Land Change

Oil sands developments can affect aquatic ecosystems directly, through additions or withdrawals of water, and indirectly, through changes to the landscape that affect natural patterns of water movement. Changes to the landscape within drainage basins are used to classify sampling stations as baseline or test.

The extent of land disturbance in each drainage basin is estimated using satellite imagery in conjunction with detailed maps of operations provided by RAMP industry members. As of 2007, approximately 68,000 hectares (1.9%) of land within the RAMP Focus Study Area had been disturbed by RAMP and non-RAMP member companies. The percentage of land disturbed within each basin varies from less than 1% (e.g., the MacKay, Ells, Christina, and Firebag basins) to more than 10% (e.g., Fort Creek, McLean Creek, and the Tar River). Estimates of land disturbance are used to assess the relevance of observed differences in measurement endpoints between different drainage basins.

Developed areas where there is no natural exchange of water with the rest of the watershed (e.g. tailings ponds) are designated as hydrologically closed-circuited. Developed areas where there is natural exchange of water with the rest of the watershed (e.g. cleared land) are designated as not hydrologically closed-circuited. The land change classification protocol used to classify areas is described in Appendix A of the Annual Technical Reports.

Land change maps

Annual Land Disturbance Maps are included in the online monitoring locations map.

Area of watersheds with land change in 2007

Watershed	Total Watershed Area (ha)	Watershed Area with Land Change in 2007 (ha)
		Focal Projects		Other Oil Sands Projects in RAMP FSA		Total		Watershed Total
		Not-Closed Circuited	Closed- Circuited	Not-Closed Circuited	Closed- Circuited	Not-Closed Circuited	Closed Circuited
Minor Athabasca River Tributaries	165,666	8,963	25,516			8,963	25,516	34,480
Calumet	17,354	217				217		217
Christina	1,303,805	1,001	114	824	449	1,826	563	2,388
Ells	245,000	146	87	15		161	87	247
Firebag	568,174	982	270			982	270	1,253
Fort Creek	3,193	1,626	40			1,626	40	1,666
Hangingstone	106,641				386		386	386
Horse	215,741				545		545	545
MacKay	557,000	839	264			839	264	1,103
McLean	4,712	48	1,076			48	1,076	1,123
Muskeg	146,000	3,659	9,378			3,659	9,378	13,036
Original Poplar	13,856	121	260			121	260	381
Steepbank	135,491	1,538	186			1,538	186	1,724
Tar	33,261	7,036	1,890	12		7,048	1,890	8,938
Upper Beaver	28,711	804				804		804
FSA Total	3,544,606	26,981	39,079	851	1,381	27,832	40,460	68,292

Table Notes:

• Only land changes within the RAMP FSA were delineated.
• Refers to Athabasca River tributaries from Fort McMurray to the mouth of the Firebag River excluding the watersheds explicitly listed in this table. All land change areas in the minor Athabasca River tributaries in 2007 were upstream of RAMP hydrology station S24.
• Original Poplar refers to the Poplar Creek watershed prior to the Beaver Creek diversion, while "Upper Beaver" refers to that part of the Beaver Creek drainage that now drains into Poplar Creek as a result of the Beaver Creek diversion. Drainage boundaries were estimated from maps provided in Syncrude Canada Ltd. (1977).