From the examination of the spatial distribution of pollutants and of the record from ice cores, it is demonstrated that Svalbard is strongly a!ected by anthropogenic pollution. This pollution has caused an increase of approximately 90 % in the acidity of the snow deposited in the Archipelago since...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1999
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.514.7930 http://bprc.osu.edu/Icecore/vz-ae-01.pdf |
| Summary: | From the examination of the spatial distribution of pollutants and of the record from ice cores, it is demonstrated that Svalbard is strongly a!ected by anthropogenic pollution. This pollution has caused an increase of approximately 90 % in the acidity of the snow deposited in the Archipelago since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. High concentra-tions of H‘, frequently greater than 10 leq l~1 (i.e. with pHs lower than 5.0), associated with high concentrations of sulphates, indicate that Svalbard is experiencing the phenomenon of acid deposition. The "rst part of this work reviews the existing knowledge of atmospheric, snow, and ice pollution in Svalbard. This is followed by an examination of the acidity time series, supported by excess-sulphate measurements, performed on an ice core from central-eastern Spitsber-gen that provide a historical record of acid deposition over a 54 year period. An ice core recovered from Austfonna, Nordaustlandet provided baseline values and also a record of acidity in precipitation before and during the entire industrial period, thereby allowing the evolution of acid deposition in the Archipelago to be traced. The records of these two Svalbard cores also re#ect the overall regional trends. ( 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. |
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