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Abstract: Characterization of the effects of cruise ship emissions on local air quality is scarce. Our objective was to investigate community level concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) associated with cruise ships in James Bay, Victoria, British Columbia (BC), Canada. Data obtained over four years (2005–2008) at the nearest air quality network site located 3.5km from the study area, a CALPUFF modeling exercise (2007), and continuous measurements taken in the James Bay community over a three-month period during the 2009 cruise ship season were examined. Concentrations of PM2.5 and nitrogen oxide (NO) were elevated on weekends with ships present with winds from the direction of the terminal to the monitoring station. SO2 displayed the greatest impact from the presence of cruise ships in the area. Network data showed peaks in hourly SO2 when ships were in port during all years. The CALPUFF modeling analysis found predicted 24-hour SO2 levels to exceed World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines of 20μgm−3 for approximately 3% of 24-hour periods, with a maximum 24-hour concentration in the community of 41μgm−3; however, the CALPUFF model underestimated concentrations when predicted and measured concentrations were compared at the network site. Continuous monitoring at the location in the community predicted to experience highest SO2 concentrations measured a maximum 24-hour concentration of 122μgm−3 and 16% of 24-hour periods were above the WHO standard. The 10-minute concentrations of SO2 reached up to 599μgm−3 and exceeded the WHO 10-minute SO2 guideline (500μgm−3) for 0.03% of 10-minute periods. No exceedences of BC Provincial or Canadian guidelines or standards were observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Particulate matter (PM) speciation data were collected between November 2004 and August 2006 in the rural valley area of British Columbia, Canada. Source apportionment of PM was performed using a receptor model, positive matrix factorization (PMF), to identify possible sources of PM and determine the influence of each identified source on local air quality. High concentrations of PM2.5 (<2.5μm) were observed in winter months with an average of 18μgm−3, while the average concentration in summer months was approximately 6μgm−3. PMF apportioned the PM2.5 mass into seven factors identified as Na-rich, secondary sulfate, wood burning, wood processing, crustal material, traffic, and winter heating. The most important sources affecting ambient air quality in the deep valley rural area were wood burning and winter heating factors. In winter the wood burning and winter heating sources accounted for approximately 31% and 43% of the total PM2.5 mass, respectively, indicating the significant influence of biomass burning in the rural area. The wood burning and winter heating factors were highly associated with high organic carbon and volatile organic compounds. The identity of the sources was further elucidated by exploring their relationship with other measured parameters; a correlation study was conducted to evaluate relationships between the sources, gaseous pollutants, and meteorological variables. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Selenium has been found at elevated concentrations in water, sediments, and aquatic biota in the Elk River (British Columbia, Canada) and some of its tributaries downstream of several coal mines. Selenium water concentrations in those areas exceed Canadian and British Columbia guidelines and are above levels at which adverse effects to fish and waterfowl could occur. We compared selenium concentrations in the eggs of two riverine waterbirds, American dippers and spotted sandpipers, with measures of productivity: the number of eggs laid, egg hatchability, and nestling survival. In American dippers, the mean egg selenium concentration from the exposed areas, 1.10 +/- SE 0.059 microg/g wet weight, was indistinguishable from the reference areas, 0.96 +/- SE 0.059 microg/g wet weight. For spotted sandpipers, the mean egg selenium concentration in the exposed areas, 2.2 +/- 0.5 microg/g wet weight, was significantly higher than in the reference areas, 1.2 +/- 0.14 microg/g wet weight, but less than reported thresholds for waterfowl and other shorebirds. There were no significant differences in egg hatchability between dippers in reference and exposed areas, but reduced hatchability was apparent for sandpipers in exposed locations. Despite the slightly reduced hatchability in sandpipers, overall productivity was higher than regional norms for both species; thus, selenium did not affect the number of young recruited to local populations. We did not observe teratogenic effects in either species, although none was expected at these concentrations. Despite moderately high selenium concentrations in the water, mean egg selenium concentrations were less than predicted from uptake models. We hypothesise that the relatively low uptake of selenium into the eggs of the two waterbirds in this study is likely due to their lotic environment's low biological transformation and uptake rates.