Sea Island Air Quality
YVR is committed to reducing air pollution and tracks its air quality through continuous ambient air quality monitoring. Data is reported to the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI).
In 2017, we continued to participate voluntarily in the Lower Fraser Valley Air Quality Monitoring Network. As part of this network, Metro Vancouver operates an air quality monitoring station located at YVR east of the South Runway. Data collected from this station is displayed on a live stream through Metro Vancouver’s website. Metro Vancouver analyzes this data each year to demonstrate trends and performance against annual, hourly and 24-hour objectives. Data is released in May of each year in the Caring for the Air Report and is presented in the following table, compared with several of Metro Vancouver’s current ambient air quality objectives. The Caring for the Air Report details regional advisories and trends in air emissions data.
Air Pollutants monitored on Sea Island
| Annual Averages | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | Metro Vancouver Objectives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogren Dioxide (NO2) (ppb) | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 21 |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) (ppb) | 239 | 244 | 239 | 254 | 242 | No annual average |
| Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) (ppb) | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 11 |
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) (µg/m3) | 4.2 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 6.0 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM10) (µg/m3) | 11.1 | 11 | 11 | 12.8 | 10.3 | 20 |
| Ozone (O3) (ppb) | 18 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | No annual average |
*2017 data will be available in May 2018
We submitted a report to the NPRI in 2017 for the 2016 emissions period and found that we had the same substances below the reporting thresholds as reported in 2015—Carbon Monoxide, Sulphur Dioxide, Oxides of Nitrogen, Volatile Organic Compounds and asbestos disposal releases. Particulate matter produced from boilers, emergency generators and road dust slightly exceeded the reporting threshold. Our reported levels in 2016 were below 2015 levels, as boilers and emergency generators saw less use in 2016 due to mild weather and fewer outages as well as low visibility days. Thus, our initiatives are continuing to have a positive effect with increasing passenger volumes.