Annual bird mortality rate in the Athabasca area: Primary vs. Secondary sources

Northeastern Alberta is home to both the Athabasca Tar Sands and the Athabasca Watershed, one of the main flyways for migratory birds in the North America (Timoney 2010). However, with tar sands come tailing ponds. Tailing ponds are large, manmade ponds with the sole purpose of having a place to deposit the waste water used in extracting the tar from tar sand. (Timoney 2010) These specific ponds in the Athabasca Tar Sand area have a water surface area of 120.6km², 1.4 times bigger than the water surface area of the Athabasca Watershed (composed of the Athabasca River as well as other lakes and ponds in the area) at 84.9km² (Timoney 2010). This leads to many birds landing in the tailing ponds which are covered with oil and deposits of other pollutants. Kevin Timoney conducted a study which shows that the mortality rate of birds from tailing ponds in the Athabasca Tar Sands area is higher than the reported industry rate. His study was recently published in the Wilson journal of Ornithology (Primary source). Journalist Bob Weber wrote an article for the Toronto Star on Tuesday September 7th^th, 2010 discussing the results of the study (Secondary source). This blog posting will discuss and compare the claims made in both sources.

In the article written by Bob Weber for the Toronto Star, he claims that birds in the Athabasca Tar Sand area are dying at a rate at least 30 times the rate reported by the industry. However nowhere in the original article does Kevin Timoney state that fact. The industry reports an average estimate of 65 ± 59 dead birds from 200 to 2007 (Timoney 2010). In Timoney’s study the industry reported mortality rate is the lowest estimate. In fact in a separate study conducted by Wells et al. in 2008 estimated the highest figure, that of 8,676 to 156,168 dead birds. This study assumed that all birds that landed in a pond were oiled and that the peak landing rates were accurate 24 hours/day for 100 days (Wells et al., 2008). Based on the data from 1980 to 1985 at Syncrude’s Mildred Lake Settling Basin, one of the tailing ponds in the Athabasca Tar Sands, at which the average mortality rate was 13.38 birds/km² at that time, Timoney extrapolated the number to be 1,614 dead birds per year based on the current size of the tailing ponds (Timoney 2010). This comes to a rate 24.8 times higher than the industry reported. That is the closest the study comes to a rate of 30 times higher than the industry self reported rate. Bob Weber claims that the study shows a 14 year median of 1,973 deaths every year. However this statistic is not shown once in the study published by Kevin Timoney. The only time that that combination of numbers appear in the study is for a date in which McEwan and Koelink published a study (1973).

In Bob Weber’s work he fails to bring up some of the primary points Kevin Timoney displayed in his study results. Such as that smaller ponds may have a higher mortality rate than larger ponds (Timoney 2010). He also neglects to mention that it is plausible for the mortality rate to double in the spring season when birds are migrating, and natural water bodies are frozen (Van Meer and Arner 1985). Since the tailing ponds are filled with chemicals and warm waste is constantly deposited in them, the ponds never freeze over (Van Meer and Arner 1985). He also fails to explain that the total number of birds migrating through The Athabasca Watershed is unknown and that the actual mortality rate caused by the tailing ponds is also unknown (Timoney 2010). Timoney studied 3 different locations, and grouped the dead birds into different three causes of deaths, two of which are labeled as “unknown” and “other”. Bob Weber failed to explain that not all the deaths were completely because of birds being oiled. Overall, he fails to explain the need for improved data quality and collection.

Finally, Bob Weber’s article did have some truthful claims. The mortality rate of birds in the Athabasca area was found to be (not 30 times) higher than the industry’s self reported rate; and Mel Knight is the Sustainable Resource Development Minister for Alberta. Other than that, most of the article is just paraphrasing, citations or false. However by exposing the truth about how low the industry estimates the mortality rate of birds in their tailing ponds to the general public who read news papers and not scientific journals, his article does have some merit. He adds strength to claims that are apparent in both works, such as the evident need for better monitor and prevention on the tailing ponds (Timoney 2010). Any claim in Timoney’s study was support by his results. He did not claim anything his (or previous) studies could not support. Weber’s article is used to present the study to the general public is terms they would understand having no scientific background. Because of this he cannot strengthen his claims to the extent Timoney could.

In Conclusion, the claims made in Bob Weber’s article were hardly supported by the results Kevin Timoney’s study. Where Bob Weber got some facts is beyond the limitations provided by the primary source his article is discussing. He does however bring forward some main points demonstrated in the study, and strengthens their claims by adding citations from credible sources. Overall the claims in Kevin Timoney’s study were supported by his results. Where as in Bob Weber’s article was limited by the results of the study.

WEBER, B. 2010. Birds dying in oil sands at 30 times the rate reported, says study. September 7^th 2010. The Star Toronto edition.

TIMONEY, K and R. RONCINI. 2010. Annual bird mortality in the bitumen tailings ponds in northeastern Alberta, Canada. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 122(3): 569-576.

VAN MEER, T. and B. ARNER. 1985. Bird surveillance and protection, summary of 1984 and 1985 activities. Syncrude Canada Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada

WELLS, J., s. CASEY-LEFKOWITZ, G. CHAVARIA, and S. DYER. 2008. Impact on birds of tar sands oil development in Canada’s boreal forest. Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, USA.