The oil sands of Alberta, Canada, are of international interest due to the potential environmental impacts, from local to global scales, of their extraction and processing to provide non-conventional fossil fuels to consumers in North America and globally. The governments of Canada and the province of Alberta launched the Joint Oil Sands Monitoring (JOSM) program in 2012 to help address knowledge gaps regarding long-term cumulative effects of oil sands' development and production. JOSM is a regionally focused program; however, the knowledge gained is applicable to extra heavy oil production elsewhere, given the large known global reserves of heavy oil and bitumen.

The purpose of this special issue is to bring together the scientific results of atmospheric-related JOSM studies, which have been largely conducted since 2013, although some of the potential papers could involve data obtained in earlier years. Other submissions within this scope could also be considered. The results would be derived from measurements from the ground as well as aircraft and satellite overpasses. Applications and evaluations of high-resolution modeling will also be part of this research portfolio. While the studies are to be focused on emissions and ambient levels, as well as deposition, with regard to the oil sands region in Alberta, and therefore referring particularly to conditions in that area, results will have a broader relevance scientifically. This ranges from evaluation of new satellite retrievals, new trace gas and aerosol measurement methods and techniques for source apportionment and emission inventory evaluation, to process studies of deposition, secondary air pollutant formation (gas and particle) and black carbon coating and light absorption.