuses on ozone concentration analysis within and above a Jack Pine forest canopy in Northern Alberta. The result show that pollution from surrounding oil facilities can enhance the ozone mixing ratio in the forest, and the enhancement usually happens with high temperature and air stagnation. However, the enhancement is quite small. The measurement also found that ozone mixing ratio increased with height within the forest canopy due to ozone deposition.