GEOGRAPHY 12Environmental Project 2010

Athabasca Tar Sands

In 2006 the oil sands produced 1.126 million barrels per day, 62% of Alberta's total oil production, 47% of Canada’s total oil production and by 2015 should be 4 million barrels/day. Canada is second only to Saudi Arabia.

Athabasca Tar Sands

“Toxic Tailing Ponds Visible From Space”

SUMMARY

The Athabasca Oil Sands or Tar Sands are made of heavy crude oil called bitumen. Discovered in 1848, production did not start until 1967 because it was too expensive to recover and we did not have the technology. In 2003 rising cost of oil and the energy crisis made the Tar Sands profitable. They are now a multi-billion dollar industry of economic and political importance.

However, mining the Athabasaca Oil Sands is damaging our water and air and causing environmental problems and global warming. Toxic chemical run-off is creating health problems, destroying wildlife and population over growth has caused

economic problems.

LOCATION• Athabasca Tar Sands are in Fort McMurray, north-eastern Alberta, Canada• Close to Athabasca River and Fort Chipewyan

Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage

•4 barrels of hot clean water are required to extract 1 barrel of oil

• Tar sand deposits are located under141,000 sq. km. (54,000 sq mi)of Peat Bog and Boreal forest

• Athabasca surface deposits contain 35 billion barrels of bitumen plus another 98 billion barrels that are recoverable by SAGD.

Health Problems• poisonous polluted water is dumped,

creating huge tailings ponds that can be seen from space

• causing illness and disease• destroying wildlife, fish and birds

PROBLEMS

Water•water is being removed and used up from the Athabasca River which is approx. 600m from the tailings pond

• federal government and the oil industry are working together• plan to sell shares of the oil sands to China and the US

Land • large-scale mining and increased population growth are damaging the natural environment

Greenhouse Gases •Alberta’s tar sands are the 8th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world which is adding to

global warming

Toxic Chemicals

Health problems are arising from toxic chemicals like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals and other chemical contaminants that are being dumped into the water. First Nations Chipewyan residents downstream from the tar sands are getting unusual frightening cancers as a result.

In 2008 research began by the University of Alberta, testing for these substances.

Water in the Athabaska River is being polluted from the tailing ponds and Whitefish are now covered in unknown strange red spots and can no longer be eaten.

Polluted Water in the Athabaska River

Radar devices which detect nearby birds have been placed in the tailing ponds. A fake falcon flaps its wings and makes noise to try to stop birds from landing and dieing in the oil sludge but the ponds are so incredibly vast.

OIL SLUDGE AND BIRDS

Environmental Pollution

The Boreal forest and Muskeg are being destroyed by open pit mining. Forests are cut down and the land is stripped clean for surface mining.

For one barrel of oil, two tons of peat and dirt must be removed, then two tons of sand with the bitumen.

To turn bitumen into crude uses energy, and this energy is powered by burning natural gas, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Oil sands use about 1 billion cu. ft of natural gas per day processing the Bitumen into crude oil.

Greenhouse Emissions

OPPOSING POINTS OF VIEW

We need the oil from the Athabasca Oil Sands because the tar sands have political and economic importance.

• Necessary for international trade with China and United States. There are plans for pipelines from the oil sands in Edmonton, Alberta from:

Kitimat, B.C. to CHINA refineries and the Pacific Hardisty, Alberta to US refineries. China will run a pipeline the opposite way to transfer condensate to dilute the bitumen so it will move easily to China

• Creates employment• Necessary to make products and create energy• Shell Says “Tar Sands Less Damaging Than Coal and they sure are profitable”• No evidence to support the health claims

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

•Set standards for the sustainable development of the oil sands that cares for the environment

•Plan for health, education and infrastructure for growing population

•Find and use alternatives to oil like electric cars and wind generated electricity

MY OPINION

I do not think the problems associated with the tar sands will change because there is too much money to be made from oil and I feel that the big businesses feel people like the First Nations are expendable.

Government places more importance on international trade than on the environment and people’s health.

I feel the situation will continue to get worse and have even more negative impact on the environment when the pipelines start going through.

Boreal forest before Tar sands after

Resources•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athabasca_Oil_Sands

•http://www.canada.com/business/story.html?id=2277196

•http://alberta.ca/home/documents/Investing_in_our_Future_Section7.pdf

•http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/03/canadian-oil-sands/kunzig-text/2

•http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/03/canadian-oil-sands/essick-photography

•http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/tar-sands-investment-could-be-oil-industry-version-sub-prime-mel

BY JENSEN BRENT