Sulfur Experiment

SULFUR EXPERIMENT

The objective of the sulfur experiment is to determine the effect of gas plant sulfur emissions on precipitation processes in central Alberta.

Background

Considerable work has been carried out at ARC on the chemical composition of precipitation samples in central Alberta. The most recent data suggest that sulfur is involved in the precipitation processes, but the results are not conclusive. Preliminary statistical analyses of total sulfur emissions and crop loss to risk insurance data suggest that significant correlations exist, indicating a possible hail suppression effect. However, these correlations may simply be coincidental. More extensive and sophisticated analyses need to be conducted to rule out coincidence. The sulfur experiment was initiated by ARC to establish whether or not a cause and effect relationship exists between sulfur emissions and precipitation in central Alberta.

Objectives

Research flights concentrated on three types of experiments: plume studies, background measurements, and cloud penetrations. The objectives of the plume studies are to understand the rise and dispersion of gas plant plumes and the conversion of sulfur dioxide gas to sulfate particles which can be active in clouds. Background measurement studies will estimate the natural background of sulfur dioxide gas, sulfate particles and other aerosols, and assess the additional contributions by gas plant emissions. Cloud penetration studies attempt to differentiate natural clouds from those which form in air influenced by gas plant emissions.