Seasonal impact analysis on population due to continuous sulphur emissions from Severonikel smelters of the Kola Peninsula

• Published in: GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY
• Main Authors: Mahura, Alexander, Gonzalez-Aparicio, Iraxte, Nuterman, Roman, Baklanov, Alexander
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Kola Peninsula; Murmansk; Norway; Arkhangelsk; karelia*; kola peninsula; North-West Russia; Northern Norway
• Online Access: https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/seasonal-impact-analysis-on-population-due-to-continuous-sulphur-emissions-from-severonikel-smelters-of-the-kola-peninsula(4523a1da-3d68-4d2f-8709-2d3b4e267221).html; https://doi.org/10.24057/2071-9388-2018-11-1-130-144; https://curis.ku.dk/ws/files/197000596/386_603_1_SM.pdf

This study is devoted to investigation of total deposition and loading patterns for population of the North-West Russia and Scandinavian countries due to continuous emissions (following “mild emission scenario”) of sulphates from the Cu-Ni smelters (Severonikel enterprise, Murmansk region, Russia). The Lagrangian long-range dispersion model (Danish Emergency Response Model for Atmosphere) was run in a long-term mode to simulate atmospheric transport, dispersion and deposition over the Northern Hemispheric’s domain north of 10°N, and results were integrated and analyzed in the GIS environment. Analysis was performed on annual and seasonal scales, including depositions, impact on urban areas and calculating individual and collective loadings on population in selected regions of Russia and Scandinavian countries. It was found that wet deposition dominates, and it is higher in winter. The North-West Russia is more influenced by the Severonikel emissions compared with the Scandinavian countries. Among urban areas, the Russian cities of Murmansk (due to its proximity to the source) and Arkhangelsk (due to dominating atmospheric flows) are under the highest impact. The yearly individual loadings on population are the largest (up to 120 kg/person) for the Murmansk region; lower (15 kg/person) for territories of the northern Norway, and the smallest (less than 5 kg/person) for the eastern Finland, Karelia Republic, and Arkhangelsk region. These loadings have distinct seasonal variability with a largest contribution during winter-spring for Russia, spring – for Norway, and autumn – for Finland and Sweden; and the lowest during summer (i.e. less than 10 and 1 kg/person for the Russia and Scandinavian countries, respectively). The yearly collective loadings for population living on the impacted territories in Russia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden are 2628, 140.4, 13, and 10.7 tonnes, respectively.