AOSERP Reports
The Alberta Oil Sands Environmental Research Program (AOSERP) ran from 1975 to 1985 and carried out surveys and research aimed at identifying the potential long-term impacts of oil sands development. The program focused on land, water, air and human systems and produced numerous reports. The program was managed by Alberta Environment.To view a list of available reports, please visit: http://www.osrin.ualberta.ca/Resources/DigitizedReports.aspx
TAKE NOTE: These reports are provided to give context and historical information. As they are old they may contain references to out-of-date legislation and policies. Readers should be cautious when using these materials and always refer to current legislation and policies.
Items in this Collection
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Interim report on an intensive study of the fish fauna of the Muskeg River watershed of northeastern Alberta
Download1977-01-01
The fish fauna of the Muskeg River was studied during spring and summer, 1976. Migrations of non-resident fish from the Athabasca River into the Muskeg River watershed were monitored through the use of a two-way counting fence between 28 April and 30 July. A total of 6153 fish were passed through...
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1979
McGill, W. B., Lindsay, J. D., Kong, K.
Two sites have been established for the study of stored peat. These are located at Evansburg ; Alberta and on the Syncrude Canada Ltd. lease at Mildred Lake, Alberta. Fibric and mesic moss peat and fen peat have been investigated in terms of their physical, chemical and microbiological...
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Interim report on ecological benchmarking and biomonitoring for detection of air-borne pollutant effects on vegetation and soils, 1975 to 1978
Download1979
A set of 11 sites were established in the Alberta Oil Sands Environmental Research Program study area to provide baseline information on vegetation and soils with respect to air pollution impact. Sites were strategically located for use in long-term biomonitoring and were described with respect...
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Interim report on ecological studies on the benthic invertebrates of various rivers in the Alberta oil sands environmental research program study area, northeastern Alberta
Download1979
This report details preliminary experimental and survey research on benthic communities affected by selected hydrocarbons and tailings sludge produced by existing oil sands mining and upgrading operations. Taxonomic surveys of macrobenthic communities were carried out in the Muskeg and Steepbank...
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Interim report on ecological studies on the lower trophic levels of muskeg rivers within the Alberta oil sands environmental research program study area
Download1979
This project (AF 2.0.2) was conducted in 1977-78 as a planned complement of another project (AF 2.0.1) on invertebrate resources. The scope of this project was to investigate productivity in the oil sands region and it involved both baseline data collection and manipulation experiments....
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Interim report on physiology and mechanisms of air-borne pollutant injury to vegetation, 1975 to 1978
Download1979
Biochemical studies conducted under controlled conditions suggested that low concentrations of SO2 which normally do not produce any visual symptoms on the foliage cause injury to forest vegetation by altering pigment (chlorophyll, phaeophytin and chlorophyllide) metabolism, by inhibiting lipid...
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Interim report on reclamation for afforestation by suitable native and introduced tree and shrub species
Download1979
Dunsworth, B. G., Takyi, S. K., Sherstabetoff, J. N.
AOSERP project VE 7.1 was initiated to carry out field investigations in the revegetation of oi1 sands mine wastes (waste dumps and tailing sand) with trees and shrubs. The main objective of the project is to select species of trees and shrubs which are adapted to conditions on these waste...
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Interim report on small mammal populations and related tree damage in the AOSERP study area, October and November 1977
Download1977
The afforestation program in the Athabasca Oil Sands area has been only moderately successful, because of the high mortality of the planted seedlings--much of which Is believed to be the result of high levels of small mammal damage. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to determine the...
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Interim report on symptomology and threshold levels of air pollutant injury to vegetation, 1975 to 1978
Download1979
Malhotra, S. S., Addison, P. A.
Six boreal forest plant species were fumigated in a newly developed environmental growth chamber with SO2 control capability,for up to 40 days at 0.34 ppm SO2. All species showed a gradual decline in CO2 gas exchange which was related to symptom development characteristic of SO2 toxicity. Paper...