A Passive Monitoring Station is simply a filter extended above the forest canopy that absorbs the air rather than drawing the air in. It is placed in remote locations to help us determine the dispersion of compounds and their concentrations and is collected by helicopter just nine times a year to be sent for analysis. The compounds collected include ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, VOCs, and particulate matter.

We currently operate thirteen passive monitoring stations. Four are located at MacKay River near Petro-Canada; two located at our ambient air monitoring stations (AMS 1 - Fort McKay and AMS 6 - Patricia McInnes); and seven are dispersed in the forests of the region.