Elton Chan

Image Elton Chan
Physical Scientist - Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases: Measurements, Modelling and Interpretation

Current research and/or projects

Modelling and interpretation for carbon cycle research, emission sources and sinks quantification, climate policy and regulation development. Additional information: Canadian greenhouse gas program

  • Scientific analysis and interpretation of the spatial and temporal trends of atmospheric greenhouse gases. Identifies probable causes for observed atmospheric variations in the measurement data.
  • Applies atmospheric transport modelling results and greenhouse gas data to quantify national and regional emissions of natural and anthropogenic greenhouse gases.
  • Co-author, the Canadian Smog Science Assessment, 2012, Environment Canada and Health Canada.
  • Co-author, the National Agri-Environmental Standards Initiative (NAESI), 2009, Environment Canada in partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Professional activities / interests

Establishes liaisons and develops cooperation between Canada and international scientists engaged in related research.

Co-authored in Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (TF HTAP) Assessment (2010).

Invited lecture on applied statistics to the air quality data, McMaster University (2007, Toronto, Canada).

Invited course on Statistics and Air Quality and a paper at the AQ 2006 Workshop (2006, Alberta, Canada).

Invited seminar on the source-receptor modelling techniques (2005, Toronto, Canada).

Reviewer for Journal of Geophysical Research, Atmosphere Environment, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution: Focus.

Education and awards

Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto

Key publications

Chan, E., Worthy, D. E. J., Chan, D., Ishizawa, M., Moran, M. D., Delcloo, A., and Vogel, F.: Eight-Year Estimates of Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations in Western Canada Are Nearly Twice Those Reported in Inventories, Environ. Sci. Technol., 54, 14899–14909, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c04117, 2020. 

Mostafavi Pak, N.; Heerah, S.; Zhang, J.; Chan, E.; Worthy, D.; Vogel, F.; Wunch, D. The Facility Level and Area Methane Emission Inventory for the Greater Toronto Area (FLAME-GTA), Manuscript submitted for publication, 2020.

Ishizawa, M., Chan, D., Worthy, D., Chan, E., Vogel, F., and Maksyutov, S.: Analysis of atmospheric CH4 in Canadian Arctic and estimation of the regional CH4 fluxes, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4637–4658, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4637-2019, 2019.

Vogel, F. R.; Ishizawa, M.; Chan, E.; Chan, D.; Hammer, S.; Levin, I.; Worthy, D. E. J. Regional non-CO2 greenhouse gas fluxes inferred from atmospheric measurements in Ontario, Canada. J. Integr. Environ. Sci. 2012, 9, 41– 55,  DOI: 10.1080/1943815x.2012.691884.

Parrish, D. D., Law, K. S., Staehelin, J., Derwent, R., Cooper, O. R., Tanimoto, H., Volz-Thomas, A., Gilge, S., Scheel, H.-E., Steinbacher, M., and Chan, E.: Long-term changes in lower tropospheric baseline ozone concentrations at northern mid-latitudes, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 11485–11504, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-11485-2012, 2012.

Sharma S., Chan E., Ishizawa M., Toom-Sauntry D., Gong S. L., S. M. Li, Leaitch W. R., Norman A., Quinn P. K., Bates T. S., Levasseur M., Barrie L. A., On the influence of transport and ocean ice extent on biogenic aerosol sulfur in the Arctic, (JGR, 2012).

Macdonald A. M., K. G. Anlauf, W. R. Leaitch, and Chan E., Interannual variability of ozone and carbon monoxide at the Whistler high elevation site: 2002–2006, (ACP, 2011).

Baisuo Jin, Chan E. Yuehua Wu, Hierarchical Bayesian spatio-temporal modelling of regional ozone concentrations and network design, (J of Env Stats, 2011).

F.R. Vogel, M. Ishizawa, Chan E., D. Chan, S. Hammer, I. Levin and D.E.J. Worthy, Regional Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gas Fluxes Inferred from Atmospheric Measurements in Southern Ontario, Canada, (J of Int Env Sci, 2011).

Chan E., Vet R., Baseline levels and trends of ground level ozone in Canada and the United States (ACP, 2010).

Chan E., Regional ground-level ozone trends in context of meteorological influences across Canada and Eastern United States from 1997 to 2006, (JGR, 2009).

Worthy D., Chan E., Ishiwaza M., Chan D., Poß C., Decreasing anthropogenic methane emissions in Europe and Siberia inferred from continuous carbon dioxide and methane observations at Alert, Canada, (JGR, 2009).

Su, Y, Hung, H., Brice, K. A., Su, K., Alexandrou, N., Chan E., Sverko, E. and Fellin, P., Air Concentrations of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in 2002-2004 at a Rural Site in the Great Lakes Region: Comparison to Measurements in the Arctic, (AE, 2009).

Zhang L., Vet R., Wiebe A., Mihele C., Sukloff W., Chan E., Moran M., Iqbal S., Characterization of the size-segregated water-soluble inorganic ions across eastern Canada, (ACP, 2008).

Bottenheim J., Chan E., A Trajectory Study into the Origin of Spring Time Arctic Boundary Layer Ozone Depletion, (JGR, 2006).